‘Wonder’ Wunsch aims to continue winning Streak at NSW State Open Championships

Paris Olympic gold medallist Olivia Wunsch (Carlile, NSW/pictured) arrived at Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre on Friday with her sights set on keeping an imposing record intact as she aims at this year’s World Championships in Singapore.

The 18-year-old, a New South Wales Institute of Sport  scholarship holder, will start her five-event program at the 2025 NSW State Championships after already dominating the South Australian and Victorian Championships where she chalked up five wins – the 50 and 100m freestyle doubles – adding the 200m freestyle in Melbourne for a rare treble.

Wunsch sits inside the 2025 World Top 10 for the 100m freestyle with her 54.16 that won her the Victorian States and she is closely followed by fellow  Australians, rising star Milla Jansen (Bond, QLD) who clocked 54.19 at last weekend’s Speedo Meet in Brisbane and two-time Olympic relay gold medallist Meg Harris (Rackley, QLD) who clocked 54.31 at the TYR Pro Meet in the US earlier in the month.

Swimming at her home State Championships is sure to give the two-time World Junior Champion, even more incentive to keep her imposing 2025 winning streak intact – starting with a third 50-100m freestyle double.

Wunsch will contest the 50, 100 and 200m freestyles and the 50 and 100m butterfly, when she is joined by 10 of her Paris teammates, including four-time Olympic champion Kaylee McKeown (Griffith University, QLD) who will kick-start her new year under new coach.

This year will see Australian freestyle sprint stocks begin a new era with the retirements of Olympic golden girls Cate Campbell, Emma McKeon, Brianna Throssell and Madi Wilson – who have all played significant roles in a dynasty that has dominated Olympic and World Championships in the 4x100m freestyle since London 2012.

McKeown will race her specialist 50, 100 and 200m backstrokes and the 200IM and will continue her love affair with the famed Pool of Champions that began for her back in 2017 and has continued every year since.

In 2023 McKeown set a new world record of 2:03.14 in the 200m backstroke – a time that still stands and earned the 23-year-old recognition in the esteemed list of champions who have set world marks in the Sydney 2000 Olympic pool.

Other NSW Paris Olympians contesting the three-day meet are Bradley Woodward (NSWIS HUB, NSW), Se-Bom Lee (NSWIS HUB, NSW) and Will Yang (NSWIS HUB, NSW) with former NSW born-and-bred 2024 Olympic finalist in the 200m butterfly, Abbey Connor (USC Spartans, QLD) also aiming to keep her career on the rise.

They will be joined by Paris teammates Zac Incerti, Alex Perkins (USC Spartans, QLD), Elizabeth Dekkers (Griffith University, QLD), Matt Temple (Marion, SA) and Sam Williamson (Melbourne Vicentre, VIC).

The meet will also see 18 members of Australia’s successful 2024 Paralympic team in action, including local Blacktown golden boy, Tim Hodge (NSWIS), who will be joined by fellow Paralympic gold medallists Alexa Leary (Bond, QLD) and Benjamin Hance (St Andrews, QLD).

The Paralympic champion and world record holder over 200m individual medley will tackle the 400m freestyle, 200m IM and the 100m backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly events in his well-documented busy program.

Hodge has emerged over the past five years as the little Aussie battler, an inspiration in NSW and Australian sport, who started his year at the Para Swimming World Series in Melbourne in January with nine medals – including two individual gold in the 50m backstroke and 100m butterfly.

“I was pleasantly surprised across the board with all my races (at the Para World Series)”, Hodge told NSWIS.

“Coming off the back of Paris [2024 Paralympic Games] and having a decent break, I ensured that I was getting into training wherever I could, and I’ve had a lot of support along the way.

“The major focus is hitting your processes, hitting your key points, seeing how the times change, and being able to react to racing situations.” 

“Especially after having such a wild break from racing in Paris! It was about getting the fuel for it again, and I was fortunate enough that with the times, came the medals. I was really happy with the results overall.

“It gives me a lot of confidence. One thing after the Paralympic Games is that it was difficult being able to reset and refocus after such a big event.

“The results in this competition have given me the chance to refocus, reset, and get back into the mindset.”

The three-day State Championship Meet starts on Friday with the heats starting at 9am and the finals on Friday and Saturday at 6pm and Sunday finals at 5.30pm.

Tune in to the live stream HERE and catch all the action.

Story: Ian Hanson, Swimming NSW