Swim star Geoff Huegill and publicist wife Sara charged with cocaine possession

GEOFF Huegill and his publicist wife Sara were charged with ­alleged possession of cocaine at Randwick Races on Saturday.

FORMER Olympic swimming star Geoff Huegill has joked how on the night he met his publicist wife Sara he ended up in a paddy wagon for drunk and disorderly behaviour.

Seven years later police were not joking when the now happily ­married pair were charged with ­alleged possession of cocaine at Randwick Races on Saturday.

As revealed by The Daily Telegraph online yesterday morning, police allege the couple were locked in a disabled toilet on level four of the grandstand when officers ­arrived to investigate reports from Australian Turf Club (ATC) ­security at 5.45pm.

News_Image_File: Geoff Huegill with his wife Sara.

Police allege the Huegills were discovered with “a small quantity of white powder, believed to be ­cocaine” in their possession.

They were each charged at a ­facility on the course proper with a single count of possessing a prohibited drug and will appear in Waverley Local Court on 14 May.

Their lawyer, Paul Hunt, last night confirmed the charges.

Mr Hunt also advised his “clients do not intend to make any further comment at this point in time”.

News_Image_File: Swimmer Geoff Huegill in action at Olympic Park, Homebush.

The incident comes after Huegill’s inspirational comeback from obesity and partying, a lifestyle that saw him balloon to 138kg after ­retiring from the pool in 2004.

As he prepared to return for the 2010 Commonwealth Games, ­Huegill admitted to being heavily involved in the party scene as he battled post-career depression.

News_Image_File: Geoff Huegill and his wife Sara / Picture: Instragram News_Image_File: Geoff Huegill in Delhi in 2010 / Picture: Getty Images

He also recounted the night he met Sara in Brisbane, which ended after an altercation outside a taxi queue in Brisbane. The couple have two young girls, Gigi and Mila.

Sara is one of Sydney’s best ­connected PR agents in the fashion and lifestyle industry.

They were invited to enjoy the final day of Sydney’s Autumn Racing Carnival in the Moet lounge.

Police will alleged the pair went into a nearby disabled toilet after the final race. Security spotted them entering the toilet on CCTV and alerted police, who arrived to find the toilet door locked.

News_Image_File: Geoff Huegill in Delhi in 2010 / Picture: Getty Images

“Police were patrolling Randwick racecourse as part of their general duties when they were ­directed to a suite in the grandstand by security personnel,” a police spokesman said.

“Police spoke to a 35-year-old man and his 30-year-old wife, who were alleged to be in possession of a small quantity of white powder, ­believed to be cocaine.”

A spokesman for Australian Turf Club, which operates Randwick Racecourse, declined to comment: “As this is a police matter, we have no comment. The ATC has a zero-tolerance policy on drugs.”

News_Image_File: Swimmer Geoff Huegill with wife Sara Hills at Rushcutters Bay.

Huegill remains one of just 13 Australian swimmers who are contracted to swimwear brand Speedo, despite not having raced since the 2012 Olympic trials when he failed to make the London team.

Speedo refused to comment on Huegill’s relationship with the swimwear giant yesterday.

Huegill was a vocal critic of the Australian swim team culture in London, targeting the lack of team spirit among swimmers and later getting into a pay row with Olympic gold medallist Melanie Schlanger via Twitter.

The Huegill brand is under threat. It’s been a horror year for some of our greatest swimmers. Huegill’s drug charges follows Ian Thorpe and Grant Hackett’s stints in rehab clinics and Scott Miller’s battle to overcome his drug addiction. It remains to be seen how much damage he has inflicted upon his own personal empire given the clean image he traded upon is tarred.

News_Image_File: Geoff Huegill with wife Sara at Bondi Beach.

News_Rich_Media: Former Olympic swimmer Geoff Huegill and wife Sara have been charged with drug possession.

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TWO years after his retirement, Geoff Huegill is one of Australia’s highest paid swimmers and most marketable Olympians.

With lucrative endorsements for Speedo and Swisse, Huegill has been able to sell himself as the ultimate redemption story.

He was the fallen idol who reclaimed his clean-living lifestyle.

With the help of his wife, Sara, he quit the party scene, lost almost 50kg and made an inspirational return to the pool.

Today, part of that story is under question, after Huegill and his wife were charged with drug possession following an incident at Randwick Racecourse last Saturday. It was the party scene that originally contributed to the swimmer’s downfall.

His weight blew out to 138kg, but with the help of his wife he lost almost 50kg and made an inspirational return to the pool.

Huegill makes a living off his fat-to-fit story and the motto he built around a life-skills program titled “Be Your Best.”

When he won the Commonwealth Games gold medal in 2010, the sporting and corporate world was his oyster. He established himself as an athlete-entrepreneur and sold himself as a corporate motivator to some of Australia’s biggest companies, including the Commonwealth Bank and Aussie Home Loans, both of which provide glowing testimonials on Huegill’s website.

Speedo refused to comment on Huegill’s relationship with the swimwear giant when contacted yesterday.