Swim GP launch rewards winners with $1,000 per athlete
Team Wahoo won the inaugural Swim GP event in Melbourne, splitting a $20,000 prize among 20 athletes.
Why it matters
Professional prize money for swimmers helps athletes earn while competing, removing a financial barrier to elite sport.
In Australia. The event marks a major shift for Australian swimming, offering prize pools comparable to international events and making the sport more sustainable for local athletes.
Key facts
- $1,000
- Prize per winning athlete
- $20,000
- Total team prize
- 222 points
- Winning team score
- 3,500 people
- Attendance across two nights
- Swimming Australia's new Swim GP wrapped up in Melbourne on Saturday night with a spectacle of power plays, fan voting, and staggered starts.
- Team Wahoo, led by world champions Meg Harris and Sam Short, scored 222 points to win ahead of teams Tsunami, Kraken and Kingtide.
- Each winning athlete took home $1,000.
- Prize money also went to the top three individual race finishers ($500, $300, $100) and relay winners ($1,000, $700, $400).
- Some 3,500 people packed the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre across two nights.
- Retired champion Ariarne Titmus, who left competitive swimming in October 2025, praised the event's financial impact on younger athletes trying to build their careers.
