Dolphins rookies urged to mine golden generation
The 10 rookies on Australia's swim team for the world titles are being urged to mine a golden generation's expertise while they can.
Dolphins hierarchy have selected a 40-strong team for the world championships in Singapore starting July 27.
The team was settled on Saturday night moments after Lani Pallister broke a 10-year-old Commonwealth record in the last race of the selection trials in Adelaide.
Pallister won the women's 1500m freestyle in 15 minutes 39.14 seconds, one second inside the previous Commonwealth benchmark set by New Zealander Lauren Boyle in 2015.
Pallister was the standout swimmer of the meet, also breaking Ariarne Titmus' Australian record in the 800m freestyle and dipping under four minutes for the first time to win the 400m free.
"It has been a good week ... it has shown what I can do," Pallister said.
Australia's team is book-ended in age by 16-year-old Sienna Toohey and 31-year-old Cam McEvoy, who will race at an astonishing seventh world championships.
Toohey is among the Dolphins' debutants being told by Swimming Australia's head coach Rohan Taylor to pick the brains - and study the methods - of their battle-hardened teammates.
Taylor was reluctant to compare the strength of the fresh Dolphins pod to previous teams.
"All I can compare is the type of athlete we have on the team - they're just competitive," Taylor told AAP.
"They hate losing more than they they like winning, I think.
"There's just a certain character; we have got an abundance of them.
"What you have with Kaylee (McKeown), Mollie (O'Callaghan), Kyle (Chalmers) is super-competitive and they're infectious to the team.
"So while we have them, we want to grow the others to learn how to be like that."
Taylor was impressed with how the emerging swimmers thrived under the stress of selection trials.
"You can't create that kind of pressure and expectation on someone before it actually happens," he said.
"There's one thing to see them progressing ... what is pleasing is the ability to actually deliver. That is really a skill and that's the skill we look for.
"Now it's going to an international meet, can you repeat your performances? That is the next step for these guys."
Other swimmers securing selection on Saturday night included Paris Olympic 50m freestyle silver medallist Meg Harris.
The 23-year-old won the one-lap dash in 24.17 seconds after dropping out of the 100m free following a heat swim.
"I did so well last year in the 50, I want to see if I have any more potential in that," Harris said.
And Kyle Chalmers' stunning form continued by equalling his personal best in the 50m butterfly, winning in 22.89.
Chalmers is unlikely to swim the event at the worlds given it's scheduled on the same day as the 4x100m freestyle relay.
"I'm always going to put the team first before my individual races," Chalmers said.
"I haven't done any butterfly training just yet so I'm excited to be able to go to that leading into the next Olympics."
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