Elizabeth “Lizzie” Dekkers is an Australian 200 fly specialist. She had been a consistent age group star as she came up in Australia but rose to prominence in 2022 and 2023 with a Commonwealth Games title and Worlds medals in both courses.
Junior Swimming
2019 Australian Age Championships (Oaklands Park, Australia)
Dekkers just barely missed a national 14-year-old age record in the 200 fly. She was 2:11.37, just .06 off the age record set by Madeline Groves back in 2009 as she won her event by almost 3 seconds. Dekkers was also 1:01.55 in the 100 fly.
2019 FINA World Junior Swimming Championships (Budapest, Hungary)
Dekkers was selected for her signature 200 fly and put up a solid best time of 2:10.70 in prelims for the 3rd seed. Despite dropping a further .28 seconds, Dekkers’s 2:10.42 was only good for 5th in the final.
2019 Queensland Championships (Brisbane, Australia)
To close out her year, Dekkers made some waves when, at just 15 years of age, she crushed a winning effort of 2:08.51, knocking down the Queensland and Queensland All-Comers 200 fly records in the process. Dekkers’ time would rank her 6th on the United States’ all-time performers list for 15-16-year-olds and makes her the fastest Aussie 15-year-old ever in the 200 fly. The next day, in the open age competition for the same event, Dekkers took second to Yui Ohashi with a 2:09.34.
2020 Vorgee Brisbane Short Course meet (Brisbane, Australia)
Dekkers threw down a solid 2:09.88 200 fly PB. The swim checked in as #10 all-time for Aussie 16-year-olds.
2020 Queensland Championships (Brisbane, Australia)
In the 16-year-old 200 fly, Dekkers stopped the clock in a mighty 2:08.46. That erases the previous All-Comers record for 16-year-olds, which was represented by the 2:08.54 Miyu Nakano in 2014. The previous Aussie Age Record for 16-year-olds stood at 2:08.58 from Samantha Hammill in 2008.
In the open 200 fly race later in the meet, Dekkers Dekkers obliterated her 2:08.46. Splitting 1:01.75/1:06.07, Dekkers scorched a 2:07.82. She later got it done in the 100 fly with a 1:00.10.
2021 Australian Age Group Championships (Gold Coast, Australia)
Dekkers continued her 200 fly tear, lowering her own 16-year-old record and topping the clock in an eye-popping 2:07.25. She split 1:01.23/1:06.02, showing improvements on both halves but especially the front half. For perspective, it would also rank Dekkers as the #2 15-16-year-old 200 flyer all-time in the US, ahead of Regan Smith and behind Mary T. Meagher.
2021 Australian Olympic Trials (Oaklands Park, Australia)
Dekkers opened her meet with a sub-minute 100 fly to qualify 8th into the final. Dekker’s 59.80 was a best time for the 17-year-old. In the finals, Dekkers improved to 59.64, good to tie her for 6th. Dekker’s next event was her signature 200 fly and she dominated the prelims by almost 2 seconds with a solid 2:08.49 to lead qualifying. In the final, Dekkers ended up 2nd to Brianna Throssell (2:07.63) with a 2:08.57. Dekkers took her race out well under her best pace with a 1:00.72 at the 100 but faded to Throssell down the stretch. Unfortunately for Dekkers, her time was just shy of the 2:08.43 qualifying time which she had been under earlier in the year.
2022 Australian Trials (Oaklands Park, Australia)
Dekkers cruised through the 100 fly prelims with a PB time of 59.34 for the 4th seed. In the final, Dekkers dipped into the 58s for the first time with a 58.99 as she came to the wall in a tight pack but ended up 6th. Places 3, 4, and 5 were separated from Dekkers by less than .06 seconds. In her signature 200 fly, Dekkers had no issue qualifying with a relaxed 2:09.16 for 3rd. In the final, Dekkers was absolutely dominant, winning by nearly a second with a 2:07.62. She had a strong back half with 1:01.44/1:06.18. The swim qualified her for Worlds and Commonwealth Games.
