Australia’s World Champion Breaststroker Sam Williamson Celebrates Profitable Return At Victorian State Championships
Australia’s world champion breaststroker Sam Williamson accomplished a profitable comeback to racing in Melbourne final evening after struggling a debilitating coaching accident in Might final 12 months.
The 28-year-old gained his signature 50m breaststroke closing on the opening evening of the 2026 Mattioli Victorian State Swimming Championships to launch his long-awaited return to competitors on the Melbourne Sports activities And Aquatic Centre.
After clocking an encouraging 27.08 within the morning heats Williamson lined up within the closing stuffed with confidence, recording 27.15 for one more spectacular swim, 9 months after struggling a ruptured patellar tendon (that connects the knee bone to the shinbone tibia) in an agonising coaching accident.
Williamson (Melbourne Vicentre, VIC) had been warming up for a swimming session by doing a field bounce off a run-up, amongst different workout routines – the painful accident robbing him of the prospect to defend his 50m title ultimately 12 months’s Singapore World Championships.
On the time Williamson admitted “the ache was excruciating, however the ache didn’t actually come anyplace close to near the speedy realisation that, that was my season completed and that was me completed for the foreseeable future.”
Williamson had gained the 50m breaststroke gold on the 2024 World’s in Doha in a brand new Oceania and Australian file time of 26.32 – along with his long run sights set on a second Olympics in LA28 for the debut of the 50m kind strokes.
A dream that was re-ignited final evening in simply over 27 seconds and in entrance of his supportive hometown crowd.
After 9 months of blood, sweat and tears via a day by day rehab routine, Williamson has re-launched his assault for LA28 along with his speedy sights set on the Australian crew for this 12 months’s Commonwealth Video games in Glasgow.
Williamson saying after the race: “It’s been a reasonably large 9 months after sadly struggling (that) unbelievable debilitating harm late final 12 months.
“Tonight ’m simply so happy with myself and extremely happy with the crew I’ve obtained behind me and simply getting again up on the blocks tonight was an enormous effort.
“I’m now trying ahead to the Commonwealth Video games in Glasgow…that’s the purpose.”
Extra to come back….
