2024 AUSTRALIAN OLYMPIC TRIALS
Some of Australian swimming’s most prominent figures featured in a celebrity relay to conclude the third night of racing from the 2024 Olympic Trials in Brisbane.
The 6×50 freestyle relay was, by all accounts, a chaotic scene with nearly 50 celebrities on pool deck simultaneously and some teams seemingly switching their relay order up until the last minute.
Australian swimming legend Dawn Fraser was the honorary starter of the race, as the eight-time Olympic medalist has been on hand all week, supporting her god daughter, Lani Pallister, who qualified for her first Olympic team on Monday in the women’s 400 freestyle.
In terms of former swimmers, Susie O’Neill, Jodie Henry, Melanie Schlanger, Kai Hurst, Mack Horton, David McKeon, Alice Mills, Jessicah Schipper and Brenton Rickard were all competing in the race, with Hurst leading off and Rickard anchoring the victorious “Team Hurst” in a time of 2:48.89.
The presence of the former swimming greats was obvious when looking at the results, with six athletes splitting under 25 seconds—something no regular celebrity could muster.
And they’re off in the Celebrity Relay! pic.twitter.com/grP4i8il97
— Victoria Racing Club (@FlemingtonVRC) June 12, 2024
Nine Network television anchor Karl Stefanovic and former rugby star Johnathan Thurston were the two biggest non-swimmer celebrities in action. Jockey Michelle Payne and another rugby player, Sam Thaiday, were also in the event.
“I’m pretty cooked at the moment,” Thurston said post-race, according to The Brisbane Times. “Only 50 metres, and that’s all I had in me too.”
