Ben Austin

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Ben Austin
Austin waves to the crowd as he celebrates his silver medal win in the 200 m medley SM8 event at the 2000 Summer Paralympics
Personal information
Full nameBenjamin James Austin
Nationality Australia
Born (1980-11-07) 7 November 1980 (age 43)
Wellington, New South Wales, Australia
Height1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)
Weight83 kg (183 lb)
Sport
SportSwimming
StrokesFreestyle, medley, butterfly
ClassificationsS8, SB7, SM8
Medal record
Men's Paralympic swimming
Representing  Australia
Paralympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2004 Athens 100 m freestyle S8
Gold medal – first place 2004 Athens 4×100 m medley
Gold medal – first place 2008 Beijing 4×100 m medley
Silver medal – second place 2000 Sydney 200 m medley SM8
Silver medal – second place 2004 Athens 100 m butterfly S8
Silver medal – second place 2004 Athens 200 m medley SM8
Silver medal – second place 2004 Athens 4×100 m freestyle
Bronze medal – third place 2000 Sydney 100 m butterfly S8
Bronze medal – third place 2000 Sydney 4×100 m medley
Bronze medal – third place 2004 Athens 50 m freestyle S8
Commonwealth Games
Gold medal – first place 2002 Manchester 50 m EAD freestyle
Gold medal – first place 2002 Manchester 100 m EAD freestyle
Gold medal – first place 2010 Delhi 100 m freestyle S8

Benjamin James Austin, OAM[1] (born 7 November 1980) is an Australian Elite Athlete with a Disability (EAD) swimmer. His classification is S8 (above elbow amputee).

Personal

Austin was born on 7 November 1980[2] in the New South Wales town of Wellington.[3] When he was a few weeks old, doctors amputated his left arm above the elbow due to birth-related complications. Outside of swimming, he plays rugby league, rugby union, water polo[2] and basketball.[3] He is a university student, working on a degree that will allow him to become an English as a Second Language teacher.[2] He is also studying kinesiology.[3] He currently resides in Sydney, Australia.[3] He is 187 centimetres (6 ft 2 in) tall and weighs 83 kilograms (183 lb).[3] He has four sisters.[4]

Swimming

Austin swims his way to silver in the 200 m medley SM8 at the 2000 Summer Paralympics

Austin started swimming at five years of age,[4] and began swimming competitively in 1996. He represented Australia for the first time in 1999.[2] While he is primarily known for being a Paralympic swimmer, he also competed in abled bodied swimming.[2] He swims for Warringah Aquatic and is coached by Ben Davies.[3] In 2008, he was coached by Graeme Carroll.[5] He was an Australian Institute of Sport scholarship holder.[4]

He has competed at the 2000 Summer Paralympics, the 2004 Summer Paralympics and the 2008 Summer Paralympics.[2] At the 2000 Games, he won a silver medal in the 200 m individual medley, and two bronze medals in the 100 m butterfly and 4x100 m medley relay events.[3] At the 2004 Games, he won two gold medals in the 100 m freestyle and 4×100 m medley events, for which he received a Medal of the Order of Australia,[1] three silver medals in the 100 m butterfly, 200 m individual medley, and 4×100 m freestyle relay events, and a bronze medal in the 4x100 m freestyle relay.[3][6] He set two world records at the 2004 Paralympic Games in the 100 m freestyle and 100 m butterfly events.[2] At the 2008 Games, he won a gold medal in the Men's 4x100 m Medley 34 pts relay and a silver medal in the 4x100 m freestyle relay.[6][3] He finished in fifth place in the 100 m butterfly event, and fourth in the 100 m freestyle event.[3]

He competed at the IPC Swimming World Championships in 2002 and 2006.[3] At the 2008 Australian Championships, he set a personal best time in the 100 m Freestyle event with a time of 0:59.08.[3]

2002 Manchester Commonwealth Games

Austin set two world records at the 2006 Commonwealth Games.[2]

Heats Finals

2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games

Austin set six world records at the 2006 Commonwealth Games.[2]

Heats Finals

References

  1. ^ a b "Austin, Benjamin James, OAM". It's an Honour. Retrieved 2 February 2012.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Ben Austin". Australian Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 18 November 2011.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Ben Austin". Australia: Swimming Australia. Retrieved 18 November 2011.
  4. ^ a b c "Ben Austin". No. Deadly Vibe Issue 92. Vibe Magazine. October 2004. Retrieved 18 November 2011.
  5. ^ "One for the purists". Sydney, New South Wales: Sydney Morning Herald. 7 September 2008. Retrieved 18 November 2011.
  6. ^ a b "Athlete Search Results". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 19 April 2012.
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