Max Giuliani Secures Silver, Capping Off Australia’s ‘Successful’ World Short Course Championships Campaign

Australia has concluded its participation in the World Short Course Championships held in Budapest, securing a medal on the final day of events.

Max Giuliani earned his first international medal, clinching silver in the men’s 200m freestyle final.

Giuliani finished with a personal best of 1:40.36, which also established a new national and Oceania record.

American sensation Luke Hobson dominated the race, clocking in at a world-record time of 1:38.61 to take gold, while Belgian Lucas Henveaux rounded out the podium with a time of 1:41.13.

Demonstrating remarkable resilience, the 21-year-old Giuliani swiftly transitioned to compete in the men’s 4x100m medley relay shortly after his individual event.

Incredibly, within 30 minutes, Giuliani had donned his podium tracksuit and ascended the dais to accept his bronze medal, before lacing up his swimmers and anchoring the relay team to a sixth-place finish.

Wrapping up the meet with a medal and the opportunity to swim alongside his teammates Isaac Cooper, Josh Yong, and Matt Temple, Giuliani expressed his appreciation despite being part of a squad that wasn’t at full strength.

“I knew it would be a tough ask to back up for the relay, but there’s no complaints from me,” he reflected post-race.

“Achieving a personal best, setting a national and Oceania record, and securing my first international senior medal — it’s hard to be disappointed with that.”

“Then to compete with my mates in a relay, which I thoroughly enjoy — I’m pretty stoked.”

With Giuliani’s silver medal, Australia wrapped up the competition with two golds, five silvers, and five bronzes, finishing fourth in the overall medal standings.

The Dolphins squad also set an impressive 22 personal best times throughout the six-day event.

As attention now shifts towards the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games, campaign head coach Simon Cusack believes the invaluable experience gained during these championships will benefit all members of the 24-strong team, particularly the nine newcomers.

“This campaign has been tremendously successful,” he declared in a statement via Swimming Australia.

“For the first time, the rookies have had to juggle a series of swims that they wouldn’t have experienced in a full-strength team. We’ve pulled swimmers from various backgrounds, and the relays have certainly exceeded expectations.

“What you see here are names you’ll recognise as contenders for the LA Olympics.”

“It’s not common for a rookie like Milla Jansen to have 11 or 12 elite starts at a meet — that kind of exposure is incredibly valuable, especially against top-class athletes.”

“Along with learning to manage their workload, they are also adapting to travel, dealing with different time zones, diets, and more.”

“The swimmers present at this meet are undoubtedly the future.”