MARK ETHERIDGE: ‘Loose and playful’ Houlie serious about a slice of Olympic glory

When Michael Houlie won 50m breaststroke gold in 26.90 sec at the recent senior nationals in Gqeberha to qualify for world champs later in 2025, it wound back the clock on a decade of excellence.

Because it was at that same Newton Park pool in 2015 that a 14-year-old Houlie swam his first senior level gala.

“I’d just come from a water polo tournament and was completely raw,” recalls the now-Tennessee University-based swimmer. “I had two things going for me — my natural speed and just the fact that I was ‘loose and playful’.”

He swam 30.79 sec that day in 2015 and the only way has been up since then. Not only has he gone unbeaten in his main event since 2018 in home waters but he’s gone on to compete at the past two Commonwealth Games and win Youth Olympic gold in 2018. His best time is a 25.69 swum at the 2024 world short-course champs.

“This time I knew exactly what I was doing at Newton Park and I’d come full circle.”

Now 24, the Cape Town-born swimmer has a degree in finance from Tennessee University and will complete his Master’s in Advertising and Public Relations in May.

He jokes that at 24 people sometimes look at him as a veteran, and though he already holds down three jobs at the university (fittingly one of them is as a lifeguard at the pool at which he had so much collegiate success) many would think that now would be a good time to switch swimsuit for business suit.

But that all changed in the blink of an eye last week as the International Olympic Committee added six sprint swimming events to the Los Angeles 2028 Games programme — one of them being the 50m breaststroke, the first time it will be part of the Olympics.

A deeply spiritual soul, the news was a blessing from above for Houlie.

After having been self-coached since late 2023, he may need a hand again as he works those three jobs to help fund his master’s.

“For the first time in a while I feel like a kid again … now I’m imagining what I can do full time with full-time focus, a coach, international racing exposure, support and sponsor after I graduate in May.”

He truly is like that kid in a candy store. “Everything feels new again — the sprint revolution is coming and I want to be in the middle of it.

“Now that I’m an athlete/entrepreneur I see it as a start-up … a clean slate/blank canvas to build on better than before.

“A few of the Brazilian sprint legends have medalled in their thirties, which is proof that I’ve got a long runway ahead of me … especially in breaststroke.

“But it isn’t just about swimming, it’s about the new opportunity, faith and chasing dreams.”

He’s sticking to his proved principles though of protecting the speed, staying “loose and playful” and aims to chase greatness all the way to 2028.

He’s positively gushing about the new development.

“It’s finally happened. To be able to race the 50m breast at the highest level will be great publicity for the sport — I can only compare it to the 100m track sprint at the Olympics. It’s all about being the fastest. That there is even the chance of an Olympic medal on the table is a game-changer.”

Anyone who’s been close to Houlie on a pool deck will know exactly why he’s earned himself the nickname “Houligan”, due to his pre-race joking and dancing.

“I sometimes refer to my fan base as the Houligan Nation, but you always have to remember who you are and one of the things I love most is coming back home to SA to ‘water my roots’.”

A true-blue Chelsea supporter, he dreamt of being a football player but there’s also a musical side to him, playing the violin and in later years, the bass guitar.

“My mom, Colleen, dad, Samuel Houlie, and younger sibling, Amy-Joy, are the world to me. My parents sacrificed so much to give me the opportunities I’ve had.”

Fun facts about Houlie are that his pre-competition go-to meal is pizza. “When I qualified for my first Olympics we were in Italy and got to eat real pizza.” He also has about 20 pairs of luminous green socks. “When my dad is at a competition he wears a bright green T-shirt so I can spot him. When he’s not there, I wear the green socks in solidarity.”

The IOC has now given Houlie the green light to shine and you can bet your bottom dollar he wants his slice of Olympic glory.

Final word from Houlie senior: “He’s always managed to find a way to make things happen, even during tough times — and watching him conduct himself makes us proud. The person we see at home is the same person that the world sees on the pool deck.

“From the moment he was born, his signature is that he’s a happy and smiling kid. If I close my eyes I always see him smiling. To this day that’s who he is. He’s a 24-year-old but a kid at heart — and his own man at the same time.”