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‘I have no friends in the industry when it comes time to race.’
The 21-year-old is relishing the spotlight for this week’s national short course championships in Sydney after a breakout campaign at the Commonwealth Games. Southam had seemingly ended one era and ushered in a new one in Glasgow when he became the first Australian to beat ‘King Kyle’ in a 100m race at a major international competition.
While Chalmers won’t be at the Sydney Olympic Park pool, Southam has his sights set on shattering his predecessor’s 100m freestyle short course world record of 44.84 seconds. Southam will be fresh for this week’s four-day meet from Tuesday, having skipped the Pan Pacific Championships in August. Mollie O’Callaghan and Cam McEvoy are among notable absentees in Sydney, leaving it up to Southam to deliver alongside fellow Games breakout stars Lani Pallister and Sam Short.
Credit: AAP Southam will contest the 50m, 100m and 200m races, with this week’s meet acting as selection trials for December’s world short course championships in Beijing.
“That win for me over Kyle Chalmers really solidified myself as the next thing in Australian swimming, but also international swimming,” Southam said. “My goal’s to win the LA Olympic Games gold medal in the 100 free. “Kyle was one person on the list, but there’s plenty more to go ... at the end of the day, I have no friends in the industry when it comes time to race.
Multi-distance ace Pallister returns to the pool after handing US champion Katie Ledecky her first international defeat in the 800m race in California. Pallister’s rapid rise this year comes after the disappointment of her sixth-place finish in the 800m at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The 24-year-old is the defending 800m short course world champion from 2024 and also holds the short course 800m world record.
“It’s a lifelong dream. It’s not something that I ever thought possible for my career, particularly off the back of Paris,” Pallister said.
“And moving to Dean and the past 18-month journey with him has been unbelievable. Pallister will line up for the 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m and 1500m freestyle, while men’s counterpart Short will take on the 400m, 800m and 1500m races.
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