Australia's individual skaters for the 2007 World Short Track Speed Skating Championships have been finalised following a series of trials in Sydney over the weekend.

Alex Merriman came out on top in the trials, held in Baulkham Hills over 500m, 1000m and 1500m.

Lachlan Hay finished in second place, ahead of Ben Southee, Elliot Shriane and Jeremy Beck.

Merriman, Southee and Shriane all bettered the Australian men's 500m record of 43.68 seconds, set back in 1993, with Alex going on to establish a new Australian mark of 42.891 seconds.

The result puts Merriman and Hay into the individual events at the world titles, to be held in Milan, Italy, from March 9-11.

The relay team still has the chance to make the championships if they can finish in the top eight in the world after the last two World Cups of the season, which are to be held in Herrenveen, The Netherlands, from February 2-4 and Budapest, Hungary, from February 9-11.

Merriman and Southee will represent their country in the Australian Youth Olympic Festival, which begins in Sydney on January 17.