By Tom Decent
If there is one person in Australian swimming who won’t be talking up their chances before the Paris Olympics, it’s Elijah Winnington.
But after this week’s performance in the men’s 400m freestyle – his favourite race – at the Australian Open Championships, he would have every right to.
The disappointment of a disastrous Tokyo Olympics still lingers with Winnington. He was the fastest-ranked swimmer in the 400m freestyle before the Games, but finished seventh in the final. His best time would have won gold comfortably.
It sent him into a “semi-state of depression”, as he told this masthead in 2022. The recovery process was not easy.
“I had in my mind that I’d already won it [the men’s 400m freestyle final]; just being that far in front going into the Games,” Winnington said this week. “I think that’s what crushed me.”
Winnington won the Australian title on Wednesday by touching the wall in three minutes, 41.41 seconds. He edged out last year’s world champion, Sam Short, by just 0.23 seconds in the eight-lap race.
Elijah Winnington after victory in the men’s 400m freestyle.Credit: Getty
The world record is 3:40.07, set by Germany’s Paul Biedermann in 2009. Ian Thorpe’s Australian record is 3:40.08.
The race was significant for a couple of reasons, eight weeks out from Australia’s Olympic trials in Brisbane.
It underlined Australia’s depth in the event, following on from the dominance of Kieren Perkins, Thorpe and Mack Horton.
It also announced to the world that Winnington is a medal chance in Paris after being in Short’s shadow for the past year.
Elijah Winnington (centre) won gold in the men’s 400m freestyle at the 2022 Commonwealth Games ahead of Sam Short (left) and Mack Horton (right). Credit: Getty
Had Winnington not beaten Short this week, he would have flown under the radar leading into Paris. Now he’s in a similar predicament to three years ago.
Winnington is not setting expectations for himself after learning the hard way in Tokyo.
“I’m just not putting as much pressure on myself about the result or achieving something,” he said. “Having a goal is all well and good, but you can’t make that your whole life because nothing’s ever promised.
“I’m just going in and expecting nothing but doing the best that I can. That’s what I’ve done for the past seven to eight months, and it’s proved pretty fruitful.”
The 23-year-old is also aiming to make the Australian team as a 200m and 800m freestyle swimmer.
Winnington is coached by Dean Boxall, who also looks after Ariarne Titmus and Mollie O’Callaghan.
After recording the fastest 400m freestyle time this year, Winnington said Boxall was all business.
“He’s super serious,” Winnington said of the coach. “I’d like to think internally he was jumping up and down with joy, but the first thing he said to me was, ‘I know you’re going to be happy, but I need you to fix this and this’.
“That’s why he’s my coach. You want to keep improving, right? He could have jumped up and down and I’d be happy with myself then … when it really matters, we go ‘oh’.
“To go so close to my PB [3:41.22] I think is really good motivation.”
The 400m freestyle final on the Gold Coast was also notable because the last three world champions – Winnington (2022), Short (2023) and South Korea’s Kim Woo-min (2024) – were all in the same race.
Australia last went one-two in the men’s 400m freestyle in Athens, courtesy of Thorpe and Hackett.
A wonderful race is brewing between Winnington and Short at Australia’s trials. A world record is not out of the question, with both swimmers expected to take the distance on rather than sit back and strike late.
Despite competing this week, Short and Winnington are both in heavy training, which makes their pair of 3:41s even more impressive.
“We have no animosity between each other, but I definitely wouldn’t be as fast as I am without him and he wouldn’t be as fast as he is without me,” Winnington said.
“I think the person that can break the world record is the person that can win. It very well could have gone down [on Wednesday night]. The world record would be nice but that’s not even on my mind.
“I think I race the best when I’m in a race and in a dogfight. I love racing Sam and he always gives me a good fight, so that’s what it’s all about.”
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