Swimmer Stats
Name: Melissa Morgan
Country: AUS
State: SA
Club: Burnside
Born: 85
Height: 178
Weight: 56Kg
Place of birth: Adelaide
Occupation: Student
Coach: Graeme Brown
PERSONAL BEST TIMES:
50m backstroke: 30.08 100m backstroke: 1:02.76 200m backstroke: 2:12.36 - 3rd fastest Australian All-time
Highlights
Melissa fulfilled all her promise at the 2004 Telstra Olympic Team Trials, winning the 200 metre backstroke to qualify for her first Olympic team. Although her time of 2.12.90 was just outside her personal best of 2.12.36 set winning the Australian Age Championships in 2003 and catapaulting her to 3rd fastest Australian All-time, it was a great swim.
Melissa came from behind fellow South Australian at the last turn to storm to victory.
After she finished second in the 100 metres backstroke at the 2003 Telstra Australian Championships Melissa qualified for her first World Championships team, going to Barcelona and also to the Duel In the Pool in Indianapolis where she finished second in the 200m backstroke.
In Yokohama at the 2002 Pan Pacs, Melissa finished 8th in the final of the 200m backstroke.
She had originally narrowly missed the final but was a last minute inlcusion following the withdrawl of a competitor just minutes before the final.
So after doing a 4km training session she jumped onto the blocks, in her training costumes, and swam the race. She started well, staying with the leaders until the final 75m when she started to feel the effects of her unusually long "warm up" and dropped back.
Earlier in the meet Melissa set two pb's in the heats and semi finals of the 100m backstroke, finishing in 11th place.
She won her way onto the team after finishing 3rd in the 200m backstroke at the 2002 Telstra Australian Chamionships in Brisbane.
In 2001 Melissa finished 5th in the 200m backstroke at the East Asian Games and also competed in the 1500m freestyle at the Sydney Olympoic Youth Festival, where she claimed a silver medal.
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