Tasmanian Max Giuliani has qualified for the men’s 200m freestyle in the Paris Olympics

From Carlton Beach to Paris: The making of Tasmania’s newest Olympic swimmer Max Giuliani.

Tasmanian Swimmer Max Giuliani, at Carlton Park who has his sights set on the Paris Olympics. Picture: Chris Kidd

As a child growing up in Hobart’s Southern Beaches, Max Giuliani was rarely out of the water.

“We’ve always lived by the beach in Tasmania and both of the kids have always loved the water. He did surf life saving and ocean swimming,” said mum Jo Spargo.

“His happy place is in the water or on the water, if he’s not swimming he’s fishing.”

This beach-loving Tasmanian boy, now aged 20, became an Australian household name this week after qualifying for Paris Olympics in the 200m freestyle.

While his tall stature has no doubt helped him excel at swimming, Giuliani also had the true grit needed to win.

“He was incredibly determined when he was little. The only way we could punish him was to not let him get up at 4am to do swimming,” Ms Spargo said.

“I always knew he had it in him from the time he was a little boy he talked about how he was going to go to the Olympics.”

Tasmanian Olympic swimmer Max Giuliani as a junior at the Carlton Park Surf Life Saving Club

The son of Ms Spargo, an ABC Hobart producer and presenter, and food identity Mic Giuliani of Sirocco South, Giuliani grew up at Carlton and attended St Virgil’s College and Guilford Young College.

He’s excelled at competitive swimming all his life, whether it be school competitions, the Carlton Park Surf Life Saving Club or the Trans Derwent Swim at the Hobart Regatta.

In the 2019 Regatta Derwent swim Giuliani, then 15, was reported to have made it across in an “astonishing” 16 minutes.

St Virgil’s College principal Jon Franzin said the school community was incredibly proud of Giuliani.

“Max was a hardworking student with a genuine passion for science and maths during his middle years,” Mr Franzin said.

“Known for his strong family orientation, Max balanced his academic pursuits with a dedicated commitment to supporting the family business every weekend, all while maintaining a rigorous training schedule.

“Max’s prowess in the pool was undeniable. He was not only an excellent swimmer and water polo player but also an invaluable asset to his teams.

“His strong will and competitive spirit set him apart, leading to an impressive array of records: he is the current Sports Association of Tasmanian Schools (SATIS) U16 50m Freestyle Record holder with a time of 25.13 seconds, as well as the U15 and U16 100m Freestyle Record holder with times of 55.18 and 54.41 seconds respectively.

“Additionally, Max was part of the current SATIS/SSATIS U16 200m Freestyle Relay team, which holds the record at 1:45.33.”

Tasmanian Olympic swimmer Max Giuliani as a student at St Virgil's College with a trophy from an interschool swim meet

After school Giuliani relocated to the Gold Coast in 2022 at age 18 to follow his swim coach Paul Crosswell.

Giuliani joined Crosswell at the Miami Swim Club, combining a gruelling training regime with a part-time job at Anaconda.

All the while he battled homesickness as a young man living away from home and family for the first time.

“That was really hard, I think if Paul Crosswell hadn’t left to go to Miami, he would have stayed in Tasmania,” Ms Spargo said.

Giuliani’s lead up to the Olympic qualifiers had been promising.

At the Queensland state titles in December Giuliani broke Ian Thorpe’s 21-year-old Queensland Allcomers record of 1:44.79 in the lead-off leg on the men’s 4x200m freestyle relay.

In August 2023 he won the USA pro-championship 100m and 200m freestyle titles in California, smashing personal best times for the 100m and 200m free, clocking 48.21s and 1m46.23s respectively.

Tasmanian Olympian Max Giuliani at the Australian swimming trials in Brisbane with partner Libby Beechey

But he was far from assured a place on the Australian Dolphins Olympic swim squad when it came to Tuesday night’s 200m freestyle qualifier.

He paced himself throughout the final and did not look to be in the mix until the final lap, when he picked up the pace and just finished first in a time of 1:45:83

Giuliani won the hearts of Australians following the race with his elation at making the Olympic team.

Giuliani will have little time to reflect on his achievement, with the team due to be announced this weekend and athletes due to leave for Paris next week to begin pre-Olympics training camps.