Inside the fast-paced life of Olympic swimmer Brianna Throssell

Aussie swimmer Brianna Throssell is vying for a spot in her second Olympics at Tokyo 2020, and her schedule is hectic. Here’s how she’s prepping, how she juggles it all … and how she tackles ‘pool hair’.

When she’s not swimming laps, 23-year-old Brianna Throssell is balancing her business, West Coast Dress Hire, with physio and pre-medicine studies at Notre Dame University, as well as business studies online.

The West Australian Olympic swimmer took time out of her busy schedule to chat about her career and how swimming impacts the rest of her life.

How long have you been swimming competitively and was it something you always envisaged doing?

I have always loved swimming. I’ve been swimming competitively since I was nine.

I went to my first nationals when I was 12 and then qualified for my first junior team when I was 14. As a young child I never really aspired to become a professional athlete; I was fairly set in following in my parents’ footsteps and heading into the medical field.

If I wasn’t pursuing my swimming career, I would most likely have completed my physio degree and be studying medicine.

You were part of the 4x200m freestyle relay team at the 2019 World Swimming Championships, which set a new world record. What are your goals for Tokyo 2020?

Last year was my most successful in the pool, which has given me a lot of confidence going into 2020.

After the world record (in 2019), I have tried to not get ahead of myself. First things first, I still need to qualify for the Olympics in June.

I have been to Tokyo twice, in 2018 and 2019.  It’s a fantastic city and I think they will do the most remarkable job in hosting the Olympics (from July 24 to August 9, 2019).

How does your training change leading up to a major event such as the Olympics? What are you most looking forward to about Tokyo?

With 2019 being quite a successful year in the pool, I am not looking to change much of my training leading into the Olympics.

I am sticking with a very similar program to last year as I believed it worked very well for me.

Having not qualified just yet, I think the one thing I am looking forward to the most is booking my ticket.

I have seen on social media that the AOC (Australian Olympic Committee) has organised our “ticket to Tokyo”, which is an oversized boarding pass we all received after qualifying for the 2016 Olympics.

Receiving that boarding pass will be one of the highlights for me.

Away from the swimming caps, goggles and bathers, could you tell us about your beauty routine?

My beauty routine is very basic. I think for most swimmers it’s not a high priority.

However, being immersed in chlorine for hours a day is one of the worst things we could do for our skin and hair.

I always try to use very natural products to minimise the amount of chemicals I put on my body.

I’m currently using Jurlique for my face and skin and Kerastase and Olaplex for my hair.

I rarely wear make-up due to training commitments and to reduce the amount of product that goes on to my skin.

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Life is peachy ?

A post shared by Brianna Throssell (@briannathrossell) on

You live an active lifestyle, but how do you keep fit outside of the swimming pool?

Outside of my regular training routine – my training involves a lot more than just swimming – I don’t tend to do much more exercise, mostly due to time constraints.

However, I do pilates once a week, which I thoroughly enjoy.

Swimming at an elite level has its demands – how do you like to unwind?

I don’t really have too much time in my life to unwind.

However, I really enjoy living a fast-paced busy life knowing that when my head hits the pillow at night, I am going to fall asleep immediately and sleep soundly.

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No lane ropes in this pool ☀️

A post shared by Brianna Throssell (@briannathrossell) on

You’re also involved in Starlight’s Super Swim Challenge 2020 as a Speedo ambassador. What’s it all about?

Speedo is supporting the Starlight Super Swim Challenge for the second year, where swimmers will challenge themselves to swim as far as they can collectively from January 26 through to February 24.

This is a great time to get fit while raising funds for this worthwhile charity.

Written by Charlotte Brundrett.

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