Ben Austin facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
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
Nationality	Australia
Born	(1980-11-07) 7 November 1980 (age 44) Wellington, New South Wales, Australia
Height	1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)
Weight	83 kg (183 lb)
Sport
Sport	Swimming
Strokes	Freestyle, medley, butterfly
Classifications	S8, SB7, SM8
Medal record Men's Paralympic swimming Representing  Australia Paralympic Games Gold 2004 Athens 100 m freestyle S8 Gold 2004 Athens 4×100 m medley Gold 2008 Beijing 4×100 m medley Silver 2000 Sydney 200 m medley SM8 Silver 2000 Sydney 4×100 m freestyle Silver 2004 Athens 100 m butterfly S8 Silver 2004 Athens 200 m medley SM8 Silver 2004 Athens 4×100 m freestyle Silver 2008 Beijing 4×100 m freestyle Bronze 2000 Sydney 100 m butterfly S8 Bronze 2000 Sydney 4×100 m medley Bronze 2004 Athens 50 m freestyle S8 IPC Swimming World Championships Bronze 2002 Mar del Plata Men's 50m Freestyle S8 Bronze 2002 Mar del Plata Men's 100m Freestyle S8 Silver 2002 Mar del Plata Men's 100m Freestyle Relay 34 pts Gold 2006 Durban 4×100 m medley 34 pts Silver 2006 Durban 4×100 m freestyle 34 pts Bronze 2006 Durban 100 m butterfly S8 Commonwealth Games Gold 2002 Manchester EAD 50 m freestyle Gold 2002 Manchester EAD 100 m freestyle Gold 2010 Delhi 100 m freestyle S8

Benjamin James Austin, also known as Ben Austin, is an amazing Australian swimmer. He was born on November 7, 1980. Ben is an Elite Athlete with a Disability (EAD). This means he is a top athlete who competes with a physical disability. His swimming classification is S8. This classification is for swimmers with certain physical impairments.

Early Life and Background

Ben Austin was born in Wellington, Australia. This town is in the state of New South Wales. When he was just a few weeks old, doctors had to remove his left arm. This was due to some problems he had at birth. Ben is of Aboriginal heritage through his grandmother.

Outside of swimming, Ben enjoys many other sports. He plays rugby league, rugby union, water polo, and basketball. He also went to university. He studied to become an English as a Second Language teacher. He also studied kinesiology, which is the study of how the body moves. Ben lives in Sydney, Australia. He is about 187 centimeters (6 feet 2 inches) tall. He weighs about 83 kilograms (183 pounds). He has four sisters.

Ben Austin's Swimming Journey

Ben Austin swims to a silver medal in the 200 m medley SM8 at the 2000 Summer Paralympics.

Ben started swimming when he was five years old. He began swimming in competitions in 1996. In 1999, he proudly represented Australia for the first time. Ben is famous for being a Paralympic swimmer. But he also competed in swimming events for athletes without disabilities. He swims for the Warringah Aquatic club. His coach is Ben Davies. He was also coached by Graeme Carroll in 2008. Ben was part of the Australian Institute of Sport. This is a special program for top athletes.

Paralympic Games Achievements

Ben has competed in three Paralympic Games. These are like the Olympic Games for athletes with disabilities. He competed in the 2000 Sydney, 2004 Athens, and 2008 Beijing Games.

• 2000 Sydney Paralympics: Ben won three medals at his first Paralympics. He earned a silver medal in the 200-meter individual medley. He also won two bronze medals. These were for the 100-meter butterfly and the 4x100-meter medley relay. Before these Games, he was ranked number one in the 200-meter individual medley. He was also in the top 5 for other races.

• 2004 Athens Paralympics: This was a very successful Games for Ben. He won two gold medals. One was in the 100-meter freestyle. The other was in the 4x100-meter medley relay. For these wins, he received a special award called the Medal of the Order of Australia. He also won three silver medals. These were in the 100-meter butterfly, 200-meter individual medley, and 4x100-meter freestyle relay. He also got a bronze medal in the 4x100-meter freestyle relay. Ben even set two world records at these Games. He broke records in the 100-meter freestyle and 100-meter butterfly events.

• 2008 Beijing Paralympics: Ben continued his success in Beijing. He won a gold medal in the Men's 4x100-meter Medley 34 pts relay. He also earned a silver medal in the 4x100-meter freestyle relay. He finished fifth in the 100-meter butterfly. He placed fourth in the 100-meter freestyle.

World Championships and Other Competitions

Ben also competed in the IPC Swimming World Championships. He participated in 2002 and 2006. In 2008, he set his personal best time in the 100-meter Freestyle event. His time was 0:59.08.

Ben Austin has been a very important figure in Australian swimming. He helped bring more respect and recognition to Paralympic swimming. His achievements and public presence inspired many. He was the first Paralympic Telstra Dolphins Ambassador. He was also the first Paralympic ambassador for Austswim.

Commonwealth Games Success

Ben also competed in the Commonwealth Games. These games bring together athletes from countries of the Commonwealth.

• 2002 Manchester Commonwealth Games: Ben set two world records at these Games. He won gold medals in both the EAD 50-meter freestyle and EAD 100-meter freestyle events.

• 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games: Ben set six world records at the 2006 Commonwealth Games.

• 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games: Ben won another gold medal in the 100-meter freestyle S8 event.

See also

In Spanish: Ben Austin (nadador) para niños