Gail Neall - Success

Success

Neall quickly encountered success, winning her first New South Wales Championship in her age division of the backstroke at 11 in 1966. Still aged 11, she made her debut in the open State Championships, and came third in the 200 m backstroke to qualify for the 1967 Australian Championships in Adelaide. From her debut until her retirement in 1974, she made the final in every event in which she competed.

In mid-1968, Neall broke her arm in a gymnastics class at school and was sidelined for more than three months. She returned in the 1969 New South Wales Winter Championshisp, where she did well enough to win selection for a state team tour of New Zealand. In her first overseas meet, she won the 400 m freestyle after defeating Karen Moras and Denise Langford. Neall started the 1969-70 summer swimming season on a poor note. She claimed no victories in the State Championships and was disqualified in the 400 m individual medley after breaking a state record in the heats. Three silvers and bronze saw her progress to Adelaide for the national under-16 championships. She won the 400 m individual medley, setting the fastest time in the Commonwealth for the year to date. She showed a wide range of skills by winning bronze in the 200 m butterfly and a silver in the 200 m individual medley.

The 1970 Australian Championships doubled as the selection trials for the 1970 British Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh. Neall came third and second in the 200 m and 400 m respectively to gain selection, despite having yet to claim a national title.

Neall's stature and physique was extremely small for an elite swimmer, measuring 160 cm and 50.8 kg. Known for her stroke versatility in the medley and her stamina, her small stature led her to be dubbed "the mighty mite". She had converted from concentrating on the butterfly event to medley swimming, despite difficulties with the breaststroke leg. In Edinburgh, Scotland, she claimed a silver medal in the 400 m individual medley, finishing more than five seconds behind fellow Australian Denise Langford. However, she had made significant improvements, cutting more than eight seconds from her heat time to finish in a time of 5 m 15.82 s. Her performance in the 200 m individual medley was not as strong. She had come second in her heat in a time of 2 m 34.32 s to qualify for the final but swam slower in a time of 2 m 36.78 s to place eighth.

Neall continued her rise after the Commonwealth Games by winning the medley double and a silver medal in the 200 m butterfly at the 1971 New South Wales Championships. At the winter nationals, she won the 400 m medley and took silver in both the 200 m medley and the 200 m backstroke. She finally broke through for her first title at the 1971 Australian Championships in Hobart, taking the 400 m individual medley in a time of 5 m 16.5 s.

In 1971, she switched to the coaching of Don Talbot at his Hurstville squad, after her parents became increasingly uncomfortable with Carlile, perceiving that he did not have confidence in her ability to win at the highest level. Talbot had overseen her training as the national coach for the Commonwealth Games in 1970. Neall's father felt that his daughter's performance improved as a result of Talbor's individual attention to his swimmers, thereby building their confidence. The switch also meant a larger burden on the family; Hurstville was 32 km from the family home.