Alice Tait

Career

Alice Tait first competed internationally at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester when she was 16, taking gold in the 4 x 100 metre freestyle relay and reaching the finals of the 50 metre freestyle and 200 metre individual medley. She achieved the same results later that year at the Pan Pacific Championships in Yokohama. In 2003, Tait won two silver medals at the World Swimming Championships in Barcelona, one in the 200 metre individual medley and one in the 50 metre freestyle, setting a Commonwealth record in the medley and an Australian record in the freestyle.

She also earned a silver in the 4 x 200 metre freestyle relay and a bronze in the 4 x 100 metre freestyle relay. At the 2004 Australian trials, she placed third in both the 50 and 100 metre freestyle, missing individual events. However, she won gold with a world record time in the 4 x 100 metre freestyle relay alongside Libby Lenton, Petria Thomas, and Jodie Henry. In the 200 metre individual medley, she swam well below her best and was eliminated in the final, which she blamed on being distracted by the earlier relay success.

She also gained a gold medal by swimming in the heats of the 4 x 100 metre medley relay. In 2005, Tait moved to the Australian Institute of Sport with her coach Shannon Rollason and friend Jodie Henry. She won the 50 and 100 metre freestyle at the Australian championships in personal best times, the former in Commonwealth record time, and qualified second in the 50 metre butterfly. Despite being ranked third in the world in the 100 metre butterfly, she was not selected due to the two-entry limit per country.

At the 2005 World Championships in Montreal, she swam slower than at trials and missed individual medals, but collected a gold in the 4 x 100 metre freestyle relay.