Liam Blair, a 13-year-old from Warners Bay, has shattered a 30-year-old swimming record set by Australian legend Ian Thorpe. Competing in the under-14 boys 200-metre freestyle at the NSW Combined High Schools Championships, Blair clocked 1:59.74, shaving nearly a second off Thorpe's 1996 mark of 2:00.52.
Blair, who was not born when Thorpe dominated the sport, expressed his excitement poolside at Sydney Olympic Park. 'To get a 30-year-old record amazing, especially from Ian Thorpe, that doesn't happen very often,' he told the Newcastle Herald. He had been targeting the record for 12 months after breaking the 13-year-old mark in 2025.
The Year 8 student at Warners Bay High School trains under coach Paul Sharman at Coughlan's Swim Centre and represents Novocastrians club. He credited his coach for helping him plan the race. 'Me and my coach had been talking about it for a while and we knew the splits I needed to do for the record to unfold,' Blair said.
Blair's record-breaking swim on April 29, 2026, also saw him go sub-two minutes for the first time, which he called the 'cherry on top.' He has a busy schedule ahead, including more events at the NSW CHS Championships, NSW All Schools, and potentially Australian All Schools in Melbourne.
With aspirations of competing at the Brisbane Olympics in 2032, Blair has already qualified for Olympic pathways squads through Swimming NSW. He also looks up to his father, Josh, a former ironman, and balances swimming with board and iron workouts for surf lifesaving.