National/International Swimming
2022 FINA World Championships (Budapest, Hungary)
Dekkers just swam her signature event and cruised through the 200 fly prelims with a 2:08.98. In semis, she cut it a little close with a 2:07.77 in 6th but still qualified. In the final, Dekkers was far back in 7th at the 100 with a 1:01.35 but stormed home past 2 swimmers with a 1:05.66 back 100, the 3rd fastest in the field, and took 5th with a 2:07.01 PB.
2022 Commonwealth Games (Birmingham, UK)
Taking a more aggressive approach in a weaker field, Dekker topped the 200 fly heats at the Commonwealth Games with a strong 2:07.62. The time led the next qualifier by 2 seconds. The field was much faster in the final but Dekkers remained in control as Laura Stephens, who took off like a rocket at the start, could not match her backhalf speed. By the 150, Dekker had pulled near even, and on that final 50, Dekker passed Stephens to take the gold in 2:07.26, .64 seconds ahead of Stephens.
2022 Australian Short Course National Championships (Sydney, Australia)
Dekker took on all three fly events but her only notable result was a 2:05.65 200 fly, good to qualify her for SC Worlds. It was also a lifetime best.
2022 FINA Short Course World Championships (Melbourne, Australia)
Dekker just barely made the 200 fly final with a 2:05.41. The time was a PB and good for 7th. Dekkers looked like a whole different swimmer in the final as she went out almost a second faster. It still put her in 4th at the 100 (59.77) but a strong 3rd 50 moved her into 3rd past Helena Bach. Dekkers only widened her margin over Bach as she came to the wall in 3rd. Dekkers was closing on Hali Flickinger on the final 50 but came up short of Flick’s silver by .16 seconds with a 2:03.94.
2023 Australian National Championships (Southport, Queensland)
Even with international qualification not on the line, Dekkers threw down a big best time in her best event. In the 200 fly, the then 18-year-old Dekkers blasted a 2:06.55 PB to dip under 2:07 for the first time ever. Dekkers was also 59.68 in the 100 fly.
2023 Australian Trials (Melbourne, Australia)
Dekkers was the heavy favourite in her signature 200 fly and she did not disappoint. En route to gold in 2:05.26, Dekkers overtook the longstanding All Comers Record of 2:05.41 Olympic medalist Maddie Groves put on the books in 2015 and makes her the #3 Aussie ever. Dekkers’s time was an enormous PB for a multi-time international medalist. Dekkers out split her previous PB on every single 50, boasting a scary 1:04.35 back half with fairly even splits of 31.99/31.96/32.39 across her back 150.
2023 World Aquatics Championships (Fukuoka, Japan)
Dekkers looked like a solid bronze medal contender in the 200 fly entering the meet after Regan Smith posted a 2:03.87 before the US Trials and Summer McIntosh posted a 2:04.70 at the Canadian Trials. Her stock rose slightly as both women looked a little off their game early in the meet. Through the prelims, Dekker was 2nd in a 2:07.71 while McIntosh was right behind and Smith was in peril with a 15th place seed into the semis. It should be noted that Smith did have a double. All three of them came into form in semis as Dekkers was 4th in 2:07.11 while Smith and McIntosh were right ahead.
In the final, Smith and Mcintosh took the race out quickly while Dekkers Sat in 7th at the 50 and moved into 5th at the 100. Dekkers then pulled off a truly impressive back half, out-splitting the entire field on both the 3rd and 4th 50s to pass Smith and take silver behind McIntosh in a 2:05.46. Her splits were 32.05/32.52, both off her PB splits but still quite quick.
2024 Australian Olympic Trials (Brisbane, Australia)
Dekkers busted out a strong back half, as she has been known to do, to take the win in a 2:06.01 and book her ticket to Paris. The time was a fair bit off her PB of 2:05.20 she set earlier in the year at Australian Championships.
–This biography was originally developed by Lucas Caswell