Madi Wilson is Swimming Australia’s super charged “change maker” who will be among 21 Tokyo Olympians showcasing this weekend’s NSW Open Championships in Sydney as they re-launch their campaigns for this year’s Fina World Championships and Commonwealth Games.
Wilson will contest the 50,100, 200 and 400m freestyle events as well as the 50m backstroke at a meet which has attracted a who’s who of Australia’s powerful Dolphins squad who produced a record medal haul in Japan last year.
SMILE TIME: Madi Wilson has the world at her feet. Photo Courtesy: Delly Carr (Swimming Australia.
Along with the recent National Event Camp on the Gold Coast, the Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre will be like another reunion for a team that achieved so much – with Wilson very much a key member, as she relishes a major change to South Australia she made in 2016.
The now 27-year-old Queensland-born Wilson certainly struck gold after making the move to Marion and Olympic coach Peter Bishop’s star-studded elite squad post the Rio Olympics.
A 2015 Kazan World Championship100 backstroke silver medallist and now two-time Rio and Tokyo Olympian and three-time relay gold medallist, Wilson has the world at her feet – determined to establish herself now not only as a key figure in Australia’s all-conquering relays but as a major individual performer.
As a member of arguably the hottest women’s swimming team Australia has ever had, Wilson had embarked on a massive tour of duty to Tokyo and onto the ISL and World Cup campaigns on an action-packed and successful five-month international campaign.
Swimming World spoke exclusively to Wilson’s coach Peter Bishop who has given an insight into his charge as she prepares to take on fellow Tokyo Olympians Ariarne Titmus, Mollie O’Callaghan, Tamsin Cook, Leah Neale, Briana Throssell, Kiah Melverton and Maddie Gough as well as Shayna Jack, Lani Pallister and Moesha Johnson in an all-star cast over 50, 100 and 200m freestyle – starting with the 100m freestyle on day one.
“Madi is a great person and she loves to work, but probably her biggest asset I believe is that she is prepared to make changes,” said Bishop.
“If you identify areas (that need change) then she is one of those who will just work on it and be front and centre with it.
GROUP THERAPY: Madi Wilson alongside coach Peter Bishop and the team from SA. Photo Courtesy: POW LAI XIANG
“To keep it front of mind to just keep working on it and working on it, her ability to make change at this period of her career is very, very good.
“Some people find it very hard to change, but she has that ability to really focus and to be able to put those things in place, it’s very exciting for her.
“(Between) Madi and the team we believe she certainly has a lot more to offer; that’s the plan – to keep getting better.
“That’s part of the challenges as well, knowing when things need to change and having an eye on where you are at, where the future is going to be.
“We certainly know that Swimming Australia is very strong in women’s swimming, especially sprint swimming so you have to be on top of your game to get on the team, let alone individual swims.
“You take nothing for granted and work on what we can do to get better.
“With Madi, she manages to keep herself in pretty good nick all the time; she’s pretty professional about it, we are never too far away physically and we just have to keep working away, careful we don’t go too hard too early with Madi and slowly build it through.
“But the one thing about Madi is she loves to race, she really enjoyed the whole experience of ISL and the Olympics and the whole experience, she took it on and swam really well.”
FIRED UP: Madi Wilson in the zone in Tokyo. Photo Courtesy: Delly Carr (Swimming Australia).
Wilson opened her competitive year at her home SA State Championships, winning the 50, 100, 200 and 400m freestyle finals and with Cate Campbell taking six months out and Bronte Campbell also on a break, it opens up more opportunities for the next rung of freestyle sprinters.
This weekend’s 100m freestyle will be a case of – enter Wilson, teen sensation Mollie O’Callaghan (St Peters Western) and a hungry Shayna Jack (St Peters Western), who made a successful comeback to competition at the Queensland Championships in December.
But it’s in the 200m freestyle where it becomes a real traffic jam with Australia’s stocks at an all-time high in depth with Wilson, O’Callaghan and Jack joined by Olympic champion Titmus, Cook, Neale, Throssell, Melverton, Gough, Johnson, and Pallister.
It will be one of the most eagerly awaited finals on Sunday’
And with three individual places available for the Commonwealth Games it is another competition that will at least give Australia’s competitive women’s team an extra spot.
Bishop has confirmed that Wilson will be available for both the World Championships and the Commonwealth Games – the only international meet where she hasn’t won a medal.
“Madi has certainly been on a real strive forward the last couple of years and she has actually been away (for a long period), she contacted Covid, she’s had to fend for herself being overseas but has certainly grown and learnt a lot about herself and looking forward to see what she can do over the next few years,” said Bishop.
“We are still going to try and race across the 200, the 100 and the 50m freestyles as much as we can and try and get a little bit stronger as she gets older and hoping that will help with a bit more speed as well.
CHANGE MAKER-CHANGE OVER Madi Wilson on the move in a change-over session nin Cairns. Photo Courtesy: Delly Carr (Swimming Australia).
“Madi actually loves the 200 freestyle (where she was given an individual start in Tokyo, finishing eighth) but we are going to try and combine all those, and in the other races present her with good opportunities to practice certain things in different events as well.”
Bishop said Wilson had been like a breath of fresh air and a welcome addition to his Marion group in Adelaide.
“Madi brings a lot of energy to the group. She’s an athlete who walks onto pool deck and she’s always bouncing around, she’s always very positive, great at being inclusive and getting as many people as she can involved in the squad,” said Bishop.
“Her ability to move and race and travel and to keep herself in good condition and good spirits, even when she had challenges, with health, with COVID, the constant battle to try and get around that.
“It was really impressive how she did the whole World Cup and ISL, by herself, with support from her team mates and coaches from other teams who helped her out but which is very hard to do and she did a great job.
“It felt like it was a long time away for the guys who just went to the Olympics, by the time we got back months later and Madi’s still overseas and still getting it done.”
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