Bond’s Baby Bull Sharks are set to make waves on the international stage, with rising stars Ainsley Trotter and Mikayla Bird earning selection in the Australian Dolphins squad for the World Junior Championships in Romania this August.
For 17-year-old Trotter, it’s a long-awaited breakthrough after narrowly missing national team selection in recent years.
She dominated the recent Australian Age Championships in Brisbane, claiming multiple gold medals and making a statement with her record-breaking performance in the 50m backstroke, shaving 0.2 of a second off Olympic champion Mollie O’Callaghan’s all-comers record.
Bird, also 17, returns to the Dolphins squad after earning her first cap last year at the Junior Pan Pacific Championships.
This time around, she returns with renewed confidence and form, collecting a swag of titles across freestyle and butterfly events.
In one of the highlights of the meet, the Bond pair went head-to-head in the 100m freestyle final, with Trotter edging out Bird in a thrilling race. Trotter touched the wall first in 55.90 seconds, while Bird was just behind with 56.32, securing silver.
Trotter also struck gold in the 50m freestyle and the 50m backstroke—the latter a timely win in an event recently added to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games program.
Bird’s haul included victories in the 400m freestyle, 200m freestyle, and 100m butterfly, confirming her status as one of the country’s most versatile junior swimmers.
Before they hit the world stage, the duo will travel to Slovakia in July for a staging camp, before heading to Otopeni, Romania for the World Junior Championships.
Bond Director of Swimming Kyle Samuelson praised both swimmers for their dedication and resilience.
“I’m so happy for both these girls,” he said. “Slovakia is a fantastic staging camp, and Romania will be very competitive. It’s not going to be an easy competition, but I think the girls—and the Aussie team in general—will be up for it.”
On Bird’s return to the national team, Samuelson said her consistency and perseverance had paid off.
“It was a fantastic achievement for her to make the junior team last year,” he said.
“She probably didn’t perform the way she wanted, so it’s great to see her earn another crack at it.
“She put in a really good preparation and raced hard every day—her results are a credit to that.”
As for Trotter, her selection was especially sweet after several near-misses.
“Ainsley’s been really close a couple of years in a row, but she really stood up when it counted—especially in that 50m free,” he said.
““She also won the 50m backstroke in a very quick swim and to top it off with a win in the 100m freestyle as well—it’s a real credit to her and Coach Chris Mooney for the preparation and the consistency she’s shown over the years.”