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Following the most successful World Championship campaigns in decades for both Australia’s able-bodied Dolphins and Paralympic Dolphins and recognising that records, medals and personal bests don’t happen without world-class support, Swimming Australia has today acknowledged and paid tribute to the support team behind the Dolphins, and the stakeholders that contribute to this success.

Swimming Australia Head Coach Rohan Taylor, Head Coach Paralympic Hub - USC Harley Connolly and Para men's head coach Kate Sparkes said it was the support of stakeholders across the business that underpinned their respective campaign success.

With both Dolphins teams now back on home soil after achieving incredible results overseas, focus now turns towards the runway to Paris and high-performance planning to ensure the success continues.

The able-bodied team achieved incredible success in Fukuoka, finishing top of the table with 13 gold medals and beating the USA for the first time since 2001. Meanwhile, their Para counterparts finished their best campaign in over a decade a week later in Manchester.

Off the back of these successful campaigns, Swimming Australia acknowledge the hard work that the athletes as well as staff, put in to achieving these results.

Swimming Australia’s high-performance unit, widely regarded as one of the best on the global stage, functions at the elite level with the support of the AIS and the Australian Sports Commission.

This program funding enables staff employed directly by Swimming Australia, and also the National Institute Network, to provide the right environment for athletes to compete.

This includes access to sport science and sport medicine services, coaching, lane hire, flights and accommodation in order to compete at the highest level.

Other partners, including Arena, Griffith University and Tech Mahindra, are instrumental in enabling the success of the business and their support combined with numerous government departments ensure the sports longevity.

Also contributing to swimming’s success are the many states, territories and organisations who continue to feed the pipeline of talent that makes swimming Australia’s biggest participation sport, with our clubs the heartbeat of Swimming Australia.

The Junior Excellence Program, driven in partnership by Swimming Australia and the Pho3nix Foundation, is another beacon of talent - most of the Dolphins team who competed at the World Championship were graduates of the JX program including newly minted world record holders Mollie O’Callaghan and Arianne Titmus.

The JX program is the first step for junior athletes in swimming’s high-performance space, and is a streamlined, targeted approach for juniors aged 9-13, enabling them to develop their skills as they move into their teenage years. It aims to recognise and inspire young swimmers and build commitment to, and enthusiasm for, the pathway into senior swimming.

More than 200,000 swimmers have participated in the program since launched in 2007, with 17,000 expected to take part this year alone.

Dolphins Head Coach Rohan Taylor said the Dolphins’ glittering campaigns were built on investment from the many stakeholders involved.

Taylor notes “this success is the culmination of years and years of hard work and it’s also thanks to supporters.

“We thank the Federal Government for its commitment to the high-performance program which included last month’s announcement of $20 million to support Olympic-bound athletes. Swimming’s allocation of just under $2 million will enhance medal potential and this is a timely investment with just under 12 months to go until the 2024 Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games.

 “This targeted approach will help deliver ongoing international success of our swimmers; results that we hope will inspire all Australians as head down the green and gold runway to Paris and ultimately Brisbane 2032.

“Our membership is comprised of swimmers of every age and ability – and combined with our coaches, pathways programs, investment and events - it is from this funnel that Olympic and Paralympic dreams, and world championship success, are realised.” 

Para Head Coaches Harley Connolly and Kate Sparkes added “The Australian Government – through the AIS and the Australian Sports Commission – has underpinned our programs and their continuity of investment has contributed significantly to our success.

“As have our pathways and investment in coaching, not to mention our extended Swimming Australia family that also includes all our state member associations, our coaches, officials and volunteers.”

Olympic and Paralympic athletes get the chance to step into the spotlight every four years, and as we head towards Paris, Swimming Australia sincerely thanks and celebrates its “backstage crew” whose hard work, perseverance and dedication are integral to the business of high performance.

