Tales from the 25m Pool: Relay Record, Joshua Yong's Sprint, and Signals from the 2026 WA Championships

Hook: The Moment a Record Was Shattered

When the men's 4x100m freestyle relay team touched the wall in 3:32.66, the HBF Arena scoreboard flashed a number nobody in Western Australia dared to dream of — breaking the previous state record by a massive 1.53 seconds. In a state-level meet, a leap like that isn't just a result; it's a declaration that WA swimming isn't sleeping. I've watched hundreds of swimming reports, but the moment a relay team breaks a record by such a wide margin always makes me pause. It doesn't come from one outstanding individual, but from teamwork, from each meter of water evenly shared. A quiet signature, but one that can rewrite an entire ecosystem.

Context: One Meet, Two Stories

The 2026 WA Age & Open Short Course Championships unfolded over three days in a 25m pool, bringing together the most notable names in Western Australian swimming. Iona Anderson — a 20-year-old Olympic medalist who has competed at the Commonwealth Games and Pan Pacific — was there but didn't compete in her specialty, backstroke. Joshua Yong, a national team swimmer, raced in all three breaststroke distances. Sam Carmignani, a relatively unknown name, suddenly became a focal point with a personal best. Brielle Dredge, not a star athlete, quietly claimed four victories.

This is a tier-three event in the hierarchy – a state-level meet, not a qualifier for major championships. But it's exactly these kinds of meets that reveal the breathing rhythm of Australian swimming. I learned to read a race from the eyes of the one furthest back in the pool – and here, I choose to read from those who never appear on the national medal table.

Core: Race Details and Breakthroughs

### Joshua Yong: Breaking His Own Record The clearest highlight came from Joshua Yong as he broke his own 50m breaststroke record with a time of 26.61, improving by 0.21 seconds over his previous mark of 26.82. For a swimmer in the prime of their career, this small improvement shows he's still progressing. In the 100m breaststroke, Yong touched in 57.58, just 0.01 seconds off his personal best – a sign of remarkable consistency. He also completed the breaststroke triple, showing rare endurance for a sprint-focused athlete.

Based on my experience following races, an athlete who maintains form across all three distances in a demanding meet usually shows good physical foundations, but it may also reflect a reality: they haven't optimized for a single event. Yong is looking like a strong candidate for Australia's short-course team, but the big question remains his ability to translate that to long course – where the Olympics and World Championships are truly decided.

### Sam Carmignani: A 1-Second PB – Signal or Luck? Sam Carmignani turned heads with a 56.46 in the 100m individual medley, improving by more than 1.0 second over his previous record. That's a remarkable jump at the state level. But I've seen too many cases where a big PB appears and then vanishes at the next meet – it's common among young swimmers in a phase of physical development. At least one or two more meets are needed to confirm Carmignani isn't just a one-time phenomenon. Underwater technique, turn efficiency, and pacing strategy are decisive factors in a 25m pool, but the article provides none of this data. We only see the final time, and for an analyst, that's like reading a book with only its cover.

### Brielle Dredge: Versatile but Not Yet International Class Brielle Dredge won four events – 100m breaststroke (1:07.91), 200m IM (2:18.78), 200m breaststroke (2:26.37), and 50m breaststroke (31.04). She demonstrates comprehensive breaststroke ability, from sprint to distance. But on an international scale, the short-course world record for the women's 100m breaststroke is about 1:02.5 – Dredge's time is over 5 seconds slower. At the national level, she isn't yet a formidable name. Behind the numbers are women who refuse to stop – Dredge might be one of them, but to advance, she must close the gap to the world-leading pack.

### Iona Anderson: When a Star Tests a Secondary Event Iona Anderson won the 100m IM with a time of 1:00.66 – a decent result, but nothing special internationally. What's notable is that she didn't race her specialty, backstroke. Analysts might speculate that Anderson is using this meet as a light training test, or to refine her turn technique in short course. The reality is she has nothing to prove at a state-level meet – her status is already established. Her presence is more significant for inspiring young swimmers than for technical insight.

Contrarian: Short Course – Illusion or Springboard?

This is where I want to say the opposite of the usual excitement: success in a 25m pool has very little predictive value for success in a long course – where the Olympics and World Championships are held. The higher number of turns in short course benefits those with strong underwater kicking and turn technique but doesn't accurately reflect pure swimming speed in a 50m pool. The men's relay record of 3:32.66 is a proud achievement for WA, but compared to national or world standards, it only shows this team is in a modest position.

Local media tends to inflate success at small meets, creating a fog that makes it hard for fans to distinguish between a state record and a global breakthrough. I understand the appeal of celebrating a new record, but tactical analysis can't stop at the surface. Without data on split times, stroke rate, or turn efficiency, we can't determine what caused the improvement – and therefore, whether it can be repeated. Seeing a big PB without underlying data is like seeing a friend suddenly become stronger – happy for them, but you need a full medical check-up.

Takeaway: Waiting for the Next Wave

The 25m pool in WA told a good story over three days – a relay record, an impressive PB, and the consistency of a national team swimmer. But the real story only begins when these athletes move to the 2026 long-course season. Will Joshua Yong break the 1:00 barrier in the long-course 100m breaststroke? Will Sam Carmignani replicate his performance? These are questions a state-level meet cannot answer. When the stands are empty, our community starts knocking on the door – and I believe that door will open at bigger meets, where today's signals become tested truths.