Australia Selects Stacked Roster of 44 Swimmers for Paris Olympics

By Riley Overend on SwimSwam

2024 AUSTRALIAN OLYMPIC TRIALS

Monday, June 10th – Saturday, June 15th
Brisbane Aquatic Center – Brisbane, Australia
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Swimming Australia named its 44-member swimming roster for next month’s Paris Olympics on Saturday night following the conclusion of the Australian Olympic Trials this week in Brisbane.

Cam McEvoy and Bronte Campbell are both headed to their fourth Olympics, with the 30-year-old McEvoy the first Australian man to achieve the feat. Bronte’s older sister, four-time Olympic champion Cate Campbell, fell short of her bid to become the first Australian to swim at five Summer Games after placing 9th in Friday’s 50 free (54.27) and 7th in Saturday’s 50 free (24.76).

“I had hoped for the fairytale ending, and it’s what I had worked for and what I felt I was capable of,” Campbell said on Saturday while fighting through tears. “And unfortunately, my body just said no. This is the end, and it’s a perfect way to exit the pool… I got to walk out and swim in a swimming pool that I’ve competed in so many times, that I’ve qualified for teams in, that I’ve broke world records in.”

It will be the third Olympics for Emma McKeon, the most decorated Aussie swimmer with 11 career medals, along with fellow veterans Kyle Chalmers and Brianna Throssell. The 30-year-old McKeon only qualified individually for the 100 fly this week after winning Olympic gold medals in the 50 free and 100 free a few years ago in Tokyo. Chalmers, 25, qualified in the 100 free (47.75) despite battling through a back injury this week.

World record holders Kaylee McKeown and Ariarne Titmus headline the list of gold medal contenders in Paris along with Mollie O’Callaghan, Sam Short, Elijah Winnington, and Zac Stubblety-Cook. Other podium hopefuls include Elizabeth Dekkers, Shayna Jack, and Lani Pallister.

Of the 44 swimmers, more than half — 23 — will be making their Olympic debuts in Paris next month. Thirteen are returning for their second Olympics, 16 are already Olympic medalists, and 15 captured gold medals at the 2023 World Championships last summer. Almost a quarter of the roster — 10 — swims for coach Dean Boxall‘s St. Peters Western program in Brisbane.

“This is a team that will do Australia proud — in and out of the pool — and we can’t wait to see competition unfold in Saint-Denis at the Centre Aquatique Olympique,” said head coach Rohan Taylor. Retired freestyle legend Ian Thorpe called the squad Australia’s “best ever.”

Moesha Johnson is representing Australia in both pool and open water swimming events after qualifying for the women’s 10km and 1500 free.

The youngest member of the team appears to be 18-year-old Olivia Wunsch, who earned a spot on Australia’s loaded 4×100 free relay team with a 5th-place finish in Friday’s 100 free (53.17) ahead of McKeon (53.33).

Australian Olympic Swimming Roster

Abbey Connor
Alexandria Perkins
Ariarne Titmus
Ben Armbruster
Bradley Woodward
Brendon Smith
Brianna Throssell
Bronte Campbell
Cam McEvoy
Elijah Winnington
Elizabeth Dekkers
Ella Ramsay
Emma McKeon
Flynn Southam
Iona Anderson
Isaac Cooper
Jack Cartwright
Jaclyn Barclay
Jamie Perkins
Jenna Forrester
Jenna Strauch
Joshua Yong
Kai Taylor
Kaylee McKeown
Kyle Chalmers
Lani Pallister
Matthew Temple
Maximillian Giuliani
Meg Harris
Mollie O’Callaghan
Olivia Wunsch
Sam Short
Sam Williamson
Se-Bom Lee
Shayna Jack
Thomas Neill
William Petric
William Yang
Zac Incerti
Zac Stubblety-Cook
Moesha Johnson (pool and open water)
Chelsea Gubecka (open water)
Kyle Lee (open water)
Nicholas Sloman (open water)

McKeon’s boyfriend, pop star Cody Simpson, came agonizingly close to capping his comeback with a Olympic appearance in Paris. The 27-year-old blasted a personal-best 48.67 in Thursday’s 100 free — which would have been good for 6th place and a potential relay spot — but he did it out of the B-final after clocking a 49.04 in prelims that morning.

“It’s bittersweet,” said Simpson, who said he’ll return to music following a five-year break to focus on swimming. “But I did what I could do — and that’s all you can do.”

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