Rachel Presser is an artistic swimmer and Olympian who was awarded a Tier 3 Scholarship within the 2022 Sport Australia Hall of Fame Scholarship and Mentoring Program.
Rachel was born in Kogarah, NSW, in 2000 and grew up in far northern New South Wales. She is known as the ‘flyer’ within the squad and thus she is thrown out of the water to perform complex acrobatic movements. She was a natural choice for this role due to her background in gymnastics, dance and swimming, and she competes in both Duet and Team events.
Rachel took up the sport in 2009 with the Gold Coast Mermaids Synchronised Swimming Club, and in 2016 she was selected in the Australian National Artistic Swimming Team. She has represented Australia at four FINA World Championships at junior and senior level, and in 2017 juggled international competition as well as the workload of captain and Dux of Banora Point High School, plus her HSC exams.
In 2021, Rachel represented Australia at the Tokyo Olympic Games in the Technical and Free Team events, finishing 9th. While training full-time for artistic swimming, Rachel is also completing a Bachelor of Arts at Griffith University and she aspires to do sociological research on athletes and their sporting culture.
“Absolutely incredibly grateful to be successful in joining so many other athletes who have each worked incredibly hard in their respective disciplines and be recognised by such an iconic Australian sporting and cultural touchstone that is the Sport Australia Hall of Fame.” – Rachel Presser on being selected as a 2022 Tier 3 Scholarship Holder.
Awards, Honours & Achievements
- 2018: FINA Junior World Championships – Free Team, 17th
- 2018: Japan World Series – Free Duet, 17th
- 2019: FINA World Championships – Technical and Free Team, Qualified for the Olympics
- 2021: Tokyo Olympic Games – Technical and Free Team, 9th
- 2022: Sport Australia Hall of Fame Scholarship Holder – Tier 3
