Cate Campbell facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Cate Campbell
OAM

Campbell at the 2015 World Aquatics Championships
Personal information
Born	(1992-05-20) 20 May 1992 (age 33) Blantyre, Malawi
Height	186 centimetres (6 ft 1 in)
Weight	74 kg
Sport
Sport	Swimming
Strokes	Freestyle
Club	Commercial
Coach	Simon Cusack
Medal record Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games 4 1 3 World Championships (LC) 4 5 3 Pan Pacific Championships 9 0 0 Commonwealth Games 6 2 0 Universiade 1 0 1 Women's swimming Representing  Australia Olympic Games Gold 2012 London 4×100 m freestyle Gold 2016 Rio de Janeiro 4×100 m freestyle Gold 2020 Tokyo 4×100 m freestyle Gold 2020 Tokyo 4×100 m medley Silver 2016 Rio de Janeiro 4×100 m medley Bronze 2008 Beijing 50 m freestyle Bronze 2008 Beijing 4×100 m freestyle Bronze 2020 Tokyo 100 m freestyle World Championships (LC) Gold 2013 Barcelona 100 m freestyle Gold 2015 Kazan 4×100 m freestyle Gold 2019 Gwangju 4×100 m freestyle Gold 2019 Gwangju 4×100 m mixed medley Silver 2013 Barcelona 50 m freestyle Silver 2013 Barcelona 4×100 m freestyle Silver 2013 Barcelona 4×100 m medley Silver 2019 Gwangju 100 m freestyle Silver 2019 Gwangju 4×100 m medley Bronze 2009 Rome 50 m freestyle Bronze 2015 Kazan 100 m freestyle Bronze 2019 Gwangju 50 m freestyle Pan Pacific Championships Gold 2014 Gold Coast 50 m freestyle Gold 2014 Gold Coast 100 m freestyle Gold 2014 Gold Coast 4×100 m freestyle Gold 2014 Gold Coast 4×100 m medley Gold 2018 Tokyo 50 m freestyle Gold 2018 Tokyo 100 m freestyle Gold 2018 Tokyo 4×100 m freestyle Gold 2018 Tokyo 4×100 m medley Gold 2018 Tokyo 4×100 m mixed medley Commonwealth Games Gold 2014 Glasgow 100 m freestyle Gold 2014 Glasgow 4×100 m freestyle Gold 2014 Glasgow 4×100 m medley Gold 2018 Gold Coast 50 m freestyle Gold 2018 Gold Coast 50 m butterfly Gold 2018 Gold Coast 4×100 m freestyle Silver 2014 Glasgow 50 m freestyle Silver 2018 Gold Coast 100 m freestyle Universiade Gold 2011 Shenzhen 4×100 m freestyle Bronze 2011 Shenzhen 50 m freestyle

Cate Natalie Campbell is an amazing Australian swimmer. She was born on May 20, 1992. Cate holds the world record for the short course 100 meter freestyle race. She also used to hold the world record for the long course 100 meter freestyle.

Cate has won eight Olympic medals, including four gold medals, across four different Olympic Games. She was even a flag bearer for Australia at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Many people think Cate is one of Australia's best swimmers ever. She is especially known for her incredible relay swimming. Her sister, Bronte Campbell, is also an Olympic swimmer!

Early Life and Family

Cate is the oldest of five children. Her parents, Eric and Jenny, are from South Africa. She has three younger sisters and one brother. Her brother, Hamish, needs special care.

Cate's mom, Jenny, was a swimmer herself. She taught her three daughters to swim in their family pool. Cate remembers swimming near hippos in Lake Malawi when she was very young. This lake is the second deepest in Africa. Her dad, Eric, would go sailing there on weekends.

The Campbell children were homeschooled. Their mom often read the Bible to them. They lived in a big house without a TV. They had many pets, like turkeys, guinea pigs, dogs, cats, and chickens. Cate said every morning was like an "Easter egg hunt" because the chickens laid eggs everywhere!

Cate found her talent in swimming early on. She said she wasn't good at singing or dancing. But swimming was something she was great at. She also got top marks for public speaking at school. Otherwise, she felt she was an "average student."

The Campbell family moved from Malawi to Australia in 2001. Soon after, Cate started competitive swimming. She finished high school in Brisbane, Queensland. Cate and her sister Bronte even competed in the same event at the 2012 Summer Olympics. They won a gold medal together at the 2016 Summer Olympics in a relay race.

Swimming Career Highlights

2008 Olympic Games

Cate was super fast in the 50 meter freestyle race. She was the quickest to qualify for the semi-finals. In the final, she won a bronze medal! She also helped Australia win a bronze medal in the 4 x 100 meter freestyle relay.

