Tokyo Olympic swimming: Young swimmers who can make their mark for Australia
Who are the rising stars of Australian swimming set to make their mark in Tokyo? Check out our full preview, including a chat with the man dubbed our ‘next big thing’.
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Of all the accolades that are bestowed on gifted young swimmers, none can be more of a curse than being labelled the next big thing.
Even with the best of intentions, it’s a tag that invariably brings unwanted pressure, especially for talented teenage swimmers, whose peak years often coincide with the transition to young adulthood.
Queensland’s Elijah Winnington has carried that burden since he won his first national title as a 10-year-old.
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By the time he was old enough to get his driver’s licence, he’d collected more than two dozen gold medals at the Australian age championships and the hype around him was building steam.
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Competing in the same events as Ian Thorpe, Winnington was anointed as Australia’s next champion in waiting when he won a gold medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games at the Gold Coast, teaming up with Mack Horton, Kyle Chalmers and Alexander Graham in the 4x200m freestyle relay.
Later that year, he broke the junior world record for 200m freestyle and in early 2019, he beat Horton, the reigning Olympic champion, to win the 400m Australian title.
But while his star kept rising, Winnington was having some doubts, unsure if it would last.
Intelligent enough to earn himself a scholarship at Bond University, he was also aware a lot of great teenage swimmers don’t make it to the senior ranks as the weight of expectation catches up with them.
“I was always pinned as that up and coming swimmer but there‘s that stigma with those type of swimmers, they always just plateau and drop off and you never hear of them again,” he said.
“And that was me growing up. I was always that good age group swimmer, but no one ever thought I would be something after that.”
Used to having everything go his way, Winnington didn’t see his first big setback coming until it was too late and he failed to make the national team for the 2019 world championships — the last big dress rehearsal for the Tokyo Olympics.
It was a devastating blow that reinforced how tiny the margins in elite swimming are as he watched on television as Horton went on and won a silver medal in the 400m then anchored the relay that Winnington had been part of the year before to gold.
“Kudos to all the boys, they swam great and I was so pleased for them but for me, it was a very painful moment,” Winnington said.
“It made me really assess what kind of swimmer I am and what kind of swimmer I can be.
“So although it was crap, there is that silver lining because it was the exact thing I needed.”
Winnington went back to training more motivated than ever only to be hit with another unexpected setback: the 12-month postponement of the Olympics because of the pandemic.
Unable to practice during lockdown, he began to reassess everything he was doing and decided to make a momentous decision.
Winnington had been coached by Richard Scarce since he was kid and regards him as much more than his swimming teacher.
To Winnington, Scarce is as much a father figure and mentor as a coach, yet he had a nagging feeling that he needed a complete change of scenery after the lockdown to get his mind and body right for Tokyo.
So Winnington decided to make the short trip up the highway to Brisbane to link up with Dean Boxall, who had coached Ariarne Titmus to win the women’s 400m world title in 2019.
And the change has already produced exactly the sort of results Winnington was hoping for.
In April, he won his second senior Australian title in the 400m and is currently ranked No. 1 in the world in the event but the 20-year-old isn’t taking anything for granted heading into the Australian trials, in Adelaide from June 12-17.
That’s the same banana skin he slipped on in 2019 but this time he says he’s better prepared.
“I‘ll admit that after being pinned as the best age group swimmer and then making a senior team on my first try, I was kind of getting complacent,” he said.
“Not making that team made me step back and realise this is hard work and if I want to achieve the goals I want to achieve at the Olympic Games, even making the Olympic Games, I needed that kick up the bum to show what I really need to do.”
AUSSIE YOUNG GUNS TO WATCH IN JAPAN
Kaylee McKeown
Age: 19
Events: 100m backstroke, 200m backstroke, 200m individual medley
The younger sister of Rio Olympic silver medallist Taylor, Kaylee McKeown burst onto the international stage when she was selected for the Australian team in 2017, aged just 15. In 2019, she won a silver medal in the 200m backstroke at the world championships and a year later she broke the shortcourse world records. She’s currently ranked No. 1 in the world in her three events.
Ariarne Titmus
Age: 20
Events: 200m freestyle, 400m freestyle, 800m freestyle
The ‘Terminator’ did what many thought was impossible when she beat American legend Katie Ledecky to win the 400m gold medal at the 2019 world championships. Is also a world-class swimmer at 200m and 800m and a member of the Australian 4x200m freestyle relay that holds the world records. Titmus suffered a setback in her preparations for Tokyo when she hurt her shoulder in training but is getting back on song.
