Latest news with #SamShort
Perth Now
5 days ago
- Sport
- Perth Now
Mind over matter for rejuvenated Australian swim star
When Sam Short's body failed him at the Olympics, so did his mind. The Australian swimmer, cruelled by injury and illness, felt like a failure at last year's Paris Games. Short was a gold medal favourite in the 400m freestyle but finished fourth, missing the podium by 0.14 seconds - a finger nail, as he puts it. The Queenslander was also a medal fancy in the 800m and 1500m freestyles, but didn't make the finals of those events in Paris. "In the eyes of myself and my team around me, we can all admit it was a 'failure'," Short posted, in part, on Instagram on return to Australia. But there were reasons - unexplained during the Olympics, as a dejected Short shunned any public comment. He was ill. Suffering gastro at Australia's trials some five weeks before the Olympics, Short lost five kilograms in weight. Instead of recuperating, he continued to go hard at training, to the detriment of his "cooked" immune system. He was also injured. In January of the Olympic year, Short suffered a torn muscle in a shoulder while also managing tendonitis. Every stroke - he'd do about 1000 of them over eight kilometres every training session - hurt. Post-Olympics, Short knew his body would eventually heal. "I was rehabbing my shoulder, two months out of the water," he said in Adelaide at Australia's selection trials for the looming world championships. "Seven months ago, I was 10 kilos heavier than I am now." But healing his mind was another matter. "It took me a while," Short said. "I did a lot of work with sports psychology just trying to make my mind stronger." Short had previously rejected psychological help, thinking it was a sign of weakness. Now, it's a strength. "Literally, come January 1st (this year), I was: next chapter, world championships," Short said. "That's what I'm thinking about. "Just trying to enjoy racing, race fast, and try and go as well as I know I can." Short's mentality flipped. "I came fourth at the Olympics (in the 400m freestyle)," he said. "In our lives, it's probably a little bit of a failure. "But I've got tons of mates and ... they'd literally probably chop their legs off just to get the opportunity to come fourth at the Olympics, so that put it in perspective." At the Adelaide selection trials for the worlds in Singapore from July 27, Short won the 400m freestyle on Monday night. He finished second on Tuesday night in the 200m freestyle, an event he's using to build early speed for his longer distance races. On Wednesday night, Short will race the 800m freestyle, before contesting the 1500m free on Friday night.
West Australian
5 days ago
- Sport
- West Australian
Mind over matter for rejuvenated Australian swim star
When Sam Short's body failed him at the Olympics, so did his mind. The Australian swimmer, cruelled by injury and illness, felt like a failure at last year's Paris Games. Short was a gold medal favourite in the 400m freestyle but finished fourth, missing the podium by 0.14 seconds - a finger nail, as he puts it. The Queenslander was also a medal fancy in the 800m and 1500m freestyles, but didn't make the finals of those events in Paris. "In the eyes of myself and my team around me, we can all admit it was a 'failure'," Short posted, in part, on Instagram on return to Australia. But there were reasons - unexplained during the Olympics, as a dejected Short shunned any public comment. He was ill. Suffering gastro at Australia's trials some five weeks before the Olympics, Short lost five kilograms in weight. Instead of recuperating, he continued to go hard at training, to the detriment of his "cooked" immune system. He was also injured. In January of the Olympic year, Short suffered a torn muscle in a shoulder while also managing tendonitis. Every stroke - he'd do about 1000 of them over eight kilometres every training session - hurt. Post-Olympics, Short knew his body would eventually heal. "I was rehabbing my shoulder, two months out of the water," he said in Adelaide at Australia's selection trials for the looming world championships. "Seven months ago, I was 10 kilos heavier than I am now." But healing his mind was another matter. "It took me a while," Short said. "I did a lot of work with sports psychology just trying to make my mind stronger." Short had previously rejected psychological help, thinking it was a sign of weakness. Now, it's a strength. "Literally, come January 1st (this year), I was: next chapter, world championships," Short said. "That's what I'm thinking about. "Just trying to enjoy racing, race fast, and try and go as well as I know I can." Short's mentality flipped. "I came fourth at the Olympics (in the 400m freestyle)," he said. "In our lives, it's probably a little bit of a failure. "But I've got tons of mates and ... they'd literally probably chop their legs off just to get the opportunity to come fourth at the Olympics, so that put it in perspective." At the Adelaide selection trials for the worlds in Singapore from July 27, Short won the 400m freestyle on Monday night. He finished second on Tuesday night in the 200m freestyle, an event he's using to build early speed for his longer distance races. On Wednesday night, Short will race the 800m freestyle, before contesting the 1500m free on Friday night.
The Age
6 days ago
- Sport
- The Age
Short's emphatic 400m win
Sam Short wins comfortably in the men's 400m freestyle final at the 2025 Australian swimming trials, leading home Elijah Winnington.
Sydney Morning Herald
6 days ago
- Sport
- Sydney Morning Herald
Short's emphatic 400m win
Sam Short wins comfortably in the men's 400m freestyle final at the 2025 Australian swimming trials, leading home Elijah Winnington.
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Aussie swim star bounces back after disqualification blunder as she reveals why she nearly lost out on a ticket to the World Championships
Kaylee McKeown has said a disqualification blunder will only add to her mental steel after a dramatic start to her world championship selection trials. McKeown was aghast to be disqualified after her heat in the 50m backstroke heat on Monday morning at Australia's trials in Adelaide. Race officials DQ'd McKeown, the world record holder in the event, for initiating an early start. But after a protest, and a two-hour appeal, she was reinstated to the final when officials ruled McKeown was distracted by movement prior to the starter's signal. 'It's something that you really want to practice,' McKeown said. 'But it's good to mentally toughen yourself up and hopefully it prepares me for anything down the track.' McKeown won Monday night's final at the South Australian Aquatic Centre in 27.33 seconds, well shy of her 26.86 global benchmark set in October 2023. McKeown said the disqualification blunder will only add to her mental steel after a dramatic start to her world championship selection trials The five-time Olympic gold medallist refused to detail the exact distraction that caused her initial disqualification. 'Things happen and it just crumbled that way,' she said. 'I knew as soon as I started, what I had done. 'But thankfully we had the technology to look back at footage and saw the distraction and I got reinstated.' With her victory, McKeown secured her ticket to the world championships in Singapore from July 27 to August 3. In the men's 400m freestyle, Sam Short laid an emphatic marker in his redemption tale after a disappointing Olympics last year. Short was rated a gold-medal freestyle fancy in the 400m, 800m and 1500m in Paris but finished fourth, ninth and 13th respectively. On Monday night, he won the 400m free final in three minutes 41.03 seconds from Paris silver medallist Elijah Winnington (3:43.99). 'I came fourth (in the 400m) at the Olympics, so in our lives it's probably a little bit of a failure,' Short said. 'But I've got tons of mates ... they'd literally probably chop their legs off just to get the opportunity to come fourth at the Olympics.' Lani Pallister won the women's 400m freestyle in 3:59.72 - the first time she has dipped under four minutes in the event. Pallister will lead Australia's tilt in the event in Singapore in the absence of Olympic champion Ariarne Titmus, who will miss the worlds while on an extended break. In the women's 200m individual medley, Ella Ramsay (2:09.21) prevailed. And Alex Perkins won the women's 100m butterfly in a personal best time of 56.42 - 0.36 seconds quicker than her previous benchmark set hours earlier in the heats. In the men's 100m butterfly, Nash Wilkes (1:00.19) touched ahead of Bailey Lello (1:00.47) but both were outside the automatic qualifying time of 59.75 set by Swimming Australia.
