William Petric

Biography

William Petric grew up in Melbourne in a family that loved sports. Initially, he explored golf and Australian Rules football and remains an avid Richmond Tigers fan. However, swimming captured his heart at the age of nine, leading him to join the Nunawading Swimming Club.

William quickly rose through the junior ranks, participating in his first national event at the Pacific School Games by age 11. His breakthrough came at 14 when he set his first Victorian record in the 200m breaststroke, even breaking a national record previously held by Olympic Champion Zac Stubblety-Cook.

He later shifted his focus to the individual medley, excelling in all four strokes. In 2021, he earned a spot on the Australian junior team, although the pandemic prevented him from competing. Despite setbacks during his final year of school in 2022, William and his coach revamped his stroke technique, leading to his first international medal in the 200m IM at the Junior Pan Pacs in Hawaii that same year.

Improving steadily, William clinched gold in the 200m medley and bronze in the 400m medley at the 2024 Australian Championships. His stellar performance in Brisbane at the Australian Olympic trials earned him a spot in the Paris 2024 Olympics with a time of 1:57.54 in the 200m IM.

Looking ahead, William has an eye on the Brisbane 2032 Olympics, driven by the dream of winning an Olympic gold medal on home turf.