Elizabeth Dekkers
Age: 17
Events: 100m butterfly, 200m butterfly
Still in high school, Dekkers is looming as a real contender to make the team for Tokyo in the 200m. She finished fifth at the 2019 world championships but has slashed her times even further this season. She is currently ranked eighth in the world and has dipped under the Olympic qualifying time on three separate occasions.
Lani Pallister
Age: 19
Events: 200m freestyle, 400m freestyle, 800m freestyle, 1500m freestyle
The daughter of Janelle Elford, who won gold, silver and bronze medals at the 1990 Commonwealth Games and made two finals at the 1988 Olympics. Lani has followed in her mother’s slipstream, winning three gold and three silver medals at the 2019 junior world titles.
Tom Neil
Age: 19
Events: 200m freestyle, 400m freestyle, 800m freestyle, 1500m freestyle
Rapidly improving middle and long distance swimmer. Won medals in the 400m, 800m and 1500m at the 2019 world championships then in 2020, he broke the 400m shortcourse junior world record. Won his first senior national title in April.
Matt Wilson
Age: 22
Events: 100m breaststroke, 200m breaststroke
Was controversially left off the 2016 Rio Olympic team despite winning the national title under the official qualifying mark, but just outside the tougher standard set by Swimming Australia. Equalled the world record for 200m breaststroke in the semi-finals of the 2019 world championships then won a silver medal in the final.
ULTIMATE PREVIEW: WHICH SWIMMERS WILL SHINE IN TOKYO?
Australian swimming didn’t live up to the expectations of a nation at Rio 2016, but that’s not to say there won’t be plenty of medals won in the pool at the delayed Tokyo 2020 Olympics starting in July.
To get there, athletes must first prove themselves worthy of a coveted spot on the Olympic team at the 2021 swim trials in Adelaide next month.
So is Cate Campbell too old? Is Mack Horton too slow?
Julian Linden asked Grant Hackett and Giaan Rooney to run the rule over Australia’s medal hopefuls.
AUSTRALIA WOMEN
Can Cate Campbell – at age 28 – retain her title as Australia’s freestyle sprint Queen?
Giaan Rooney – “She‘s looking to go to her fourth Olympics, which is just extraordinary, but is coming at it with a different mindset this time – redemption.
We all know what happened in Rio in 2016 and that she’s had to wait five years, but she’s fallen in love with swimming again and is in a great mindset.
She’s been doing things a bit differently with her preparation this time and trying to fly under the radar a bit.
She faces some tough challengers, especially Emma McKeon and her own sister Bronte Campbell but you never write Cate Campbell off so for my money, she’s still the front runner.”
EMMA MCKEON
A prolific gold medal winner in relays who is also entered in 100m freestyle, 200m freestyle and 100m butterfly, can Emma McKeon win an individual title in Tokyo?
Giaan Rooney – “I think this is her time to shine. Emma would have to be one of our most consistent athletes over the last however many years, yet just because there hasn‘t been that elusive individual gold medal, we don’t talk about her in the same way that we talk about some of our other athletes. I think that’s set to change. I think Emma, with maturity and with age, has come to back herself more and more and that, to me, is a dangerous prospect for her competitors.”
ARIARNE TITMUS
Ariarne Titmus did the seemingly impossible when she upset American superstar Katie Ledecky to win the 400m freestyle at the 2019 world championships but can she do it again after poking the bear?
Giaan Rooney – “The postponement of the Olympics has impacted athletes in different ways and ‘Arnie‘s’ probably one that it hasn’t impacted her positively. When she took on and beat the biggest legend in women’s distance swimming, she was in the groove with all the momentum behind her but 12 months later, she’s had a shoulder injury and had to take some time out of the pool. But the one thing we know about ‘Arnie’ is that she’s very tough and I think her race with Katie is going to going to be one of the greatest battles of the Olympics and I can see them eyeballing each other all the way then getting to that last 20m and see who’s got something left.”
KAYLEE MCKEOWN
Queensland teenage sensation Kaylee McKeown is currently ranked No. 1 in the world this season for three different events – 100m backstroke, 200m backstroke and 200m individual medley – so is she the real deal?