2023 Honour Board 
Fukuoka World Aquatics Championships
GOLD
Women’s 100m Freestyle - Mollie O’Callaghan
Women’s 200m Freestyle WR – Mollie O’Callaghan
Women’s 400m Freestyle WR – Ariarne Titmus
Women’s 50m Backstroke – Kaylee McKeown
Women’s 100m Backstroke – Kaylee McKeown
Women’s 200m Backstroke – Kaylee McKeown
Women’s 4x100m Freestyle Relay – WR - Mollie O'Callaghan, Shayna Jack, Meg Harris, Emma McKeon. (Heats: Brianna Throssell, Madi Wilson).
Women’s 4x200m Freestyle Relay – WR – Mollie O’Callaghan, Shayna Jack, Brianna Throssell, Ariarne Titmus (Heats: Madi Wilson, Lani Pallister, Kiah Melverton)
Mixed 100m Freestyle Relay – WR - Jack Cartwright, Kyle Chalmers, Shayna Jack and Mollie O'Callaghan.
(Heats: Flynn Southam, Madi Wilson, Meg Harris).
Men’s 50m Freestyle – Cam McEvoy
Men’s 100m Freestyle – Kyle Chalmers
Men’s 400m Freestyle – Sam Short
Men’s 4x 100m Freestyle Relay: Jack Cartwright, Flynn Southam, Kai Taylor, Kyle Chalmers (Heats: Matt Temple, Flynn Southam)

SILVER
Women’s 200m Freestyle – Ariarne Titmus
Women’s 200m Butterfly – Lizzie Dekkers
Men’s 800m Freestyle – Sam Short
Men’s 200m Breaststroke – Zac Stubblety-Cook
Mixed 4x100m Medley - Kaylee McKeown, Zac Stubblety-Cook, Matt Temple, Shayna Jack (Heats: Brad Woodward, Sam Williamson, Emma McKeon)
Women's 50m Freestyle - Shayna Jack (24.10)
Women's 4x100m Medley Relay - Kaylee McKeown, Abbey Harkin, Emma McKeown, Mollie O'Callaghan 3:53.27
(Heat swimmers: Madi Wilson, Abbey Harkin, Brianna Throssell and Meg Harris)

BRONZE
Men’s 4x200m Freestyle Relay – Kai Taylor, Kyle Chalmers, Alexander Graham, Thomas Neill (Heats: Flynn Southam, Elijah Winnington)
Women’s 800m Freestyle – Ariarne Titmus
Men's 1500m Freestyle - Sam Short (14:37.28)
Women's 400m Individual Medley - Jenna Forrester (4:32.30)
Men's 4x100m Medley Relay - Brad Woodward, Zac Stubblety-Cook, Matt Temple, Kyle Chalmers (3:29.62)
(Heat swimmers: Brad Woodward, Sam Williamson, Matt Temple and Kai Taylor).  

MANCHESTER Medallists Para Swimming World Championships:
Ben Hance – 2 Gold, 1 Silver, 1 Bronze
Rowan Crothers – 2 Gold
Tim Hodge – 1 Gold, 1 Silver, 1 Bronze
Katja Dedekind – 1 Gold, 1 Silver, 1 Bronze
Madeleine McTernan – 1 Gold, 1 Silver
Jake Michel – 1 Gold, 1 Bronze
Paige Leonhardt – 1 Gold, 1 Bronze
Alexa Leary – 1 Gold, 1 Silver
Ahmed Kelly – 1 Gold
Lakeisha Patterson – 1 Gold
Col Pearse – 1 Silver, 1 Bronze
Jack Ireland – 1 Silver, 1 Bronze
Tom Gallagher – 1 Silver, 1 Bronze
Jenna Jones – 1 Silver
Ruby Storm – 1 Silver
Alex Saffy – 1 Bronze
Brenden Hall – 1 Bronze
Emily Beecroft – 1 Bronze
Jasmine Greenwood – 1 Bronze
Rachael Watson – 1 Bronze

Related Articles

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19th June 2023 - Historic partnership between Swimming Australia and Australian Swimmers Association unveiled in Melbourne

7th June 2023 - Swimming Australia and Griffith University partnership extends support beyond the pool

29th April 2023 - Technical Lead announced for Swimming Australia Coach Leadership Team

14th April 2023 - Eugenie Buckley to depart from Chief Executive role at Swimming Australia

11th April 2023 - Swimming Australia and Pho3nix Foundation partner to drive Junior Excellence program

8th April 2023 - Swimming Australia’s Deadly Little Dolphins initiative to strengthen swimming skills for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children

30th March 2023 - Swimming Australia appoints Anna Johnson to drive Paralympic Program

29th March 2023 - Paralympian Matt Levy invests in Swimming Australia’s Para High Performance unit

25th February 2023 - Swimming Australia welcomes MSAC’s hosting of 2023 World Trials 

23rd February 2023 - Swimming Australia seeks Dolphins naming rights partner

16th February 2023 - Swimming Australia guidelines launched to address athlete body issues

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