Brianna Throssell

Three-time Olympian Brianna Throssell burst onto the swimming scene at the Nanjing 2014 Youth Olympic Games, where she won seven bronze medals. Her impressive haul included individual bronze in the 200m freestyle, 100m butterfly and 200m butterfly events.

After winning the silver medal at the 2016 Australian National Championships, Brianna made her Olympic debut at Rio 2016. In Brazil she came third in both her 200m butterfly heat and semi-final, qualifying for her first Olympic final. In the final, she swam 2:07.87 to finish eighth.

Following the Olympics, Brianna went on to compete at the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games where she won bronze in the 200m butterfly and gold in the women's 4x200m freestyle relay.

She added more international podium finishes at the 2019 FINA World Championships, winning gold in the women's 4x100m and 4x200m freestyle relays.

At the 2021 Australian National Championships Brianna claimed the national title in the 200m butterfly, with a time of 2:07.20, which qualified her for her second Olympic Team - this time for the delayed Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

She was once again eighth in the 200m butterfly Olympic final, but it was in the relays that she shone through. Her first two Olympic medals came on back-to-back days, bronze for her role as a heat swimmer in the 4x200m freestyle relay and the mixed 4x100m medley relay. Then Olympic gold followed as the women's 4x100m medley relay team took down the USA.

Western Australia's most decorated swimmer, Brianna carried her form through to 2022 when she again helped Australia to World Championships, swimming as a relay alternate in the 4x100m freestyle relay. But she took her place in the Dolphins quartet for the finals of the 4x200m freestyle and 4x100m medley relays in which Australia took bronze. She also swam in the heats of the 4x100m mixed medley relay in which Australia placed second behind the USA.

At her second Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in 2022, Brianna took home bronze medals in the 100m and 200m butterfly.

She was also part of the Australian team in 2023 that claimed gold in world record time at the World Championships in the 4x200m freestyle relay. The combined time of the team – Brianna, Mollie O’Callaghan, Shayna Jack and Ariarne Titmus – of 7:37.50 lopped almost two seconds off the previous world record the Aussies set in Birmingham.

Brianna’s medal haul from the 2024 World Championships in Doha, her last World Championships, brought her combined World Championships medal tally to 18 (six gold, nine silver and three bronze). In Doha, she won bronze in the women’s 200m freestyle as well as gold in the women’s 4x100m medley relay, silver in the women’s 4x100m freestyle relay, the mixed 4x100m freestyle relay and the mixed 4x100m medley relay and bronze in the women’s 4x200m freestyle relay.

At the 2024 Australian Open Championships on the Gold Coast, Brianna claimed silver in the 100m butterfly with a PB of 56.77, making her the fourth-fastest Australian woman in the event.

She booked her ticket to Paris as a 4x200m relay swimmer when she finished fourth in the 200m freestyle in an impressive time of 1:55.74.

Coach Dean Boxall described Brianna as the “unsung hero” of the Australian swimming team.

“Bri is just there … and she has always been there … for 12 years,” he said. “She’s a swimmer who keeps trying to push and finding a way to get better.”

In Paris she concentrated all her energy into the one event, the women's 4x200m freestyle relay, swimming the heat and the final with Ariarne Titmus, Mollie O'Callaghan and Lani Pallister to set an Olympic record time.

It produced her second Olympic gold and helped Australia improve from their bronze medal performance in the event at Tokyo 2020.

The Olympic record swim would be her last, with Brianna announcing her retirement from the sport in March 2025.

“I just knew it was time. I’ll forever cherish the memories, friendships, and experiences … it’s been an incredible journey but now I am ready for a new chapter. The lessons I’ve learned - about perseverance, teamwork, and the pursuit of excellence - will remain with me as I move forward but I am ready, and it was so so wonderful to finish the way I did," she said.

“I couldn’t have asked for a better career finale. I still love the sport and really want to inspire the next generation because truly, swimming has taught me so much. I have so many people to thank … but to my parents and Dean (Boxall), to Josh (Milner) and all the Dolphins … thank you. I just feel so grateful.”

Brianna was awarded an Order of Australia in the 2022 Australia Day Honours and has a physiotherapy degree from the University of Notre Dame in Perth.