The 34th edition of the Australian Open Water Swimming Championships starts in Busselton, Western Australia today (January 25) with competition held over four days. There are five open events on the program: a men’s and women’s 5km and 10km, plus a mixed 4x1.5km relay. There are also age-group and multi-class (para) events for men and women over various distances. Here are some facts and figures about the championships.
- The championships have been held annually since 1990 when Australian Swimming Inc. took over the organisation of open water events. Prior to that, Australian Marathon Swimming Championships and Australian Long-Distance Swimming Championships were organised by separate bodies.
- This will be the eighth occasion the championships have been held in Western Australia with previous editions being held in Perth (Swan River and Champion Lakes Regatta Centre) and Fremantle (Bathers’ Beach). New South Wales and Queensland have each held the championships nine times, South Australia (5), Victoria (4) and Tasmania (1).
- Busselton joins other regional towns/cities to host the event including Point Wolstoncroft (NSW), Geelong, Nagambie and Morwell (Vic), Devonport (Tas) as well several venues on Queensland’s Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast.
- 142 open events have been held since 1990 over various distances including 5km, 10km, 20km and 25km. Swimmers representing Queensland dominating the championships with 79 titles (31 men’s, 46 women’s, 2 relay). NSW swimmers have won 49 titles, Western Australia (11), South Australia (2) and Victoria (1).
- Among individual swimmers, Mark Saliba has won the most titles (10) while Chelsea Gubecka owns the most women’s (8).
- Sarah Bowd became the youngest winner when she won the women’s 5km in 1999 aged 13 years, 141 days, while Shelley Taylor-Smith remains the oldest aged 34 years, 265 days when she won the 25km in 1996.
- Ky Hurst is both the youngest and oldest men’s individual winner, having won the 5km in 1997 aged 16 years, 199 days and the 10km in 2011 aged 29 years, 352 days.
- Six swimmers have won Australian titles in both open water and in the 50m pool in the same year: Hayley Lewis (2000), Grant Hackett (2008), Travis Nederpelt (2008), Jarrod Poort (2012, 2013), Chelsea Gubecka (2013) and Jack McLoughlin (2017).
- Chelsea Gubecka can eclipse Mark Saliba’s all-time record of 10 titles if she wins the 5km, 10km and is part of her club’s open relay team.
- Nick Sloman can join Ky Hurst (2005, 2006, 2007) and Jarrod Poort (2012, 2013, 2014) as the only swimmers to win three consecutive men’s 5km titles.
- Nick Sloman can win his 5th men’s 10km title, eclipsing the record of four in the event he currently shares with Jarrod Poort.
- Moesha Johnson can join Kate Brookes-Peterson (2005, 2006, 2007) as the only swimmers to win three consecutive women’s 5km titles.
- The women’s 10km has only produced eight winners in 22 editions since it was first held in 2001 and that won’t change if either Chelsea Gubecka or Moesha Johnson wins.
- John ‘JR’ Rodgers and the late Ken Wood have coached the winners of 15 titles (shared among four and three of their swimmers respectively). ‘JR’ can own the record outright if any of his charges (including Nick Sloman) win in 2023.
