Brendon Smith

"’We lift up our eyes’ are special words to remember in your life.”

Brendon Smith lives a busy life. Soon after competing at the Tokyo Olympics and winning a bronze medal in the men’s 400m individual medley, he headed to Naples for the 2021 International Swimming League.

When he isn’t travelling to compete, Brendon’s week revolves around the pool and gym. Each week he has nine or ten lengthy swim sessions, three gym sessions, bouts of cycling, running and stretching and physiotherapy treatments to keep his body in peak working condition.

“A big part of putting in that effort is knowing why you are doing it. At the start of every season, I have short, medium and long-term goals and I set those goals pretty high. Going to an Olympics was a goal but I thought that would be in 2024 – to get an Olympic medal in 2021 was something I’d only dreamed about,” he says.

By the time Brendon joined Yarra in Year 7, he was already a committed athlete. Most mornings, by the time he arrived at school, he’d already been up for five hours and had spent three hours in the pool and gym.

“I would sometimes be late – I got to know the Senior School office staff very well…but the school accommodated my swimming commitments and my teachers were always flexible and helped me through.”

Brendon enjoyed Saturday morning sport – he played football and basketball, later switching footy for cross country.

“Getting out of bed early on Saturday morning was a bit of a struggle but once I got there, I felt a sense of reward from playing sport and spending time with my mates outside the classroom,” he says.

Brendon’s family were keen athletes and his family have been his greatest support.

“It was hard not to have my family at the Olympics but they were cheering at home. My parents got me to my swimming commitments when I was young and it’s a family affair to get to the Olympics. I don’t think I appreciated everything when I was younger but they helped me become the person I aspire to be. Dad always quotes Tommy Hafey – if it’s meant to be, it’s up to me – I take that with me everywhere.”

While he didn’t leave Yarra behind too long ago, Brendon has a collection of memories that he holds dear from his school years – spending lunchtimes with friends at the Café and down ball courts, Year 7 trombone classes and woodwork lessons where he could use his hands and be creative. His family still has the table he made in Year 12.

And does he have advice for current Yarra students trying to work out their future path?

“Figure out what your dreams are and follow them. Your time is finite - make the most of it."