2026 NATIONALS REPORT

What a Nationals campaign it was for Team Tasmania! Across six huge days of pool and open water competition in Brisbane and Raby Bay, our swimmers produced an outstanding haul of medals, personal bests, State Records and even National Records while competing against some of the best Masters swimmers in the country — including Olympians and Commonwealth Games representatives.

From sprint freestyle to gruelling distance events, butterfly to IMs, Team Tassie consistently stepped up, showing determination, depth, and incredible team spirit throughout the meet. The performances across the week highlighted not only individual excellence, but also the strength and camaraderie of our Tasmanian Masters swimming community.

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Here’s a look at the individual performances from our amazing Tasmanian representatives:

James Belstead (THV)
James enjoyed a phenomenal Nationals campaign, emerging as one of Tasmania’s standout performers. Across the meet he collected multiple gold medals, bronze medals, numerous Personal Bests and an extraordinary collection of State Records. His victories came in the 200m Breaststroke, 400m Breaststroke, 200m Freestyle, 800m Freestyle and the 3km Open Water event, where he also finished third male overall. James also medalled in the 100m IM and consistently lowered State Records across breaststroke, freestyle and sprint events. A truly dominant week in the pool and open water.

Brent Walker (TAC)
Brent delivered one of the most remarkable performances of the Championships, producing medal-winning swims almost every day of competition. His campaign included gold, silver and bronze medals, multiple State Records and National Records in the 50mand 25m Backstroke. Brent excelled across butterfly and backstroke events, claiming major results in the 25m and 50m Backstroke, 200m Butterfly, 100m Butterfly, 50m Butterfly and 800m Freestyle. He also broke a long-standing State Record in the 100m Freestyle. An extraordinary all-round meet from one of Tasmania’s premier Masters swimmers.

Tony Forman (TAC)
Tony was in exceptional form throughout Nationals, consistently finding the podium in freestyle events ranging from sprints through to distance swimming. His week included multiple gold medals, a bronze medal, Personal Bests and a State Record. Highlights included gold in the 200m Freestyle, 400m Freestyle, 800m Freestyle and 3km Open Water event, along with bronze in the 50m and 25m Freestyle events. Tony’s consistency and versatility across all freestyle distances made for an outstanding Championships.

Fiona Ziegeler (THB)
Fiona produced some of the most impressive improvement swims of the meet, combining major PBs with medal-winning performances and State Records. She claimed silver medals in the 400m IM, 200m IM and 100m Butterfly, along with bronze in the demanding 400m Backstroke. Fiona smashed 5 State Records during the week, including huge PBs of 14 seconds in the 200m IM and 36 seconds in the 400m Backstroke. A superb Nationals campaign full of determination and breakthrough performances.

Katherine Daft (THB)
Katherine produced several strong swims during the Championships, highlighted by a bronze medal in the 100 Breaststroke, excellent PBs in backstroke, freestyle and IM events. She impressed particularly in the 100m IM and 200m Freestyle, continuing to improve throughout the week and contributing strongly to Team Tassie’s overall success.

Maciej Slugocki (TTS)
Maciej delivered a number of excellent swims despite battling injury during the meet. He recorded PBs in breaststroke and backstroke events and earned a bronze medal plus a State Record in the tough 400m Breaststroke. He also narrowly missed the podium with a 4th place finish in the 200m Backstroke. A courageous and determined performance throughout the week.

Elisa McMillan (THB)
Elisa consistently performed strongly in highly competitive fields, particularly in freestyle and butterfly events. She narrowly missed podium finishes several times while recording impressive swims across the week. Highlights included a strong low-11-minute swim in the 800m Freestyle, a 5th placing in the 100m Butterfly, and several highly competitive freestyle performances. Elisa showed tremendous consistency and resilience throughout the Championships.

Leisl Wylie (THB)
Leisl enjoyed a very successful Nationals campaign, producing a string of Personal Bests and strong placings across breaststroke and freestyle events. She achieved top five finishes in several highly competitive races, including a terrific 4th place in the 800m Freestyle and another 4th in the 400m Breaststroke. Leisl’s week was marked by consistency, determination and continual improvement.

Matthew Carr (TAC)
Matt produced a strong series of swims throughout the Championships, recording multiple PBs across freestyle and butterfly events. He achieved significant improvements in the 400m Freestyle, 50m Butterfly, 100m Freestyle and 800m Freestyle, where he finished 7th with a major PB. Matt showed excellent persistence and improvement throughout the week.

Pia Peterson (THB)
Pia had an outstanding Nationals campaign filled with Personal Bests and strong performances across freestyle, IM and backstroke events. She achieved major improvements in the 400m Freestyle, 100m Freestyle, 100m IM and backstroke races, before finishing her week strongly with 4th place in the Open Water 1500m event at Raby Bay. Pia’s steady improvement across the Championships was fantastic to watch.

Linda Walsham (THB)
Linda competed strongly throughout the Championships and achieved a number of excellent performances, including PBs in the 25m Backstroke and the 200m Freestyle while narrowly missing PBs in several freestyle events by mere hundredths of a second. Her consistency and determination were on display all week.

Hobart Dolphins Women’s Relay Teams
The Hobart Dolphins women’s relay teams represented Tasmania superbly throughout the Championships. Competing in extremely competitive relay fields, the Dolphins consistently produced strong results across freestyle and medley relays, including winning their heat in the 4x25m Medley Relay and placing 5th overall in their age group. Their teamwork, spirit and determination were a wonderful feature of the meet.

An incredible week for Team Tasmania, filled with unforgettable swims, friendships, team spirit and remarkable achievements. Congratulations to every swimmer, coach, supporter and volunteer who helped make the 2026 Masters Nationals such a memorable success for Tasmania!