2009 World Championships

Even with some hip problems, Cate swam in the 50 meter freestyle. She won another bronze medal at the World Championships in Rome. She was very close to breaking a Commonwealth record.

2012 Olympic Games

In 2010, Cate and Bronte got sick. They worked hard to recover and qualify for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. Cate was part of the Australian team that won a gold medal. This was for the 4 x 100 meter freestyle relay. Before her individual 50 meter race, Cate got sick again. She still swam and qualified for the semi-final.

2013 Success

At the 2013 Australian Swimming Championships, Cate won gold in both the 50 and 100 meter freestyle. This meant she could go to the 2013 World Aquatics Championships. There, she and her sister Bronte, along with Emma McKeon and Alicia Coutts, won a silver medal in the 4 x 100 meter freestyle relay. Cate then won the 100 meter freestyle world title!

2015 World Championships

Cate Campbell (left) and her sister Bronte at the 2015 World Aquatics Championships

At the 2015 World Aquatics Championships in Kazan, Cate won gold in the 4 x 100 meter freestyle relay. Her team beat the Dutch and US teams easily. In the 100 meter freestyle race, she finished third. Her sister Bronte won that race! Later in 2015, Cate broke the short course 100 meter freestyle world record. She was the first woman to swim it in under 51 seconds.

2016 Olympic Preparations

Cate won the 100 meter freestyle at the 2016 Australian Swimming Championships. This qualified her for the 2016 Summer Olympics. She also broke the Australian record in the 50 meter freestyle. Her time was the fastest ever in a regular swimsuit. She then won the final and qualified for the Olympics in that event too. Cate also qualified for two relay teams. She broke the long course 100 meter freestyle world record with a time of 52.06 seconds.

2016 Summer Olympics

At the 2016 Summer Olympics, Cate won a gold medal with the Australian women's 4 x 100 meter freestyle team. Her sister Bronte was also on this team. They set a new world record! Cate also won a silver medal in the 4 x 100 meter medley relay. In the 100 meter freestyle final, Cate was a favorite. But she finished 6th, even though she had set Olympic records in earlier heats. She also just missed a medal in the 50 meter freestyle, finishing 5th.

2017 Break and Return

After the Rio Olympics, Cate took a break from swimming in 2017. She wanted to recover from the disappointment. She spent the year doing "normal things," her first real break since she was 9. When she returned, she broke the 100 meter freestyle world record again. Her new time was 50.25 seconds!

2018 Commonwealth Games

Cate came back strong for the 2018 Commonwealth Games. She won gold and broke a world record in the women's 4 x 100 meter freestyle relay. Her sister Bronte, Emma McKeon, and Shayna Jack were on the team. Cate then won gold in the women's 50 meter freestyle. She also won gold in the 50 meter butterfly, even though she had never focused on that stroke before! She said she tried it to "shake things up." Cate won a silver medal in the 100 meter freestyle, finishing behind her sister Bronte.

2020 Tokyo Olympics (held in 2021)

Cate qualified for her fourth Olympics, the Tokyo 2020 Games. This made her only the third Australian swimmer to do so. She was also chosen as one of Australia's flag bearers for the Opening Ceremony. This was a huge honor! Cate, along with Emma McKeon, Meg Harris, and her sister Bronte, won gold in the women's 4 x 100 meter freestyle relay. They broke Australia's previous record. This was Cate's third gold medal in this event! She then won a bronze medal in the 100 meter freestyle. On the last day of swimming, Cate and the Australian team won gold in the women's medley relay.

2024 Retirement

After the Tokyo Olympics, Cate took an 18-month break. She then tried to qualify for her fifth and final Olympics in 2024. This would have made her the first Australian swimmer to do so. However, she placed 9th in the 100 meter freestyle heats and did not make the final. Her hopes for a fifth Olympic team depended on the 50 meter freestyle. She placed seventh in that race. After the race, Cate was hugged by her sister Bronte and other swimmers. She received a standing ovation and announced her retirement. Her fellow swimmers praised her for setting high standards and being an inspiration.

Personal Life

In 2015, Cate talked about how she used to struggle with her body image. She felt pressure to be skinny. But she learned that being healthy and strong is more important. She realized that her worth is much more than how she looks.

Cate enjoys hiking, listening to music, and doing newspaper crosswords. She also likes brewing Kombucha and owns a kayak.

She supports Nexus Care, a group that helps people living in poverty in Brisbane.

In 2018, Cate shared that she had a type of skin cancer called melanoma removed. She encouraged everyone to get regular skin checks. She said it only takes "an hour out of your day once or twice a year." She has been praised for helping to raise awareness about skin cancer.

Images for kids

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  Campbell at the 2015 World Aquatics Championships

See also

In Spanish: Cate Campbell para niños