Why Winnington hated Tokyo, and how Paris will be an Olympic Games to remember

Elijah Winnington doesn’t have fond memories of Tokyo, as his first Olympics experience didn’t pan out the way he hoped, but he is optimistic Paris will be a Games to remember.

Swimming for Australia or plotting the next chapter of his life, Elijah Winnington does everything at full speed.

At 24, he’s already a world champion and a four-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist, and he is about to compete as one of the favourites in the men’s 400m freestyle at his second Olympics in Paris.

His first Olympic experience, at Tokyo in 2021, didn’t pan out exactly as he’d hoped, but he knows Paris will be better because he didn’t swim as quickly as he had wanted in Japan and Covid restrictions ruined the vibe he’d heard so much about.

“I remember thinking to myself ‘is this what the Olympics is about?”, because it didn’t really feel like anything too special,” Winnington said.

“I was ranked No. 1, but there wasn’t a day that I wasn’t nervous and freaking out and it just took away my whole Olympic experience. I never got to sit back and go ‘I’m at the Olympics. How cool is that?’.”

Elijah Winnington is already a world champion and a four-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist. Picture: Getty Images

It was a tough lesson but one that he quickly grew from. A year later, he won the 400m freestyle world title in Budapest with a performance packed with skill and courage, joining an elite club of Aussies to win the eight-lap race: Tracey Wickham, Kieren Perkins, Ian Thorpe, Grant Hackett and Ariarne Titmus, with Sam Short succeeding him at Fukuoka last year.

His defence in 2023 didn’t go as planned, but he learnt from that, too, deciding he should head to the gym and add 5kg of muscle and sharpen his mind ahead of Paris.

“For want of a better word, I just felt a bit weak in Fukuoka, so I made a big shift there,” Winnington said.

“You can be the fittest, work the hardest, be the fastest, be a super human freak in the water, but if you don’t have that mental side, it absolutely means nothing.

Australia's Elijah Winnington tales off for the 200m Freestyle Final at the 2024 Australian Swimming Trials at Brisbane Aquatic Centre in Brisbane. Picture: AFP

“Heaps of swimmers say that the sport is 10 per cent physical, 90 per cent mental and that’s a constant grind. I don’t think anyone has ever perfected that, nor anyone ever will. It’s just about making sure that you’re always on top of your game.”

If Winnington ever needs any inspiration, he doesn’t have to look far.

Another star member of Dean Boxall’s squad, Winnington’s practice partners include Titmus, the Olympic and world champion for women’s 400m.

“I’m very fortunate that I get to train with probably the strongest girl mentally in the pool,” Winnington said.

“She’s had setbacks and she’s had things that don’t always go right, but I’ve never met someone more determined or has more belief in herself when she stands behind the blocks, regardless of what’s going to happen.

“I almost take a step back and just sort of learn and just watch her. That’s one of her greatest superpowers. Obviously, she trains unbelievably. She’s so talented. But I think her mental game is just unbelievable and it’s just time for me to take some notes and sort of get a page out of her book.”

Winnington said the secret to swimming fast is being happy away from the water and right now he’s never been in a better place, recently announcing his engagement to his sweetheart Eve Lutze.

Wedding bells await and even though his focus right now is on Paris, where he’ll also contest the 800m and 4x200m relay, he’s already got one eye on Brisbane 2032.

“I would almost kick myself later in my life if I didn’t have a shot at it,” he said.

“Life outside of swimming has really never been better for me. I’m just loving it.

“And that’s translating into the pool. I’m coming in with such a smile on my face just because I’ve had a good day or I’ve had a good week and swimming is just part of that too. I’m in a good spot.”