This week, millions of Australians have tuned in to watch the Swimming Australia trials that wrap up in Brisbane today. We've seen world records broken, inspiring returns to form, and emotional moments as families in the stands watched athletes secure spots for the upcoming Olympics and Paralympics in Paris. There have also been moments of sadness, where milliseconds made the difference between a spot on the Olympic squad and another four-year wait.

But there's no denying that this week has showcased incredible Australian pool talent. Did you know Australia has won one gold for every 384,000 people; the U.S. has one per 1.1 million.

So we had a big question: Why is Australia so good at swimming?

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Here’s my theory: Australia's success in swimming can be attributed to four main factors: widespread participation in swimming, a culture that celebrates swimmers, significant financial investment, and high standards for qualification.

Swimming is an incredibly important part of Australian culture, and most kids have swimming lessons.

A report by Royal Life Saving Australia showed that 1.7 million Australians under 17 are in swimming lessons - on top of that, we also have national benchmarks that every child by age 12 should be able to swim 50m, and half of Australians aged 17 should be able to swim 400m.

Now, this national approach is not necessarily to find the next Ariane Titmus - it’s designed to prevent drowning, which remains a significant issue in Australia. Teaching children to swim from an early age has proven to be a really effective way to prevent drowning deaths throughout life.

But there’s undoubtedly a natural by-product - a cultural appreciation of swimming.

Australia spends a lot on winning gold medals in the pool.

Swimming Australia, the Australian Olympic Committee, and the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) are major funding sources. For instance, Swimming Australia spent about $26 million in 2021/22, with $4.1 million on swimmers, coaches, and sport science. The Australian Olympic Committee spends about $25 million a year.

But none of that competes with the federal government, through the Australian Sports Commission and the AIS, who spent $332 million on sport and recreation in 2022/23.

When you break all those numbers down, apply some fancy mathematics, and a bit of margin of error, this significant investment results in over $2 million spent per medal won in swimming at the Tokyo Olympics.

Australia's high standards for Olympic qualification are crucial.

There is a cap of 26 men and 26 women swimmers for the Games, and Swimming Australia's qualifying times are often tougher than global standards. These times are set to ensure that only athletes capable of winning medals are sent to the Olympics.

For example, the Olympic qualifying time for the men’s 200m freestyle is 1:46.26, but the Swimming Australia time is 1:45.97 - 0.92 seconds faster. This rigorous standard can lead to heartbreak, as seen with Bowen Gough, who won the 200m Butterfly final but didn't meet the qualifying time.

So far, (today is the last day of competition) Australia has broken a number of world records at the trials.

Ariarne Titmus smashed the 200m freestyle world record, while racing against the former record holder Mollie O'Callaghan, who also beat her own record but came second.

Tim Hodge (S9) also broke his own world record in the men’s 200m individual medley multi-class.

Australia’s backstroke queen, Kaylee McKeown has come agonisingly close to the world record several times this week. On Tuesday, she was 0.08 seconds outside of her own 100m backstroke world record. And on Thursday, she was 0.16 seconds behind her 200m world record.

The high standards ensure that Australia sends only its best athletes, although this approach can be controversial. The focus is on medal potential, and while this may sometimes exclude talented swimmers from international experience, the strategy aims to maintain Australia's competitive edge. All this to say - Paris will need to watch out!

Swimming events at the Paris Olympics start on July 27.

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