Leah Neale

Fast Facts

Sport: Swimming
Olympic History: Rio 2016 (silver), Tokyo 2020 (bronze)
Highlights: Silver medal at Rio 2016 and bronze medal at Tokyo 2020.
Club: USC Spartans
Year Born: 1995
State Born: QLD

About Leah

Leah, a two-time Olympian, has become one of the mainstays of Australia’s outstanding 4x200m freestyle relay team. Indeed, eight of her 11 international medals have been won in this event.

After taking up the sport at the age of 10 because her parents were concerned about water safety, Leah quickly discovered she had a competitive edge and lobed to race. That edge has propelled her to where she is today, as one of the most impressive middle distance freestylers in the country. Indeed, she was the first 15-year-old in Australian swimming history to go under two minutes for the 200m freestyle.

She made her senior international debut at the 2014 world short course championships in Doha before finishing 26th in the 800m freestyle at the 2015 Kazan world championships where she also made the final of the 4x200m freestyle relay. That same year she would win the Jose Finkel Trophy in Brazil for her performance in the 800m freestyle where she clocked 8.38.81.

Brazil was also the site of her Olympic debut as she swam the lead-off led of the 4x200m freestyle relay to join with Bronte Barrett, Emma McKeon and Tasmin Cook in a 7.44.87 performance which placed them second behind the USA.

After winning bronze in the Australian 800m relay at the world titles in Budapest in 2017, Leah again teamed up with Emma McKeon and this time Brianna Throssell and Ariarne Titmus to win the gold at the 4x200m freestyle relay at the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games in a Games record time.

The 2019 Gwangju world titles in South Korea saw Leah swim the preliminary heats of the 4x200m freestyle with Maddie Wilson, Brianna and Kiah Malverton before Ariarne, Emma, Briaanna and Maddie went on to win the gold in a world record time (7.41.50).

After qualifying at the trials in Adelaide for her second Olympic Team, Leah was given the responsibility of anchoring the team in Tokyo and she did so admirably to swim 1.55.85 to help Australia earn bronze behind China and the USA.

Leal had busy time of it swimming in three relays at the 2022 world titles which, again, were staged in Budapest. She opened her meet with the prelims of the 4x100m freestyle relay, helping Australia to reach the final where Mollie O’Callaghan, Maddie Wilson, Meg Harris and Shayna Jack brought home the gold in 3.30.95.

Then she moved onto the 800m relay where she swam the second leg (1.55.27) as Australia won silver in the final. And then she swam in the quartet along with Zac Incerti, William Yang and Meg Harris advanced Australia to the final of the mixed 4x100m freestyle final. At that point, the Dolphins substituted all four swimmers and relied on Jack Cartwright, Kyle Chalmers, Maddie Wilson and Mollie O’Callaghan to deliver the victory in a world record 3.19.38.

The year ended on a high for Leah as she helped Australia to gold in both the 400m and 800m freestyle relays at the world short course titles in Melbourne.