Giaan Rooney – “No one was talking about Kaylee 12 months ago but all of a sudden she’s hit form and just found this real sweet spot. Every time she swims, whether it‘s a high pressure meet, or a low pressure meet, she just keeps producing these incredible times and that’s the kind of athlete you want swimming at an Olympics. I don’t think anything’s going to faze her and I can’t wait to see what Kaylee produces because she’s definitely one of the swimmers to watch at the trials. She’s very exciting for Australia.”
EMILY SEEBOHM
Like Cate Campbell, veteran backstroker Emily Seebohm is gunning for her fourth Olympics, but can she hold off the next wave of youngsters and make the team?
Giaan Rooney – “Talk about a roller coaster ride that that girl has had over her career. I‘ve got so much respect for Emily. She knows that there’s these young ones coming, she knows that she was the Queen of backstroke and all of a sudden she is now the hunter. She’s on the knife edge of whether she makes this Olympic team but she’s one that I never write off. And she looks great, her stroke looks good and she’s made a lot of changes with her training to give itself the best opportunity.”
AUSTRALIA MEN’S
KYLE CHALMERS
Kyle Chalmers shocked the world when he won the 100m freestyle gold at Rio in 2016 when he was just 18. Can he do it again?
Grant Hackett – “He‘s going up against who is possibly the best in the business once he gets on that team to Tokyo in Caeleb Dressell, the American, who is just a phenomenal athlete and produces outstanding swims on such a consistent basis. But I think Kyle can genuinely rival him. Kyle will also be a big part of the relays but we probably need a couple of guys to step up a little bit more for Australia to compete for a medal and the trials is the time to do it because don‘t forget, Kyle wasn’t really well known going back five years ago.”
MACK HORTON
A proven performer on the big stage, Mack Horton has struggled to produce his best this season, so does that mean he may be in danger of missing the team and the chance to defend his 400m Olympic title?
Grant Hackett – “He‘s never really raced well in season but he didn’t race particularly well at the national championships so everyone’s radar went off and they’re seeing a heap of red flags. But Mack’s got a very sort of controlled nature about him and he doesn’t really let that pressure get to him too much. A lot of people are questioning him at the moment because of recent performances but I think you’ll see a very different Mack Horton at Adelaide. He’ll be a lot quicker, he’ll look a lot better, his technique will even look a lot better. He just never swims well when he’s not fresh. It’s weird but that’s just the way he seems to perform.”
MITCH LARKIN
The evergreen and versatile Mitch Larkin is rates as a strong medal chance in both the 200m backstroke and 200 individual medley but because of a scheduling conflict, he will have to choose between the events – which one should he pick?
Grant Hackett – “A lot of athletes have tried to do that 200m back-200 IM combination but the way the program works it just doesn‘t work because there’s not enough time to recover. Ryan Lochte (USA) tried it in 2012 when he was in the best form of his life and bummed out in both. That doesn’t mean it can’t be done, but the probability is extremely low and if I was in that situation, I know I’d rather go with one gold medal than two silver or bronze medals. For Mitch, he’s just got to choose where his best opportunity is but it’s hard because he’s exceptionally good at both. It’s such a close margin. It’s the ultimate tough decision.”
THE BOLTERS
There’s a group of really talented young freestylers starting to coming through the ranks but who stands out as the possible bolter for Tokyo?
Grant Hackett – ‘I’ve always thought Elijah Winnington (200m-400m freestyle) has always been a super talented athlete. I‘ve known him for a very long time and trained with him in Miami and he’s always had this really strong desire to be one of our great swimmers. He’s also got that intrinsic motivation to put the hard work in. I also like Thomas Neill (800m-1500m freestyle). Obviously, he sort of gets into my spectrum of events, and while I don’t think he’s going to breaking any world records just yet, he could be one of those guys that if he gets himself on the team for the first time he’ll take a lot of confidence from that and start making those big incremental improvements heading towards the next Olympics.”
NEXT GEN
Australia’s men haven’t won a gold medal in breaststroke since the last Tokyo Olympics, way back in 1964, but could that be about to change with Matt Wilson and Zac Stubblety-Cook both near the top of the world rankings in 200m?
Grant Hackett – “They‘re flying so they should be right in among it because those guys are both world class and they’re pushing each other all the way, like our freestylers used to do. I can remember walking away from state titles with the second fastest time in the world for that year, but still coming second because the guy who won the race just happened to post the fastest time in the world – a guy by the name of Ian Thorpe. But that sort of competition is great for everyone and it’s amazing what it does to your psyche so the fact these guys are producing times on a consistent basis could produce a great result for Australia.”
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