David's Story
Fast Facts
Sport: Swimming
Event: 100m Butterfly, 200m Butterfly
Olympic History: Rio 2016 (bronze), Tokyo 2020
Highlights: Bronze in 4x100m Medley Relay in Rio
Coach: Chris Nesbitt
Club: TSS Aquatic
Country Born: Wales
About David
Welsh-born David arrived in Australia as a 10-year-old with little to no swimming experience but great swimming genes. His mother was Amanda Elizabeth James, an English Olympian who competed in the 100m backstroke at the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games when she was just 15.
It came as no surprise then when David joined a local swimming club soon after his arrival and began his wonderful journey in the sport.
He competed for the Australian Dolphins for the first time at 20 years old, at the 2014 World Short Course Championships in Doha.
He won silver as the Butterfly heat swimmer in the 4x100m medley relay at his first World Championships the following year, with the Australian Team going on to win silver in the finals.
In 2016, David qualified for his first Olympic Games at 22-years-old after claiming first in the 200m butterfly event at the 2016 Australian National Championships. He clocked a personal best time of 1:55.63, just under the Olympic qualifying time.
At the Rio 2016 Olympics, Morgan swam in the 100m and 200m Butterfly, finishing in 7th place in the heats in both his individual events. He was also a member of the bronze medal winning team in the 4x100m relay, alongside Mitch Larkin, Kyle Chalmers and Jake Packard.
David made his debut for Australia in the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast in 2018, competing in the 50m, 100m and 200m butterfly, as well as swimming the butterfly leg of the 4x100m medley relay.
He finished in 8th position in the final of the 50m and narrowly missed a medal in the 100m, finishing in fourth by half a second. He went on to win a silver medal in the 200m butterfly, posting a time of 1:56.36.
Morgan was also part of the Australian team who produced the fastest time in the heats for the 4x100m medley relay. Although every member of the roster for the team was changed, they went on to win the event in the final, setting a new Commonwealth Games record.
The 27-year-old will represented Australia at his second Olympic Games in Tokyo, after an impressive performance at the 2021 Australian Olympic trials. He finished second in the two butterfly events to earn his place on the Team for Tokyo.
David had qualified with an impressive 51.67sec 100m butterfly time at the trials but in the heats in Japan he clocked 52.31sec and advanced no further. The 200m butterfly also brought disappointment. He had come into the side on a 1.55.40 clocking for the silver at the trials but in the Olympic heats he swam outside his best and failed to make the semis.
In his spare time, David works as a lifesaver at the Southport SLSC and has done so since 2013. When he eventually steps away from the pool, he hopes to become a paramedic.
Read More
