ON the final night of the 2024 World Swimming Championships in Doha, with the 50m backstroke crown sitting freshly on his head, Isaac Cooper promptly declared he wanted to become the fastest man in the world.

Whether it is in backstroke or freestyle remains to be seen but with the 50m backstroke not on the Olympic program, the seriously talented 20-year-old has switched his focus to the 100m backstroke.

“One day I want to focus on freestyle … I would love to one day become the fastest man in the world,” he said.

“Whether it happens this year or in 10 years but right now I also know the Dolphins need me in backstroke.

“My front-end speed is there, I just have to hold my speed and learn how to turn around and come back.”

At Australian Selection Trials in June, Isaac claimed victory in the 100m backstroke in a time of 53.46, he also finished third in the 50m freestyle. 

Isaac started going fast at the Fairymead Swimming Club in Bundaberg, north of Brisbane, under coaches Paul Simms and Scott Hamlet.

At the 2020 Queensland Short Course Championships, he won his age category in the 50m backstroke in an impressive 24.37 seconds. Not only was this Isaac’s then PB time in the 50m backstroke but he also set a new Queensland Age Record, Queensland All Comers Record and Australian Age Record.

At the 2021 UniSport National Swimming Championships, Isaac won the 50m men’s backstroke posting a time of 24.69. His time is the third fastest all-time Australian 50m men’s backstroke, sitting just behind national record-holder Ben Treffers and Mitch Larkin.

He went on to compete at the 2021 Australian Olympic Trials, where he earned himself a spot on the Australian Olympic Team for Tokyo 2021.

In Tokyo, after he had placed 12th in his individual 100m backstroke swim, he grabbed a bronze as a member of the 4x100m mixed medley relay team.

Then, at the Budapest World Championships the following year, he went one better, winning silver in the mixed medley relay team.

At the World Short Course Championships in Melbourne in 2022, Isaac was denied a gold medal in the 50-metre backstroke when the race had to be re-run after a false start that wasn’t communicated to the swimmers.

Having won the original race in a junior world record time of 22.49 seconds, he finished second in the rescheduled race, taking silver with a time of 22.62.

He went on to achieve a world record and gold medal in the 4×100m medley relay and also won gold in the 4x50m freestyle relay.

POD POP UP STAT: In 2023, Isaac made the Australian team for the World Championships in Fukuoka, Japan, and later revealed he had made some radical changes to his training regime.

He reduced his pool training from around 80km a week to just 14km, instead spending time surfing, playing tennis and doing mixed martial arts training.

“The secret to swimming faster (for me) is swimming less.”