Geoff Huegill

Geoffrey Andrew Huegill (born 4 March 1979) is an Australian swimmer and dual Olympian who won seventy-two international medals, including two medals in Olympics and six world champion titles, throughout his career. He held eight world records, including 50 metres butterfly.

Huegill has been recognised as technically the best butterflier and was the dominant butterfly champion during the early 2000s.

Affectionately known as 'Skippy', he is the nation's favourite comeback kid. Huegill came out of retirement in 2008 and shed 45 kilograms of weight to fight his way back to competition and was declared a national hero when he won gold at the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games in the 100 metre butterfly. He won the race in 51.69 seconds and broke the Commonwealth games record and his own ten-year-old personal best time.

In 2010, he was voted Australian Sport Performer of the Year.

Early life Huegill was born on 4 March 1979 in Nhulunbuy on the Gove Peninsula in the Northern Territory. His mother, Kanthong Jum Summart, is from Chaiyaphum, Thailand while his father, Ronald Huegill, was a miner. Huegill grew up in Mackay and has an older brother, Graeme.

Huegill attended Southern Cross Catholic College in Scarborough, Queensland. In July 2013, he was awarded an honorary master's degree in sports science with high class honors from Central Queensland University.

Huegill started swimming in Mackay and showed talent from an early age. He joined coach Ken Wood’s squad on invitation, at the age of 11. After the death of his father due to a heart attack, Geoff started to live with his coach permanently.

Career 1996–2005 In 1996, Huegill burst onto the international stage at the Mare Nostrum tour. The same year, at the age of 17, he broke the first of his many world records as part of a FINA sanctioned medley relay time trial in Melbourne, Australia.

The following year he secured his spot on the Australian team to compete at the 1997 FINA World Short Course Championships in Gothenburg, Sweden and came home with a gold and silver medal.

In 2001, at the FINA World Championships in Fukuoka, Japan the 50 meters butterfly was introduced as an inaugural event and Huegill beat his previous world record time and won gold in a time of 23.44 seconds. He also won a gold medal in the 4x100 meters medley relay and a bronze medal in the 100 meters butterfly.

Meanwhile, he started to develop interest in things outside of swimming. He joined the New South Wales Institute of Sport and trained in Sydney under new coach Grant Stoelwinder.

In 2010, he was voted Australian Sport Performer of the Year.

Retirement In 2012, following recurring illnesses, Huegill failed to appear in the London Olympics. At the qualifying trials, in March 2012, he finished fifth in the 100m butterfly final.

Outside of swimming Huegill made a guest appearance in season one of Australia's Next Top Model.

In 2003, Huegill was crowned as Cleo'''s Bachelor of the Year after receiving the most votes from readers. Cleo editor, Paula Joye, described Huegill as "the nicest guy, totally humble about his abilities, funny and charming to be around, he's the total package." Huegill was a regular guest presenter on ABC Radio's Grandstand Active Show covering sporting issues of the day, overnight scores and live crosses to sport.

A keen sailor, Huegill has placed twice in the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race which is widely considered to be one of the most difficult yacht races in the world. In 2010, Huegill joined the celebrity crew on board Anthony Bell's 30 metre maxi yacht, Investec Loyal. The crew included seven-time world surfing champion Layne Beachley, Wallabies Phil Kearns and Phil Waugh and cricketer Mathew Hayden. They came together to raise money for the Humpty Dumpty Foundation to buy medical equipment for children's hospitals. Ivestec Loyal came in second across the line to Wild Oats. At Constitution Dock skipper, Syd Fischer, said of Huegill, "He's bloody good. He worked hard. He didn't let up."

In October 2021, Geoff was announced as a part of the celebrity cast for 2022 SAS Australia, Season 3.

Businesses Huegill released a capsule collection of scientifically engineered compression and performance garments. The collection was sold through luxury apparel retailers such as Stylerunner and Mode Sportif.

Huegill set up O Performance, a performance coaching and consulting business focused on delivering coaching, development programs and events in Asia. It covers all levels including; water safety, learn to swim, junior development, adult programs, squads as well as competition preparation and executive performance coaching. Police patrolling the area were directed to a suite in the grandstand by security personnel after CCTV footage showed the couple venturing into a disabled toilet. They were found to be in possession of a small quantity of cocaine and were each charged with possession of a prohibited drug.

Huegill has since explained they did not plan to do cocaine, or bring it into the grounds of the racecourse commenting, "It was just something that was there on the day. We got caught up in a moment…just a bad choice in that moment – nothing more, nothing less."

On 14 May 2014, Huegill and Hills attended Waverley Court and pleaded guilty to cocaine possession. The magistrate put the pair on a six-month good behaviour bond and recorded no criminal conviction.

Sponsorships, ambassadorships, and charity work Huegill had a long standing association with his major sponsor, Commonwealth Bank. During his swimming career, he became a Commonwealth Bank ambassador. In 2012, after his second retirement from swimming, Huegill transitioned into an internal role at Commonwealth Bank in the corporate financial services team. He later took on a new role at the bank in corporate performance and wellbeing, rolling out programs for the bank's staff nationally.

In 2011, Huegill was named the Australian face of men’s skincare range Biotherm Homme for the French brand’s Aquapower skincare line.

Throughout his career Huegill has worked with a variety of brands through sponsorship and ambassador partnerships including; Swisse, Red Bull, Commonwealth Bank, Speedo, Foxtel, Subaru, Gatorade, Audi, Biotherm, Telstra, Thai Airways, SleepMaker, Australian Grapes, Fitness First, Bartercard.

Huegill has been the face of campaigns for DrinkWise, Black Dog Institute, and R U OK?. He has held ambassador positions with Swimming Australia, AusAID, Sydney Children’s Hospital, and the Loyal Foundation.

Huegill also chaired the NSW Premier's Council for Active Living (PCAL), an initiative that aimed to strengthen physical and social environments to enable active living.

World records

Short course (25 m)

Long course (50 m)

Medals Gold medals

Short course (25 m)

Long course (50 m)

Silver medals

Short course (25 m)

Long course (50 m)

Bronze medals

Short course (25 m)

Long course (50 m)

Personal life Huegill married Sara Hills in 2011. They have two daughters, born in 2012 and 2014. After separating earlier in 2018, Huegill made a public announcement in December the same year and the couple divorced.

Since 2019 Huegill has been in a relationship with Australian lawyer, technology executive and investor Roxan Toll whose family founded the eponymous Toll Group, one of Australia's oldest companies and Asia-Pacific's largest transport and logistics provider. The couple have two sons born in 2021 and 2023.

In 2024 during an appearance on SBS Insight Huegill told host Kumi Taguchi that he was diagnosed with ADHD which lead him to "venture down this path of neurodiversity" to make better sense of his condition because human performance has been a big part of his life from "both the physiology and psychology side." He admitted that the diagnosis brought on a wave of emotions.

Publications Be Your Best: Hunt For Gold'', TV documentary for FOXTEL, aired in February 2012.