Olivia Wunsch

Olivia Wunsch’s name had been whispered in Olympic circles for months and then the world junior champion clocked three PBS in three events at the Australian selection trials in Brisbane in June 2024 – including in the star-studded women’s 100m freestyle.

Her time – 53.17 – and fifth-place finish saw the Year 12 student book a coveted relay spot for the Paris 2024 Olympics and she now finds herself among some big names as the Dolphins seek a fourth consecutive relay gold medal in the 4x100m freestyle.

In swimming circles, Wunsch had already put the world on notice - at last year’s World Junior Championships, she won six medals, including individual golds in the 50m and 100m freestyle, and tied the championship record in the 50m freestyle (24.59).

At the age of eight, Olivia took part in her first NSW state swimming competition and at the Pacific School Games in Adelaide in 2017, she revealed her talents by claiming several national titles in freestyle and butterfly events.

After success in school swimming in 2018 and 2019, she was gearing up for her first Australian Age Championships when COVID-19 struck.

After returning to competition in 2021, she won medals at her first Age Nationals on the Gold Coast and again in Adelaide in 2022.

Those performances won her selection in the Australian team for the Junior Pan Pacs in Hawaii in 2022, where she raced in the 50m freestyle, 100m freestyle, 200m freestyle, 4x100m freestyle relay, and 4x 200m freestyle relay, coming away with three medals.

What followed was a breakout meet at the 2023 World Junior Championships in Israel.