With Brisbane 2032 looming ever larger, Bond University has again shown why it’s regarded as the country’s premier youth swimming program — sweeping two of Swimming Australia’s major junior awards for the second straight year.
Head Coach Chris Mooney was named Youth Coach of the Year for the second consecutive time at Swimming Australia’s awards night on the Gold Coast, reinforcing Bond’s development credentials in an era when the nation is searching for its next wave of Olympic talent.
The Flipper Athlete of the Year – Olympic Program also stayed at Bond, with rising star Ainsley Trotter earning the honour after a breakout international season.
Trotter was the standout choice, delivering Australia’s only gold medal at the Junior World Championships in Romania with her blistering win in the 50m backstroke -a performance that saved Australia from a gold-medal shutout and announced another genuine prospect emerging through Bond’s carefully constructed high-performance pathway.
Her rise comes just 12 months after teammate Milla Jansen claimed the same award before graduating to open-age swimming in spectacular style.
In 2025, Jansen earned her first Senior Dolphins selection for the World Championships in Singapore, returning home with gold in the 4x100m freestyle relay.
The result extended Australia’s decade-long grip on the event during a transitional period marked by the retirement of Emma McKeon and the absence of Shayna Jack.
Mooney and Director of Swimming Kyle Samuelson will be hoping Trotter can follow a similar trajectory as the Dolphins begin shaping their squads for Los Angeles 2028 and, ultimately, a home Games in Brisbane 2032.
Mooney said that when he arrived on the Gold Coast after the Tokyo Olympics, Bond’s squad was “predominantly a junior program”, but the raw talent in the system meant the building blocks for something special were already in place.
“I was very fortunate when I arrived that we had some very good junior athletes in the pathways program,” he said.
“So, it was a matter of identifying where we wanted to be in the next Olympic cycle and beyond and then coming up with a really strong long-term athlete development plan.”
Flynn Southam, Ben Armbruster and Lani Connolly made the Dolphins team for Paris, with Southam winning silver in the 4x100m freestyle relay and bronze in the 4x200m freestyle relay.
In 2025, Jesse Coleman, Josh Collett, Hannah Casey and Jansen broke through for their senior Dolphins debuts, while Trotter and Mikayla Bird made the Flippers squad for the World Championships.
“There’s an old saying: if you’re good enough, you’re old enough -and our swimmers have been good enough to make teams and win medals in relays,” Mooney said.
“Our planning now is around looking to provide individual podium results.
“Yes, the cohort of our age groupers are now open swimmers, but they are also age group swimmers that have successfully launched straight onto Australian Open teams, which can sometimes take a little bit of time.
“So we have got a few things that are really on our side in regards to maturation and development and the fact that we have demonstrated that on the international stage has definitely helped our confidence.”
He believes Trotter and Bird are the next wave “snapping at the heels” of the established Dolphins stars.
The long-term plan is for Trotter to broaden her race repertoire, but in 2026 the focus will remain on the 50m backstroke as she attempts to follow Jansen onto an Open team for the Pan Pacific Championships and Commonwealth Games.
He said she will have to improve her gold medal winning time from Romania to secure a spot on the senior team.
“We understand the challenge, and we’re excited by it,” he said.
“If she can make the time, she’s on the team and as I’ve always said, if you’ve got a lane, you’ve got a chance.”