World’s #2 100 Meter Backstroker Ollie Morgan Withdraws from Sette Colli for Personal Reasons

Rising British backstroke star Ollie Morgan has withdrawn from the Sette Colli Trophy meet in Rome this week due to “personal reasons,” he said in a social media post. He did not elaborate on what those reasons were.

Morgan was the notable absence as the historic meet got underway on Thursday in the Foro Italico. Great Britain sent its entire World Championship squad to the meet as a tuneup for the World Championships that begin in a month in Singapore, which included Morgan on the initial entry lists.

Morgan qualified for the team at April’s British Championships in part with his new British Record in the 100 backstroke of 52.12. That broke his own previous personal best, and prior British Record, of 52.70 from 2024.

With their once-vaunted breaststroke group looking suddenly thin (Gregory Butler is the only Brit under 1 minute this year, with a 59.93 from the British Championships), Morgan’s breakthrough was a lifeline to the British medley relays. that have often felt one leg short of being gold medal contenders.

The British men’s medley last medaled in a major global long course meet when they took bronze in 2022 at Worlds in Budapest; they also earned silver at the 2017 World Championship also in Budapest. They also earned silvers at the 2016 and 2020 Olympic Games.

Team GB finished 4th at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in the event, 1.22 seconds behind France. With Duncan Scott and Matthew Richards returning from that relay on the back-end, and Morgan on the backstroke leg, the British men again look like they’ll be battling for a 4th-or-5th place finish with Canada, Australia, Germany, and the Netherlands in Singapore (presuming France maintains form in foreign waters).

Individually, Morgan is the #2-ranked 100 backstroker in the world so far this season. He’s also ranked 7th in the 50 back and 6th in the 200 back globally.

Jonny Marshall is Britain’s #2 in the 100 backstroke this season with a 53.21 from the British Championships.

Morgan, 22, trains at the University of Birmingham under coach Gary Humpage.