THIS now three-time Olympian has found a new lease of life and is going full Throssell in the fast lanes of St Peters Western.

Flying under the radar, Brianna is one of the MVPs across the Dolphins relay teams for the past decade – her recent 2024 World Championships campaign in Doha saw the West Australian collect six medals – five of these in relays.

For the Dolphin stalwart, her bronze in the 200m freestyle in Doha was the long service gift she so richly deserved. Throssell now has 18 World Championship medals – from six world championship campaigns – but this was her first individual medal.

But since turning 28, Throssell has punched out four PBs this year alone in the 100m and 200m freestyle at Australian Selection Trials, and in the 50m and 100m fly at National Titles.

After breaking through for her first individual medal in Doha, Throssell said: “I’m just really proud. Being 28 … I want to give hope to the people who are a little bit older, and this shows perseverance pays off. I’m really overwhelmed to be honest.”

Throssell burst on to the swimming scene at the 2014 Youth Olympic Games, where she won seven bronze medals. Her impressive haul included individual bronze in the 200m freestyle, 100m butterfly and 200m butterfly events.

After winning the silver medal at the 2016 Australian National Championships, Brianna made her Olympic debut in Rio 2016.

Brianna came third in both her 200m butterfly heat and semi-final, qualifying for her first Olympic final. In the final, she swam 2:07.87 to finish eighth.

Following the Olympics, Brianna went on to compete at the 2018 Commonwealth Games where she won bronze in the 200m butterfly and gold in the 4x200m freestyle relay.

The 25-year-old continue her podium streak at the 2019 FINA World Championships, winning gold in the 4x100m and 4x200m freestyle relays.

At the 2021 Australian National Championships, Brianna claimed the national title in the 200m butterfly, with a time of 2:07.20, which qualified her for her second Olympic Team.

At the Tokyo Games, she placed eighth in the final of the 200m butterfly. But it was in the relays that she shone through, winning gold in the 4x100m medley relay and bronzes in the 4x200m freestyle and the mixed medley.

The talented West Australian carried her form through to 2022 when she again helped Australia to World Championships, swimming as a relay alternate in the 4x100m freestyle relay. But she took her place the Dolphins quartets for the finals of the 4x200m freestyle and 4x100m medley relays in which Australia took bronze.

She also swam in the heats of the 4x100m mixed medley relay in which Australia placed second behind the USA.

At her second Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in 2022, Brianna took home bronze medals in the 100m and 200m butterfly.

Fast forward to Fukuoka Worlds and Throssell was part of the Australian team that claimed gold in world record time in the 4x200m freestyle relay.

The combined time of the team – Throssell, Mollie O’Callaghan, Shayna Jack and Ariarne Titmus – of 7:37.50 lopped almost two seconds off the previous world record the Aussies set in Birmingham.

Coach Dean Boxall has described Brianna as the “unsung hero” of the Australian swimming team.

“Bri is just there … and she has always been there … for 12 years and now she (is) in a program that works really hard,” he said.

“She’s a swimmer who keeps trying to push and finding a way to get better.”

POD POP UP STAT: Throssell, Western Australia’s most decorated Olympic swimmer, was awarded an Order of Australia in the 2022 Australia Day Honours. She has a business degree from the University of Notre Dame in Perth.