Australian Open Swimming Championships: Elijah Winnington Breaks World Record, Wins Gold in Men’s 400 Freestyle

In the 2024 Australian Open Championships, the Men’s 400 Freestyle Final saw a fierce competition. The World Record of 3:40.07 by Paul Biedermann in 2009 and the Australian Record of 3:40.08 by Ian Thorpa in 2002 set the benchmark for the swimmers. The Australian Olympic QT was set at 3:45.43.

The race was won by Elijah Winnington who took the GOLD with a time of 3:41.41, closely followed by Sam Short who secured the SILVER with a time of 3:41.64. Kim Woomin claimed the BRONZE with a time of 3:45.12. Winnington and Short’s times were the fastest in the world this season, with Winnington leading the pack by over a second.

The previous top time in the world was held by Woomin Kim of South Korea with a time of 3:42.71 at the 2024 World Championships. Winnington’s performance now puts him in a prime position as he approaches his dream to compete in Paris Olympics, which are scheduled to take place in June, where he will face other talented swimmers from all around the world to determine who will be on Australia’s Olympic team.

Sam Short, who won gold at last year’s World Championship title holder, put up a strong fight against Winnington and both swimmers had their best performances since their respective World titles in 2022 and 2023.

The rivalry between these two talented young men promises an exciting showdown in future competitions as they strive to reach new heights and break new records together.

It is important to note that there are still many months left before Paris Olympics and that anything can happen during training sessions or competitions, but for now, Elijah Winnington has shown himself as one of Australia’s strongest contenders for Olympic gold in this event and it will be interesting to see how he performs against other talented athletes from around the world