Matthew Temple is an Australian butterflyer. Since his breakout 50.45 100 fly Australian record at the 2021 Australian Olympic Trials, Temple has been a consistent presence on the international scene both individually and on relays. He has won medals at nearly all major international meets, including the Olympic Games, LC Worlds, SC Worlds, and the Commonwealth Games
National/International Swimming
2018 FINA World Cup (Singapore)
Temple first popped up on the international scene at age 19, netting a silver in the 100 fly (SCM) at the 2018 World Cup in Singapore with a 50.60.
2019 Australian Swimming Trials (Brisbane, Queensland)
Temple qualified for his first international team by winning the 100 fly in a huge PB of 51.47. He missed out on adding the 200 fly, placing 3rd with a 1:56.58, another PB. He also placed 9th in the 100 free with a 49.71. Temple ended up being selected for the 200 fly later on because the 2nd place swimmer failed to meet the QT established by swimming Australia and Temple was already qualified in another event.
2019 FINA World Championships (Gwangju, South Korea)
Temple had a strong go of it at his first major international meet. He started off in the 200 fly where he advanced out of prelims with a small PB .04 seconds with a 1:56.54 to place 9th. In the semis, Temple was a hair faster, notching a 1:56.52 with a significantly stronger front half but a bit of a rough final 50. That put Temple out of the final with a 10th place finish.
In the mixed 400 medley relay, Temple delivered a solid 51.41 split on the prelims relay. In the final, Australia took gold, using Emma McKeon on fly.
Temple was similarly solid in the 100 fly. He was 51.89 in prelims, putting him 8th into semis, where he just eked out a finals berth with a 50.70 for 8th again. In the final, Temple was dead last at the turn with a 24.17 but did manage to move up to 6th with a 27.34 back half to touch in 51.51, close to his PB.
In the 400 medley relay final, Temple delivered a 50.99 fly split but Australia missed out on a medal in 5th.
2020 Australian Virtual Championships
Temple just missed David Morgan’s 100 fly (SCM) Australian record by .01 seconds with a 49.32.
2020 Queensland Championships (Brisbane, Queensland)
In one of his first post-COVID lockdown appearances, Temple impressed with a 51.64 100 fly. Spitting 23.99/27.65, Temple clocked the 3rd fastest time of his career. He also posted a 1:58.19 200 fly.
2021 Australian Olympic Trials (Adelaide, Australia)
In the 100 fly, he had a monstrous swim. Temple hit a 50.45 Australian record, taking the mark from Andrew Lauterstein who swam a 50.85 in 2009. Temple took it out with a 23.67 which was slower than Lauterstein’s opening split of 23.28. Temple was superb coming home with a 26.78 split. Earlier in the meet, Temple had also won the 200 fly in a big time of 1:55.25. Temple further placed 2nd in the 100 free with a 48.32, another PB.
2020(1) Olympic Games (Tokyo, Japan)
Temple’s first olympics got off to a rough start with him missing the 200 fly semis by just a bit in 18th with a 1:56.25, a second off his PB. His PB would have made the final. He bounced back, getting his first medal in the 400 free relay. He led off in a PB of 48.07, putting Australia into 6th.
In the 100 fly, Temple was solid in prelims, notching a 51.39 for 8th, his 2nd fastest 100 fly ever. He again posted his 2nd fastest 100 fly ever in semis with a 51.12 for 6th into the final. There, the temple was even faster, notching a 50.92 to tie for 5th with Jakub Majerski. That time was just .18 seconds off bronze, meaning his PB would have easily won a medal. He added a 2nd bronze in the mixed medley relay, splitting a 50.26 on fly. He wrapped up his meet with a 50.78 fly split on the 5th-place Australian 400 medley relay.
2021 ISL Season
Swimming for the New York Breakers, Temple was solid. He started off the season in match 2. There, he placed 3rd in the 100 fly (49.79) and 4th in the 200 fly (1:53.43). He placed 2nd in the 100 fly (50.16) in match 7 and was 4th in the 200 fly (1:53.27) at the same match. In match 11, he placed 2nd in the 100 free with a 46.78. Surprisingly, Temple also made it through all three rounds of the 50 free skins. He posted a quick 21.19 in round 1 for 3rd, moved up to 1st in round 2 with a 21.90, and lost to Thom de Boer in the final with a 22.96.
Shift to SASI
In October 2021, Temple confirmed he had moved training bases to the South Australian Sports Institute (SASI). In Adelaide, he joined head coach Peter Bishop and an elite training group that included then-six-time Olympic medalist Kyle Chalmers. Temple had previously trained under Wayne Lawes at Nunawading Swim Club in Forest Hill, a suburb of Melbourne.
2022 Australian Trials (Oaklands Park, Australia)
Temple started off his meet by winning the 100 fly with a 51.50. He just missed out in the 200 free, placing 7th in a 1:47.73. He did place 5th in the 100 free with a 49.11.
2022 FINA World Championships (Budapest, Hungary)
Temple started out his meet by stepping up where it mattered. In the 400 free relay on night 1, he split a 48.17, nearly a second faster than his time at trials. The Aussies placed 2nd overall in the relay. He helped Australia to another relay silver in the mixed 400 medley relay with his field leading 50.84 split.
In the 100 fly, Temple improved through all 3 rounds. In prelims, he was just 51.86 for 12 but kicked it up a notch in semis with a 51.24 before placing 5th in the final, mirroring his Tokyo result, with a 51.15 season best time. In the 400 medley relay final, Temple split a 50.75 but Australia missed out on a medal by one place.
