Australian world record holder Meg Harris is leaving the South Australian Sports Institute (SASI) in Adelaide to join the Rackley Swim Team in Brisbane under Damien Jones.
The 21-year-old Harris had been training in Adelaide under coach Peter Bishop since October of 2021, right after she made her Olympic debut in Tokyo. She had previously trained at St. Peters Western under coach Dean Boxall. The elite training group at SASI included six-time Olympic gold medalist Kyle Chalmers.
Jones will be Harris’ third coach in the past two years. Jones’ Rackley Swim Team group includes recent 400-meter freestyle world champion Sam Short and Tokyo Olympian Tommy Neill. Four-time Olympian Cate Campbell had joined Jones at Rackley last year before switching to Vince Raleigh at Chandler Swimming Club in May.
Harris is fresh off a world record in the women’s 4×100 freestyle relay, where she split 52.29 to help the Australians shatter the global standard in 3:27.96. The four-time world champion also owns the world record in the SCM 4×100 free relay mark from last December, when she contributed a 52.00 split en route to the Aussies’ 3:25.43 at the 2022 Short Course World Championships.
Harris broke out at 19 years old with a 4th-place finish in the 100 free at the 2021 Australian Olympic Trials. She cracked the 53-second barrier in 52.92 while also taking 4th in the 50 free (24.51) and 5th in the 200 free (1:56.29).
In her Olympic debut, Harris swam the second leg on the Australian women’s world record-breaking 4×100 free relay, splitting 53.09 en route to winning the gold medal. She also won a bronze medal as a prelim swimmer on the Aussie women’s 4×200 free relay.
Megan and Cate should train together for Paris 2024
I don’t think it’s Megan. I think her full name is just Meg.
all the best w the move and hoping 24 is the fastest ever for meg harris
She’s trending that way……next stop St Peters Western
So it looks like the only way to watch Junior Worlds in most countries will be via the WA Recast channel 💩💩💩
https://www.worldaquatics.com/news/3658737/where-to-watch-world-aquatics-junior-swimming-championships-2023
Why Rackley?
Was hoping she’d return to SPW but maybe three athletes in the same club gunning for the same spots at trials is too many.
(Anyone else having trouble editing comments?)
I think she probably left SPW for a reason. Rackley has some great swimmers but no one who will directly challenge her. Might be the change she needs.
I assume she was happy in Adelaide (her and Madi seem extremely close) but probably wanted to be back closer to family.
Yes I haven’t been able to edit comments for a couple of weeks. I think they figured out that if you post a blank comment you can then edit it immediately to say anything and that gets around the filter lol.
When she did a podcast after Tokyo I got the impression moving to Adelaide was more about going to live with her best friend than anything to do with SPW.
mate spw is out of control i dont see why people want more people to go there. can you imagine how many of those alpha chicks all vying for deans attenntion
Probably because Damien Jones is a great coach and it’s a great program that supports its elite athletes?
Wow that’s surprising. She left SPW immediately after a massive breakout and WR. Two years later, she’s leaving SASI immediately after a massive breakout and WR.
In any other country she’s swimming multiple individual events. I wonder if she will be a victim of Australia’s success and never get another chance to swim individually, or if she will continue upward and add to the massive pressure at the top of women’s free.
she’s in a good position to get a 50 free spot, the veterans will likely retire after Paris and Mollie + the age groupers will probably need more time to catch up to her and Shayna in the 50
I’m assuming Emma McKeon will probably retire after Paris Olympics. That should give Meg the inside running for that second 50m Freestyle spot alongside Shayna. (At least until one of the age groupers has a breakout).
Yeah that’s a good point. Will be very interesting to see what happens after Paris. I assume that Cate, Bronte, Emma, Brianna and Madi will all retire after Paris (or at least before LA).
That leaves (arguably):
50 Free: Jack (1), Harris (2), Mollie (3) of the current crop who currently have internationally relevant times. Wunsch is currently only 0.3 behind Mollie with a 24.8, and then Casey and Jansen. Harris seems like the obvious second spot in the 50 unless/until one of the younger girls levels up (I don’t see Mollie ever excelling at the 50 like she does in the 100-200)
100 Free: Mollie (1), Jack (2), Harris (3) of the current crop who currently have internationally relevant… Read more »
I’m looking forward to seeing how Wunsch, Casey and Jansen are progressing at Junior World Champs next week. And others like Amelia Weber and Jamie Perkins.
It’s all about PB’s
Let the 2nd best swimming nation get their junior thrills