Jamie Perkins

Teenage star Jamie Perkins grew up with divided loyalties – to two sports she excelled in.

Born on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, by the time she was eight Jamie was competing actively for both Mountain Creek Swim Club and the Alexandra Headland Surf Lifesaving Club.

Throughout her teenage years, Jamie competed on the beach in the 2km ocean swim, the surf race, board race, ironwoman, the Taplin relay, belt race and surf teams. She won a remarkable eight gold medals at the 2021 Australian Surf Life Saving Championships – and another six the following year.

But at the same time, Jamie was establishing a successful career in the pool.

At the Junior Pan Pacs in Hawaii in 2022, Jamie finished second in the 200m, 400m and 800m freestyle and in the 4x100m and 4x200m freestyle relays.

At the 2023 world junior championships in Netanya, Israel, she flashed home to win the 400m freestyle final in a personal best time of 4:05.72. Earlier in the meet she led off Australia’s silver medal-winning 4x200m freestyle relay team.

At the 2024 Australian Championships on the Gold Coast in April, Jamie made the final in the 200m, 400m and 800m freestyle.

She booked her ticket to Paris as a 4x200m relay swimmer when she dead-heated for fifth with Shayna Jack in the 200m freestyle final. It was a race won by Ariarne Titmus in world record time.