2022 Commonwealth Games (Birmingham, UK)
Temple ended up just missing the 50 fly finals with a 23.63 for 9th but rebounded in the 100 fly with a 51.40 to tie for silver with James Guy. He was a prelims swimmer for the victorious Aussie 400 free relay but split a meager 49.01 on the leadoff. In the 400 medley relay, Temple served as the flyer, splitting a 51.03 as Australia took 2nd.
2022 Australian SC Championships (Sydney, Australia)
Temple won the 50 (22.70) and 100 fly (50.09), qualifying him for the 2022 SC World Championships hosted in Australia. He also finished 3rd in the 100 free (46.80).
2022 World Cup Circuit
In Toronto, Temple touched 2nd in the 100 fly in a PB of 49.68. He notched a 200 fly PB in Indianapolis with a 1:52.06.
2022 FINA SC World Championships (Melbourne, Australia)
Temple stepped up on relays, netting 5 medals, all on relays. His individual results were: 7th in the 100 fly in a 49.67, 12th in the 50 fly with a 22.37 after notching a PB of 22.30 in prelims, and 13th in the 100 free with a 46.63 PB.
Temple’s relay duties began in the 400 free relay where he crushed a 46.06 split on the 2nd leg to help Australia to silver. Interestingly, Temple was slightly faster in prelims with a 45.98 split. He continued on the 200 free relay, clocking a 20.75 split on the victorious Aussie relay. Just as with the 400 free relay, Temple was a hair faster in prelims with a 20.71. Those splits earned him a spot on the mixed 200 free relay. He flipped the script, clocking a 20.97 split in prelims but swimming well under that with a 20.71 split in the finals to help Australia to 2nd.
Temple was on fly duties on the men’s medley relays, helping the Aussies to bronze in the 200 medley relay with a 21.75 split, the 3rd fastest in the final. On the 400 medley relay he had a monster, field-leading 48.34 split, way under his flat start PB to help net another gold and tie with the US for a new world record.
2023 Australian Trials (Melbourne, Australia)
Temple put up a time of 1:56.40 in the morning heats of the 200 fly but wound up dropping the final. The next day, Temple put up a 48.82 100 free for 5th. Finally, Temple won the 100 fly in a season-best 51.35.
2023 World Aquatics Championships (Fukuoka, Japan)
Temple kicked things off by clocking a solid 48.19 100 free relay split in the prelims of the 400 free relay. He was replaced by Kyle Chamlmers in the final and Australia won gold. He then swam the 200 fly prelims, placing 16th with a 1:56.51 before dropping the semis. In the mixed 400 medley relay, Temple clocked a 50.63 to help Australia to a silver.
In the 100 fly, crushed it in the 2nd circle heat. He and Nyls Korstanje were locked in an intense duel, with Temple winning the heat by just .02 seconds with a prelims-leading 50.76, his fastest time since 2021. He was a little slower in semis but still qualified back 4th with a 50.89. In the final, he maintained seed, placing just outside of a medal with a 50.81 for 4th. Temple pulled through in the 400 medley relay to wrap his meet. Splitting a 50.10, the 2nd fastest in the field, to move the Aussies up one place in the field to 4th. Kyle Chamlmers sealed the deal for Australia to get the team to 3rd.
2023 Japan Open (Tokyo, Japan)
Temple had a monster swim in the 200 fly at the Japan Open. In the 100 fly, Temple ripped a 50.25, his first PB in the event since 2021. Opening in 23.47 and closing in 26.78, Temple sliced .20. off of his own previous Australian national record and Oceanic record of 50.45. That opening 50 was exactly .20 seconds faster than his old PB split, meaning his back half was the exact same. That moved Temple up to #6 in history and #1 in the world that season. Temple also neared his 2021 200 fly PB of 1:55.25 with a 1:55.41 behind Tomoru Honda’s 1:53.99.
2023 SASI Time Trial
In the same vein as the Japan Open, where Temple finally broke his 100 fly PB after over 3 years, Temple unofficially did the same in a time trial at the SASI. Temple scorched a time of 48.62. That unofficially knocked well over half a second off his 4 year old PB of 49.32 and broke the Australian National Record/Oceanian Record of 49.31 David Morgan put on the books in 2016. The parallels to his November swim continued as his new time unofficially made him the #6 swimmer all-time just as he was in the LCM version at the time.
Swimming Australia rules do allow records to be set in time trial competition; however, certain standards must be met, including being open to the public and 3 days public advertisement. It appeared these conditions were met as Temple’s swim showed up in Swimming Australia’s official records list.
2024 South Australian State Championships (Oaklands Park, Australia)
Temple turned in another eye-catching performance, topping the 100 fly by 4 seconds with a big time of 50.60, his 3rd fastest ever. He had a little less opening speed than November: Temple opened in 23.81 and closed in 26.79. He also posted a 48.99 100 free.
2024 New South Wales Championship (Brisbane, Australia)
Temple continued his consistency, clocking a 50.61 100 fly, his 4th fastest swim ever.
2024 Australian Open Championships (Gold Coast, Australia)
Temple commanded the 100 fly from start to finish, splitting 24.07/26.73 for a 50.80. His back half was quite strong for the time.
2024 Australian Olympic Trials (Brisbane, Australia)
Temple topped the 200 fly prelims with a 1:56.45 before scratching the final. He added the 200 fly to his Olympic schedule after he qualified easily in the 100 fly with a 51.15. He missed out on the 400 free relay when he missed out on the 100 free “A” final. In the “B” final, Temple tied with Cody Simpson to win in 48.67, which would have beaten out Zac Incerti in the “A” final for 6th.