Victorian State Championships: Paris Pair Olivia Wunsch and Iona Anderson Lead “Girls Night Out” In Impressive Opening Finals Session

Victorian State Championships: Paris Pair Olivia Wunsch and Iona Anderson Lead “Girls Night Out” In Impressive Opening Finals Session

Paris Olympians Olivia Wunsch and Iona Anderson were joined on top of the podium by fellow rising stars Sienna Toohey and Tara Kinder in what was an impressive “girls night out” on the opening finals session of the 2025 Mattioli Victorian Open Long Course Championships.

Wunsch (Carlile, NSW) added Victorian State gold, improving on her South Australian title (54.80) win in a season best of 54.16 (26.09), finishing well ahead of three-time Commonwealth Youth Games gold medallist Innez Miller (Fenix, WA) 55.84 with Japanese Olympian Rikako Ikee third in 56.60.

LOOKING AHEAD: Carlile’s Olivia Wunsch leading a NSW push to LA. Photo Courtesy Swimming NSW

The 18-year-old, who was a member of Australia’s gold-medal winning 4x100m freestyle relay squad as a heat swimmer in Paris, represents the future of the Dolphins freestyle sprint ranks.

A group that for the first time in 13 years will prepare for a major Championship campaign this year without either Cate or Bronte Campbell, Emma McKeon or Madi Wilson.

Wunsch will again look to join Australia’s top three 100m female freestylers Mollie O’Callaghan, Shayna Jack and Meg Harris as the Aussie girls look to build on their Olympic relay dynasty.

Australia aiming to add a fifth straight 4x100m freestyle gold in LA in 2028 where they can equal the US girls unbeaten record of five consecutive relay gold medals between Rome in 1960 and Montreal in 1976.

Earlier in the night, Wunsch (26.53) had finished third behind Ikee (25.95) and Japanese teammate Ai Soma(26.53) in the 50m butterfly final

Anderson (Highlanders, WA), the 2024 World Championship silver medallist over 100m backstroke, was equally impressive, winning the 200m backstroke in 2:13.22.

MAKING WAVES: Albury’s Sienna Toohey keeping abreast of the times. Photo Courtesy Wade Brennan Photography.

But it was NSW rising star Toohey (Albury, NSW) who continued her impressive start to 2025, adding the Victorian gold medal to her South Australian title in the 100m breaststroke in a near personal best time of 1:07.19 (31.68) – a fingernail outside her pb of 1:07.01 swum at last year’s Olympic Trials.

Toohey improving her backend after winning in Adelaide in 1:07.69, as she along with Wunsch, will chase a third State Championship victory at the NSW State Open Championships later this month and her first sub 1:07 time.

The 15-year-old drew attention through 2024 as she lowered Olympic champion Leisel Jones’ 24-year-old Australian Age record with an eye-catching third at the Trials behind Queensland pair and Paris qualifiers Jenna Strauch (1:06.90) and Ella Ramsay (1:06.94).

Toohey, who will be 19 come the LA Olympics in 2028, could well be one of the answers to Australia’s lagging women’s breaststroke ranks.

Kinder (Melbourne Vicentre, VIC) showed she means business in 2025, swimming a personal best time of 4:46.02 in the 400IM final.

The 18-year-old Victorian finished fourth in the 400IM final at last year’s Olympic Trials.

2025 Mattioli Victorian Open LC Championships, Day 1

MEN

Freestyle

100m: 

1. Max Guiliani (TSS Aquatic, QLD) 49.81
2. Gabriel Gorgas (Manly/Metro North East, NSW) 50.28
3. Jezze Gorman (St Andrews, QLD) 50.30

400m:

1. Hoe Yean Khiew (Malaysia) 3:53.29
2. Tommy Lane (Cheltenham) 3:55.18
3. Cameron Bladen (TigerSharks, VIC) 3:55.84

Backstroke

50m:

1. Juho Lee (Korea) 25.90
2. Callum Halloran-Lavelle 26.05
3. Will Sharp (Nunawading, VIC) 26.22

Breaststroke

50m:

1. Sam Williamson (Melbourne Vicentre, VIC) 26.66
2. Lucas Matzerah (Germany) 27.60
3. Cameron Jordan (SOPAC Swim Club, NSW) 27.85

WOMEN

Freestyle

100m:

1. Olivia Wunsch (Carlile, NSW) 54.16
2. Inez Miller (Fenix Swim Club, WA) 55.84
3. Rikako Ikee (Japan) 56.60

800m:

1. Mackenzie Hunter (MLC Aquatic, VIC) 9:01.68
2. Dakoda Mathers (Nunawading, VIC) 9:04.28
3. Taylor Watson (Yara Valley Waves, VIC) 9:08.27

Backstroke

200m:

1. Iona Anderson (Highlanders, WA) 2:13.22
2. Alannah Banks (Surrey Park, WA) 2:16.16
3. Abbey Kearney (Nunawading, VIC) 2:17.46

Breaststroke

100m

1. Sienna Toohey (Albury, NSW) 1:07.19
2. Lily Koch (Nunawading, VIC) 1:08.48
3. Isabelle Rae (Albury, NSW) 1:10.97

Butterfly

50m

1. Rikako Ikee (Japan) 25.95
2. Ai Soma (Japan) 26.53
3. Olivia Wunsch (Carlile, NSW) 26.48

Individual Medley

 400m

1. Tara Kinder (Melbourne Vicentre, VIC) 4:46.02
2. Taryn Roberts (TSS Aquatic, QLD) 4:57.42
3. Makayla Larkin (Cheltenham, VIC)n 5:02.46

FULL RESULTS