From Squad Nights to Olympic Dreams
It’s no easy feat becoming Australia’s butterfly powerhouse, but Alex Perkins has swiftly taken the crown. Since making her international debut and contributing to a gold medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, Alex’s ascent has continued with a silver medal at the 2024 World Championships in Doha, followed by a bronze at the World Short Course Championships in Budapest, where she set a new Oceanian record in the 100m butterfly with a time of 55.10 seconds. And of course, we can’t forget the Paris 2024 Olympics, where she competed in the 100m butterfly and helped secure a silver medal for Australia in the women’s 4x100m medley relay.
Proving she’s one to watch, Perkins showcased her prowess at the 2025 Australian Swimming Trials, winning the 100m butterfly with a personal best of 56.42 seconds; making her the third-fastest Australian of all time in the event. She also broke the Australian All-Comers record in the 50m butterfly with a time of 25.36 seconds!
Get to know Alex beyond the pool. We sat down with her to chat about her journey, favourite swim memories, essential pizza toppings, and what keeps her pushing forward. Dive into the full interview!
What first got you into swimming? Was it love at first lap or did it take some warming up?
I did learn to swim growing up alongside a whole bunch of other sports, but didn’t really get into proper squad training until I went to a school swimming carnival and saw the swim club hoodie and decided I really wanted one. I think that’s when I started to do swim squad and club nights, and from there I just never stopped.
Do you remember the moment when you thought, “Yep, I want to do this seriously”?
Growing up I always just swam for the love of it and the feeling of accomplishment you get from working hard. I wasn’t really the best age group swimmer but I think I just always had this feeling that I was capable of more and wasn’t finished with the sport. I don’t think I ever really believed I would achieve as much as I have or ever become an Olympian.
It was probably not until the 2021 Olympic trials, when I came 3rd in the 100 fly, that I thought I might actually have a chance of making an Australian team. I always took swimming seriously, but I think that realisation helped me make the decision to do uni part-time and put other areas of my life on hold to chase that dream.
What’s blasting in your headphones before a big race?
Probably an unpopular opinion but I actually don’t listen to any particular music! Just whatever is playing at the venue we’re racing at. Even when I’m driving I am more of a podcast person.
Are you still studying physiotherapy? Do you ever catch yourself diagnosing your own aches and pains mid-session?
I’m veryyyy slowly getting through my physio degree, which is taking some time now that I am up to doing my placements. I think I definitely am more hyper-aware of my body than the average person at training and can catch myself detailing exactly what might be wrong - which can be both a good and a bad thing mentally. But it is definitely very helpful working closely with physios often, because I get to learn lots!
What’s the best part about training with the USC Spartans? Any funny team traditions we should know about?
I think the best part is that we are all such different people and bring something unique to the team. It’s nice to know that on a rough day you will have teammates to get around you and push you to be your best. It’s also helpful that so many of us are friends away from the pool too. We don’t really have any traditions I can think of though!
At JAYD, we’re all about feeling good in what you swim in! What do you look for in a swimsuit?
It’s no secret JAYD are my absolute favourite training suits. I love that they are flattering and high cut but also really secure so you don’t have to worry while you’re training. I also love training in all different fun colours.
What’s next for you? Any big goals (or just personal bucket list moments) you’re chasing?
In the pool, for me the overall shorter-term goal is making the Australian Team for World Champs this year, and longer term I am working towards LA in 2028. It can be hard to base goals around just making teams though because there’s so much you can’t control, so I try to make smaller and more controllable goals around training such as skills or habits as stepping stones to hopefully achieving those larger ones.
Another more personal goal I have is trying to find more balance between swimming and outside of the pool.
If you could give your younger swimmer self one piece of advice, what would it be?
Confidence and self-belief is something I’ve always struggled with, so I would tell my younger self to believe in myself, because having that belief will always get you further than not. By not believing, you just hold yourself back.
If you weren’t a swimmer, what sport do you think you’d be doing?
I’ve always looked at diving and thought that would be so much fun to try, but I’m definitely not coordinated or flexible enough to do that!
Favourite pizza topping?
Definitely fresh basil.
If you could have any superpower, what would it be?
I think teleportation would be pretty cool - to be able to travel wherever I want in the world quickly.
