ATHLETICS loss is swimming’s gain with former talented cross country runner Harry Turner set to make his senior Dolphins debut at the 2024 World Short Course Championships in Hungary in December.

The withdrawal of backstroke queen Kaylee McKeown from the Short Course Championships opened up a spot for Turner in the 24-member Australian team and with his big underwaters, the short course speciallist is scheduled to swim the 200m fly and 100m freestyle in Budapest.

Turner, who started competitive swimming around the age of eight, has had a breakout year setting six personal bests at the 2024 Australia Short Course Championships in September. That included gold in the 200 fly (1:52.95). That swim, a nearly-four second improvement off his previous best time from August, moves him into 8th-place all-time in the Australian rankings.

But if it wasn’t for a swimming scholarship from Nudgee College, the talented athlete may have veered towards spikes instead of goggles.

“I did athletics at a national level but I was lucky enough to be offered a scholarship at t St Joseph’s Nudgee College and that kind of decided things for me,” he said.

“But after missing out on the Tokyo Olympic team I took a break from swimming and just wanted to go camping, fishing, surfing with my mates … but then I missed swimming and it took me about a year to realise I may never get the opportunity to represent Australia again and that’s when I returned to the pool.

“To be able to represent my country and my family means so much to me.”

Turner warmed up for World Short Course Championships with two World Cup meets in China and Singapore where he sizzled with five PBs in the 50 free (22.10), 200m free (1:44.71), 50 fly (23.33), 100 fly (50.61) and 200 fly 1:52.63 before illness cut short his World Cup campaign.

“Even though it was unfortunate that I fell sick for the leg in South Korea, it was a really good experience. That trip was about learning to take care of myself and it was great to race alongside Olympic champions like Chad le Clos (Harrison’s mum is South African), I have looked up to him for so long and to race him and have a chat to him was incredible,” he said.

POD POP UP STAT:

Turner, who spent a lot of his junior career competing against current Dolphins teammate Isaac Cooper, had started an electrical apprenticeship that he wants to return to post swimming.