Thomas Neill

Biography

Thomas Neill is making waves in the world of men’s middle-distance freestyle swimming. Coached by Damien Jones at Rackley, Thomas first captured attention at the 2019 Australian age titles by securing gold in multiple events, including the 200m, 400m, 800m, and 1500m freestyle. His stellar performance earned him a spot on the Australian Team for the junior world titles in Budapest, where he added several medals to his name, such as silvers in the 400m and 1500m, and a bronze in the 800m and 4x200m freestyle relay.

Making the jump to senior competition, he didn’t disappoint. At the 2021 Australian Championships, Thomas clinched gold in the 800m and silver in the 400m freestyle, narrowly missing a medal in the 200m. His impressive performances at the Olympic trials in Adelaide earned him a spot on the 4x200m freestyle relay team for Tokyo, and he nearly grabbed an individual spot as well.

In Tokyo, Thomas nearly hit a personal best in the heats and qualified for the semi-finals, just missing the final by .03 seconds. However, he shined in the 4x200m freestyle relay, anchoring the team to a bronze medal with a blistering 1:44.74 split, the fastest time among the Australian swimmers.

Thomas took a break in 2022 to focus on his studies, but returned strong at the year's end to collect three silver medals at the world short course titles in Melbourne. By 2023, he was back in full training and helped Australia clinch bronze in the 4x200m freestyle relay at the world championships in Fukuoka, Japan.

The latter half of 2023 saw Thomas achieving personal bests in the 200m and 400m individual medley at the Queensland Championships. In April 2024, he snagged a bronze in the 200m freestyle at the Australian championships and secured his place for Paris with a second-place finish in the 200m freestyle at the Olympic trials in Brisbane.

Thomas Neill’s journey is a testament to his dedication and passion for swimming, and he continues to be a force to reckon with in the pool.