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.[4] He held eight world records, including 50 metres butterfly.[5]
Huegill has been recognised as technically the best butterflier and was the dominant butterfly champion during the early 2000s.[6]
Affectionately known as 'Skippy', he is the nation's favourite comeback kid.[7][8][9] 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.[10] He won the race in 51.69 seconds and broke the Commonwealth games record and his own ten-year-old personal best time.[11][12]
In 2010, he was voted Australian Sport Performer of the Year.[8][13]
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.[6][5][18][19]
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.[20]
In 1998, Huegill competed at his first commonwealth games in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. He won two gold medals in the 100 meters butterfly and 4x100 meters Medley relay.[21][11]
At the 2000 Australian Championships in Sydney which doubled as the Olympic qualifying trials, Huegill broke the 50 meters butterfly world record swimming a time of 23.60 seconds.[4]
At the Sydney Olympics in 2000 Huegill broke the olympic record in the 100 meters butterfly semi-final with a time of 51.96 seconds and was the fastest qualifier leading into the finals. He placed third in the final scoring bronze with a time of 52.22 seconds. Huegill also won a silver medal in the 4x100 meters medley relay.[22]
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.[4]
At the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester, United Kingdom, Huegill won gold in all three of his events, the 50 meters butterfly, the 100 meters butterfly and the 4x100 meters medley relay.[4]
In 2002, Huegill went on to win another two gold medals in the 50 meters butterfly and 100 meters butterfly and a silver medal in the 4x100 meters medley relay at the FINA World Championships short course event in Moscow, Russia.[4]
At the 2003 FINA World Championships long course event in Barcelona, Spain Huegill finished fourth in the 50 meters butterfly and failed to make the final of the 100 meters butterfly.[4]
Huegill has since reflected that by 2004 he was struggling with motivation for swimming and depression. He still went on to secure his place on the Australian team for the Athens Olympic Games and raced in the 100 meters butterfly. He qualified for the final but finished in 8th place overall.[4]
First retirement
In 2004, after the Athens Olympics, Huegill took a four months break to refocus his priorities.[23]
Meanwhile, he started to develop interest in things outside of swimming.[6] At the age of 25, he amicably parted with longtime coach Ken Wood and moved to Sydney to live with his model girlfriend, Nikki Giteau.[6] While based in Sydney, Huegill became a regular part of the social scene and was often seen present at Sydney night spots.[6]
Later, he tried to make a comeback under a new coach, Steve Alderman, at University of Sydney.[6] At the trials for the 2006 Commonwealth Games, Huegill performed poorly, failed to make the team and announced his retirement from the sport.
Comeback after first retirement (2008–2012)
In November 2008, weighing in at 138 kilograms, Huegill decided to come back and compete in international swimming competitions.[24] He joined the New South Wales Institute of Sport and trained in Sydney under new coach Grant Stoelwinder.[14]
The focus of Huegill’s comeback was the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games.[14] Huegill was triumphant in fighting his way back to the podium. He shed a total of 45 kilograms and won gold at the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games in the 100 meters butterfly. He won the race in 51.69 seconds and broke the Commonwealth games record and his own ten-year-old record personal best time.[12] Huegill also came away with a silver medal in the 50 meters butterfly.[11][25]
In 2010, he was voted Australian Sport Performer of the Year.[8]
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.[24]
Huegill announced his second retirement from swimming.[28]
In 2003, Huegill was crowned as Cleo's Bachelor of the Year after receiving the most votes from readers.[29] 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."[29] In the same year, Huegill travelled to Vietnam to record a television documentary for AusAID, the arm of the Australian government that invests in projects and provides investment assistance to developing countries.[5]
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.[33] 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.[33]
In October 2021, Geoff was announced as a part of the celebrity cast for 2022 SAS Australia, Season 3.[38]
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.[39]
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.[39]
Legal issues
On 26 April 2014, Huegill and his wife Sara Hills were guests at The Australian Turf Club’s Autumn Racing Carnival. They attended an event hosted by Moët & Chandon in The Stables, an exclusive lounge in the member's area of Randwick Racecourse.[40] 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.[41]
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."[42]
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.[43]
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.[44] He later took on a new role at the bank in corporate performance and wellbeing, rolling out programs for the bank's staff nationally.[45]
In 2011, Huegill was named the Australian face of men’s skincare range Biotherm Homme for the French brand’s Aquapower skincare line.[46]
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.[53]
Huegill married Sara Hills in 2011.[54] They have two daughters, born in 2012[55][56] and 2014.[57] After separating earlier in 2018, Huegill made a public announcement in December the same year and the couple divorced.[58][59]
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.[60][61]
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.[62]
Publications
Be Your Best: Hunt For Gold, TV documentary for FOXTEL, aired in February 2012.
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