Dolphins Olympic Quartet Joined By Two Rookies In Australia’s 2025 World Championship Open Water Team
Paris Olympic quartet and defending relay gold medallists Moesha Johnson, Chelsea Gubecka, Nick Sloman and Kyle Lee will be joined by rookies Tayla Martin and Thomas Raymond in a six-strong Australian Dolphins open water team named today for the 2025 Singapore World Championships in July.
For dual Rio and Paris Olympian, Gubecka, Singapore will be her eighth World Championships, the most of any Dolphin in the pool or open water.
Gubecka making her international debut as a 14-year-old at the 2013 World Championships, after she beat dual Olympian Mel Gorman in the 10km Open Water Event at the Australian Championships that year.
The now 26-year-old Queenslander has continued to be a mainstay on the 2015, 2017, 2019, 2022, 2023, 2024 teams and now the 2025 Dolphins team for a record eighth World Championships.
Johnson, the Europe-based Gold Coaster Olympic silver medallist and 2024 teammate Lee were automatically selected for Singapore following their respective 5km titles at the Nationals in Busselton, WA in January while Gubecka, Martin, Sloman and Raymond cemented selection at the Open Water World Cup meet in Egypt last month.
For Martin and Raymond, Singapore will mark their World Championship debut after they both launched their careers with 5km and 10km wins at the 2024 Australian Championships in the absence of the Olympians – and rewarded following their continued good form over the past 12 months.
The team will be headed by newly appointed former Brazilian Fernando Possenti, who will spearhead the next four-year open water cycle for Australia towards the 2028 LA Olympics.
Possenti, who joined the Swimming Australia’s High Performance program in January said he was excited by what he saw in Egypt (at the World Cup).
“I am also excited by what this team can do over the next four years,” he said.
“I have watched the Australian team develop and grow internationally for the past 12 months and this is a very balanced program that I know can challenge the very best swimmers in the world.
“Moesha (Johnson) and Chelsea (Gubecka) they are very, very smart swimmers; Kyle and Nick are experienced, tough campaigners and the talent coming through is exciting.
“To have two rookies on the team in Tayla (Martin) and Thomas (Raymond) speaks of the depth and we will maintain this momentum.”
Lee, Thomas and Sloman will be part of an Australian contingent that will now attend an altitude camp in Flagstaff, Arizona for three weeks.
Seven events will be held in the waters off Sentosa Island from July 15-20:
Men’s and Women’s 10km;
Men’s and Women’s 5km;
Mixed 1500m relay;
Men’s and Women’s 3km knockout sprint
The debut knockout sprint event will feature athletes competing in consecutive 1500m; 1000m and 500m knockout rounds with Top 10 finishes from each heat advancing to the next round. Only a short break will separate each race.
Australian World Championship Team, 2025 Open Water, Singapore:
Women:
Moesha Johnson (Griffith University, QLD): 10km, 5km, 3km
Chelsea Gubecka (Chandler, QLD):10km
Tayla Martin (Carlile, NSW): 5km
*Second spot for 3km knockout to be confirmed
Men:
Nick Sloman (Melbourne Vicentre, VIC): 10km and 3km
Kyle Lee (North Coast, WA): 10km, 5km, 3km
Thomas Raymond (Noosa, QLD): 5km
NOTE: 4x1500m relay: To be confirmed
Head coach: Fernando Possenti
Team coach: Ian Mills
