Margo Joseph-Kuo

Artistic swimmer Margo Joseph-Kuo learned some valuable lessons when the COVID-19 pandemic threw her sport into chaos.

Margo had just qualified to compete for Australia at the 2020 FINA World Artistic Swimming Championships when the pandemic hit and all international competition came to a halt.

“I’ve learnt that when things don’t go as planned, don’t waste time getting hung up about it, rather spend your time moving forward, and seeing where you can go from where you are,” she said. “I've also learnt to really roll with it and work with the scenario you’re given and just try to do your best even if it's not what you expected.”

Margo, who grew up in Melbourne and got into artistic swimming at Ivanhoe Girls’ Grammar, was forced to train on her own and with her school teammates and consult with coaches over Zoom.

It made her realise how much she loved the sport and missed being in the pool with her friends.

Margo was keen to get back to competition as soon as possible, returning to action a the 2021 Australian national champion ships.

At the 2023 World Aquatic Championships in Fukuoka, Japan, Margo was part of the Australian team that qualified for the Paris Olympics with a top-10 finish in the Team Free.

Margo, Alessandra Ho, Rayna Buckle, Natalia Caloiera, Georgia Courage-Gardiner, Kiera Gazzard, Zoe Poulis and Milena Waldman improved from 11th in the preliminaries to finish eighth in the final with a score of 221.6416.

They produced another top-10 finish at the 2024 world championships in Doha.

At a World Cup meet in Beijing in April, 2024, Margo was part of the Australian team that clinched silver medals in team technical and team free and won bronze in team acrobat.

In a dazzling display of aquatic artistry and athleticism at the Paris 2024 Olympics, Australia's Artistic Swimming Team captivated audiences with their technical, free and acrobatic routines to place ninth overall on 728.4358 points.

The team’s technical routine, inspired by a jungle adventure and set to Hans Zimmer's "Volcano," was meticulously executed. Scoring 235.9071 points and no base marks.

The team’s free routine, themed around the world of "Avatar" and set to music from "Avatar: The Way of Water," showcased a powerful and imaginative display that scored 280.5521 overall.

Their vibrant acrobatic routine, celebrating cheerleading with Alvaro Rodriguez Alvarez's "Move Your Body," demonstrated both enthusiasm and precision to earn a score of 211.9766.