ADF dives into first swim nationals

AIR Force members have made a splash on the national stage with the ADF Swim Sports Association fielding its first representative swimming team.

The team of 16, including four Air Force members, competed in the 2026 Masters Swimming Australia National Championships in Brisbane.

The team returned home with an impressive collection of medals, personal bests and valuable experience.

Relay events proved particularly successful, with the team combining speed, teamwork and determination to secure medals across 10 events.

Similarly, individual performances shone brightly, with swimmers stepping up in their respective age groups to claim 21 podium positions and establish themselves as athletes to watch in future campaigns.

One of the standout moments of the championships came courtesy of young gun AC Luke Brennan, whose blistering swim in the 50m butterfly had him touch the wall in 26.82 seconds. The effort not only earned AC Brennan a bronze medal, but was one of the fastest swims of the meet by an ADF athlete.

WGCDR Kylie Graham also showed off her skills across the week and delivered an exceptional result in the 800m freestyle, knocking 2 minutes, 30 seconds off her previous best time.

She said having the ADF represented at a masters national championship, under the new Swim Sports Association Framework, was a significant achievement.

“The results are outstanding and importantly, it demonstrates a clear appetite and capability for swimming to be sustained as an ongoing Defence sport,” WGCDR Graham said.

“We are looking forward to building on this momentum and representing the team again at the next competition.”

The ADF Swim Sports Association creates competitive opportunities for current serving and reservist members with a passion for swimming.

Members interested in joining can register via the ADF Swim Sports SharePoint from the ADF sport programs intranet page.