Exclusive Interview: Olympian James Magnussen

When you get the call that you are being given the opportunity to interview a World Champion and Olympic swimmer, you get really excited, at first. After letting it settle in, you start to become a bit nervous. Those were our exact emotions after getting the call from Australian underwear brand Jac5 that Olympian James Magnussen was interested in doing an interview with Me. Magnussen has won a total of seven medals in major international competitions such as the Olympics and the World Championships. He began modeling Jac5 underwear in 2011 at pivotal moments in both their careers.

We began the conversation with the basics about his role as the ambassador for Jac5. As our international call commenced, he began to show us his heart. A heart that lives for the ocean, giving back to the less fortunate, and one that strives to be an all around good role model for those that look up to him.
Born: Port Macquarie, Australia

Current Location: Sydney, Australia


Relationship Status: Single


Astrological Sign: Aries


Height: 6′ 5″


Weight: 95 Kilos

Waist: 32″


Shoe: 11.5


Hair Color: Dark Brown


Eye Color: Blue


Ethnicity: Australian/Northwegian

I started working with Jac5…back in 2011. They were coming into the Australian market as a growing brand. It was a good fit for me because I was growing into my own personal brand. Jim is a really nice guy. He’s helped my family out the past few years as well. The staff is really easy going and very professional as well. I have enjoyed my experience with them so far. I was nervous the first time I shot in underwear. You have group full of people watching you stand there in your undies. But, like anything, you get more comfortable when you do it more and more. There is definitely a natural link between underwear modeling and swimwear modeling. I’ve done both. For more fashion style shoots, I’ve had to do some more awkward poses. But, I just let the photographer know, and we move on.

My favorite Jac5 underwear is…the Barking Mad collection. I like the bright colors. The fabric is different from usual underwear fabric. They’re comfortable and stylish.


My least favorite style of underwear is…a brief cut. I don’t know why. I see them as from an older market. They’re more revealing. I just don’t find them as comfortable. I wear swim briefs in the pool but always prefer to wear trunk style with a bit of a leg. I see them as being better looking.

When I’m not competing…I wear board shorts at the beach.


When I’m at the gym…I wear my Jac5 underwear. Not too picky on what style I wear to different places. I have about 40 pairs of them.

Something that gets me “barking mad” is…bad driving. It’s just a daily thing. I have to get to training on time. It’s quite a drive. It can be pretty frustrating when people are doing silly things. Another thing that gets me “barking mad” would be when my favorite football team loses.


My favorite football team are…the Canterbury Bulldogs. They are a local Sydney team.

I grew up at a time when…Australian swimming was very successful. You had people like Ian Thorpe, Grant Hackett, and Michael Kim. That helped inspire me to want to take up the sport. My favorite part about growing up were the beaches in the town I grew up in. It would often feel like we had more beaches then people sometimes. I would spend most of my time in the water. I feel comfortable and at ease when I’m in the water. As much as I chose swimming, I think it chose me. I felt really natural at it and was good at it. It was an obvious path to take.

Proudest moment in my career…was when I won my first world championship in 2011. I’ve one some more, but the first one is always your fondest memory.


Modeling is like swimming in that…you are not wearing a lot of coverage when you are swimming. As a swimmer, your body is your tool of trade, and you work hard all year long to maintain that. That helps with the modeling side of things too.

In finding the perfect swimsuit…you look first at the fabric and the fit. You want to make sure it feels well. There are also a lot of different cuts and sizings. Then, I look for something with a bot of color to set you aside from other swimmers. You need to look for something that looks good, and you feel good in. This year, at a World Cup, I raced in a camo pair, which was interesting. My favorite colors are light blue and orange, though.

When it comes to my facial hair…I like a couple of days grace. It’s easier to maintain. Having to shave everyday is a bit of a hassle. I don’t have a lot of time when I wake up in the morning to have a shave. As a swimmer, we pretty much have to shave our bodies though. Legs. Torso. That’s one of the parts of being a professional swimmer I don’t find the most appealing. But, you have to reduce every bit of drag on your body that you can. One hundredth of a second is enough in swimming.

My favorite place to go in Sydney is…the beach. We’ve got Bondi and Manly as well as some smaller, less known ones. There are also a lot of fun bars and restaurants. The crowd is pretty laid back. It’s very accepting of all cultures and people.
My favorite place in the US is…Laguna Beach. I have only been to California. I went down to Laguna Beach. Spent some time in San Diego and a little bit of time in Irvine. I want to go to New York, and Vegas is definitely on the bucket list.

My favorite nickname is…Maggie. That’s what people call me on a day to day basis. My close family are the only people that still call me James. No one I know fondly calls me “Missile.” I think that would be a bit weird.
To give back to my community…I do a lot of work with Swimming Australia, doing swim clinics. I’m also an ambassador for Camp Quality in Australia which helps young kids with Cancer. It’s really inspirational to meet people in a less fortunate position than yourself. It really made me appreciate the opportunities I’ve had, not only as a swimmer but in health. The whole swimming and professional career part should be seen as a bonus.

A celebrity that would probably be good at swimming is…Vince Vaughn. He definitely has the height for it if he got in shape.

Thank you James for joining my blog for the exclusive interview!