Mooney confident he will be better for the experience after duel personal bests at Olympic trials

And the Wagga Swim Club member is still targeting smashing the 50-second barrier by the end of the year after getting his first taste of the big time.

Mooney came home strongly on the last lap to record a personal best 51.34 seconds, shaving 0.08 seconds off the time he recorded en route to claiming the Australian Age Championships title earlier this year.

He finished second in his heat and 55th overall in the 92-swimmer discipline, which came after the 17-year-old also recorded a personal best 1:53.32 in the 200m freestyle heats on Sunday.

"I'm happy with the PB, it's good to see improvement with every swim so far this year and you can't be unhappy about that," Mooney said.

"That will hurt having worked that hard and only shaving a little bit off but that's what happens in swimming, you're not going to get massive PB's every time and that's what's been happening recently. I've got to keep at it, it will come."

Mooney said being able to observe the nation's best, including defending Olympic 100m champion Kyle Chalmers, had put more fire in the belly.

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"Watching all the big boys race like Kyle Chalmers and (Cameron) McEvoy (before my heat), it was pretty nerve wracking," he said.

"It was a bit of a blur but watching them you learn a fair bit. Just the preparation and focus, they know what they're here for and not worried about competitors.

"Having watched all the top and most elite swimmers in Australia, it's enough to get anyone motivated. There's a long way for me to go yet.

"I was really happy with how I finished both races here actually. It's still the same goal we set at the start of the year, breaking the 50-second barrier."

Meanwhile, Mooney's clubmate Ashley Van Rijswijk clocked the fastest time in the heats of the 100m breaststroke multi-class on Tuesday morning, with the final scheduled for Tuesday night.

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