Albany Creek and Bray Park will both have a place in the Commonwealth Games pool this week, as Moreton Bay swimmers Sam Short and Kirralee Hayes return to race for Australia in Glasgow. Short is a former Albany Creek swimmer, while Hayes was a founding member of Genesis Aquatics at Genesis Christian College in Bray Park.
Short arrives with a crowded freestyle program and medals from some of international swimming’s largest competitions. Hayes returns after stepping away from competitive swimming for two years before rebuilding her place in the Australian team.
Short Takes Albany Creek Connection Into Four Events
Short will contest the men’s 200m, 400m, 800m and 1500m freestyle events, with a possible place in Australia’s 4x200m freestyle relay team.
The 22-year-old is competing at his second Commonwealth Games after winning the 1500m freestyle and taking silver in the 400m at Birmingham 2022.
His results since then include three medals at the 2023 World Championships in Fukuoka. Short won the 400m freestyle in 3 minutes 40.68 seconds, claimed silver in the 800m and finished third in the 1500m.
His 800m performance also broke the Australian record previously held by Grant Hackett.
Illness affected Short at his next two major international meets. He was recovering from gastroenteritis during the Paris Olympics, where he finished fourth in the 400m freestyle, ninth in the 800m heats and 13th in the 1500m heats.
At the 2025 World Championships in Singapore, he won silver in the 400m before withdrawing from the 800m final because of foodborne illness. He later returned to finish fourth in the 1500m final.
Short recorded 3 minutes 40.67 seconds in the 400m at the Australian trials for Glasgow, placing him close to Ian Thorpe’s Commonwealth record of 3 minutes 40.08 seconds from 2002.
The Glasgow program will also feature the men’s 800m freestyle for the first time.
Bray Park Program Remains Part Of Hayes’ Return
Hayes’ pathway began at Genesis Aquatics, where she was among the program’s founding members.
Vision-impaired since birth, the Brisbane-born swimmer took up competitive swimming at 11 and went on to represent Australia at the Tokyo Paralympics.
Her Commonwealth Games debut followed in Birmingham, where she earned her first international medal by placing third in the women’s 50m freestyle S13 in 28.24 seconds.
Hayes stepped away from competitive swimming between 2023 and 2025 while dealing with challenges involving her mental health and identity. Her interest in returning developed during 2025, before contact from a former coach helped bring her back to the pool.
The 22-year-old now trains at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra under Yuriy Vdovychenko. She also continues to work with Genesis Aquatics coach Rick Pendleton when she returns to Brisbane.
Glasgow will bring an expanded program for Hayes. Along with returning to the 50m freestyle S13, she will contest the 100m freestyle S13.
When The Moreton Bay Swimmers Race
Hayes will begin with the women’s 100m freestyle S13 heats on Friday, July 24 from 7:30pm AEST. The final is scheduled for early Saturday, July 25.
Her 50m freestyle S13 heats will be held on Tuesday, July 28, followed by the final early on Wednesday, July 29.
Short’s first individual event will be the 400m freestyle, with heats on Saturday, July 25 and the final early the following morning.
The 800m heats and final will follow on July 27 and 28. His 200m and 1500m freestyle heats are both scheduled for Wednesday, July 29, with the finals to be held early on Thursday, July 30.
Published 20-July-2026
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