While two-time Olympian Madi Wilson is going to miss the Paris 2024 Olympic Games with the expected berth of her first child, the 29-year-old says that this doesn’t close the book on her competitive swimming career.
In an interview with Australia’s The Age, Wilson described the journey with her fiance, Australian cricketer Matt Short, to pregnancy 7 months out of the Olympic Games. She told The Age that the two had a miscarriage in 2023, but then learned 7 months out from Paris that they were expecting again. Wilson’s expected due date is in late August.
While the first pregnancy was a surprise, Wilson said the couple decided to move forward – and after conversations with Short, the pair decided to try again for another pregnancy, which they learned about via a positive test on Christmas morning.
“I’m definitely not retired,” Wilson told this masthead. “I am returning to the pool in October. There are still things I need to do in the pool. I feel like I need to finish the way I want to finish, whether that be at a World Cup or another World Championship.”
It doesn’t sound like Wilson, then, is planning on going all the way through to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, though she didn’t rule it out either. Those Olympic Games will feature swimming and cricket, with Short a regular participant in Australia’s limited-test side.
Wilson also said that 2023 wasn’t the year she wanted. At the 2023 World Championships, she swam the 100 backstroke individually, finishing 9th in the semi-finals, and also swam in the heats of the women’s 400 free relay, women’s 800 free relay, women’s 400 medley relay, and mixed 400 free relay, earning three gold and one silver medal.
Wilson raced for Australia at the 2016 and 2020 Olympics. At those meets, she won back-to-back golds as part of Australia’s 400 free relay, silver in the 400 medley relay, and bronze in the 800 free relay.
She also has 17 long course World Championship medals and 7 short course World Championship medals. Most of those are in relay events, with the exception being a 2015 individual silver medal in the 100 backstroke.
“Short a regular participant in Australia’s limited-test side”. In the interest of improving Braden’s knowledge of cricket, Matt Short has become (in 2023) a regular in Australia’s T20 side. He has played a few 50 over internationals for Australia, so the best way to describe him is a member of Australia’s limited-overs teams. He has not played (and is unlikely to play) a test match for Australia (tests last 5 days, there are no over limits and they require a different skill set to limited overs matches).
Even with Emma McKeon and the Campbells presumably retiring after the Olympics Madi will still have a fight on her hands to make the final of the 4×100 Free. With MOC, Jack and Harris almost certainly in the final and World Junior Championship 100 Free gold and silver medallists Olivia Wunsch and Milla Jansen rising along with others it will be tough.
Also no guarantee in the 4×200 but hopefully she will make one of the finals to cap off her career the way she wants.
I don’t think there’ll be that much competition for a finals quartet at a SCW if she continued on for one (I assume she won’t be going this year but maybe 2026??)
Yes SCW would be a lot easier to make the relay finals.
Interestingly Madi is only 3 medals behind Emma McKeon’s Australian record of 20 long course World Championships medals. She might go close to equaling or even bettering that total at the 2025 World Championships.
Would be great to see her return to international competitions. Track athletes seem to do it successfully.
Yes, there have been quite a few track examples recently…Felix, Kipyegon, Fraser-Pryce. All won Olympic medals in individual events after giving birth.
For Paris the most prominent new track mom will be Shaunae Miller-Uibo, the two-time defending champion at 400 meters.
Another is the Polish heptathlete Adrianna Sulek. That is quite different because it seems to be an unexpected pregnancy and she is still training while very pregnant. Sulek in 24 and expected this to be her peak Olympics.