‘Joyful’ swimming champion unleashes live TV expletive as ‘wild’ reality sets in

Teenage para-swimmer Declan Budd expressed his joy on Monday night after securing a spot for the world para-swimming championships in Singapore later this year.

So thrilled was he that he let slip a cheeky expletive during his interview with Nine at the poolside following the multi-class final of the 200m freestyle at the Australian swimming trials in Adelaide.

Budd took second place, finishing behind Jack Ireland, who dominated the race with a time of 1:54.38.

Budd’s finishing time was 1:56.19, followed closely by Darren Sisman at 1:57.78.

Nine commentator Brenton Speed shared that the 17-year-old Budd initially had his sights set on the 2032 Brisbane Paralympics; however, his impressive progress has now secured him a place on the flight to the 2025 world para-swimming championships.

Tune in to watch the 2025 Australian swimming trials live and free on Nine and 9Now from June 9-14.

Clearly elated, Budd shared his excitement during a post-race interview.

“It was just wild, I can’t really explain it,” he told Cate Campbell.

“F–kin’ thrilled, you know.”

“This morning, I had a solid heat swim and needed to adjust my race plan, but it worked out really well.”

His parents proudly cheered from the stands, clearly eager to brush off the surprise expletive.

Ian Thorpe expressed his immense happiness for Budd, particularly noting how special it was for him to compete against someone he has always looked up to in Ireland.

“He’s the real inspiration. It’s quite a remarkable moment in sport when you race against your idols,” Thorpe remarked to Nine.

Olympic champion Arianne Titmus was equally thrilled to welcome another Dolphin into the fold.

“You dream of becoming a Dolphin, and for him to achieve that tonight is just fantastic,” she stated.

The world para-swimming championships are scheduled to be hosted in Singapore from September 21-27.