Kenneth To facts for kids

Kenneth King-him To (born July 7, 1992 – died March 19, 2019) was an amazing swimmer. He was from Hong Kong and Australia. Kenneth was skilled in many swimming styles. These included individual medley, freestyle, butterfly, and breaststroke.

He won six medals at the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics. Kenneth was also the top male swimmer at the 2012 FINA Swimming World Cup. He earned a silver medal at the World Championships. Kenneth To held 16 national swimming records for Hong Kong.

Early Life and Swimming Start

Kenneth To was born in Hong Kong. When he was two years old, his family moved to Australia. He started swimming lessons at age five. At first, he was a bit scared of the water.

But by age 12, Kenneth was swimming really well. He quickly improved through his school's swimming program. As a young swimmer, he had a very successful career. He won medals at the 2009 Australian Youth Olympic Festival in Sydney. He also won medals at the 2008 Commonwealth Youth Games in Pune.

Kenneth To's Swimming Career

Breaking Records and Youth Olympics

In 2009, Kenneth To became famous in the swimming world. He broke a record that Ian Thorpe had held for ten years. This was the Australian record for the 200m individual medley for 16-year-olds. Kenneth swam it in 2 minutes and 4.31 seconds.

At the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics in Singapore, Kenneth won many medals. He earned a gold medal in the 4 × 100m medley relay. He also won silver medals in the 50m freestyle, 200m medley, and 4 × 100m mixed freestyle relay. He added bronze medals in the 100m freestyle and 4 × 100m mixed medley relay.

Junior and Senior Team Success

In 2010, Kenneth competed at the Junior Pan Pacific Swimming Championships in Maui. He won gold in the 50m freestyle, 100m freestyle, and 4 × 200m freestyle relay. He also took home silver in two other relays.

Later that year, at the 2010 Australian Short Course Swimming Championships in Brisbane, he joined the senior Australian Swimming Team. He won gold in the 100m medley and silver in the 200m medley. He also got a bronze in the 100m breaststroke. This helped him get chosen for the 2010 FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m) in Dubai. There, he finished 5th in the 100m medley and 6th in the 200m medley.

World Championships and World Cup Wins

Kenneth was selected for the Australian team again in 2011. He won silver in the 200m medley at the 2011 Australian Swimming Championships. This led him to compete at the 2011 World Aquatics Championships. He finished 7th in the 200m medley. He swam a very fast time of 1:59.02 in the heats.

In 2012, Kenneth almost made it to the 2012 Summer Olympics. He had an operation to remove his appendix just seven weeks before the trials. Despite this, he still won seven medals at the 2012 Oceania Swimming Championships in Nouméa. He won five gold medals and two silver medals.

Kenneth then won the men's overall title at the 2012 FINA Swimming World Cup. He set a new Australian record in the 100m medley in Dubai. At the 2012 FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m) in Istanbul, he won silver in the 100m medley. He also earned bronze in two freestyle and medley relays. His 100m medley time of 51.38 seconds was another Australian record.

More Medals and Injury Challenges

In 2013, Kenneth continued to achieve great things. He won silver in the 200m medley at the 2013 Australian Swimming Championships. He also helped Australia win a silver medal in the 4 × 100m medley relay at the 2013 World Aquatics Championships in Barcelona. He set new Australian records in the 200m medley and 100m medley at the 2013 FINA Swimming World Cup.

In 2014, Kenneth won a gold medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. He was part of the 4 × 100m freestyle relay team. He also won a silver medal in the 4 × 100m medley relay. After these games, Kenneth had to stop swimming for a while. He needed surgery for a back injury that was affecting his training. This injury kept him from competing in the 2014 World Cup and World Championships. It also affected his hopes for the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Switching Teams and New Records

In late 2016, Kenneth decided to switch and represent Hong Kong. He wanted a new environment for his training. His main goal was to compete in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. He began training at the Hong Kong Sports Institute.

In August 2017, Kenneth first represented Hong Kong at the 2017 Summer Universiade in Taipei. In just ten months, he broke 13 Hong Kong national records. These records were in various freestyle, breaststroke, butterfly, and individual medley events.

In 2018, Kenneth received an award for his achievements from the Hong Kong Amateur Swimming Association. He competed in the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta. He finished fifth in the 50m freestyle and 200m individual medley finals. At the 2018 FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m) in Hangzhou, Kenneth made history. He became the first Hong Kong male swimmer to reach a final. He finished 6th in the 100m individual medley with a new Hong Kong national record of 51.88 seconds.

In January 2019, Kenneth moved to the United States. He started training at the University of Florida with coach Gregg Troy. He was planning to compete in the Hong Kong Festival of Sport in April. This event was important for qualifying for the 2019 World Aquatics Championships.

Sad Passing

On March 19, 2019, Kenneth To felt unwell after a warm-up in Florida. He was taken to a hospital, where he sadly passed away. He was only 26 years old.

The Hong Kong Sports Institute (HKSI) said Kenneth was an amazing person. They said he was loved by his teammates and other swimmers. His sudden death was a huge loss for sports in Hong Kong. The Hong Kong Amateur Swimming Association also shared their sadness. They remembered him as a record holder who brought glory to Hong Kong. Kenneth's funeral was held on April 1, 2019, at his old high school, Trinity Grammar School in Sydney. In June 2019, it was confirmed that Kenneth's death was caused by a sudden heart problem.

Kenneth To's Best Times

These tables show Kenneth To's fastest swimming times.

Long Course (50m pool)

Event	Time	Meet	Location
100m Freestyle	48.58	2013 Australian Swimming Championships	Adelaide
200m Medley	1:58.72	2013 Australian Swimming Championships	Adelaide
100m Butterfly	52.56	2013 Australian Swimming Championships	Adelaide
100m Breaststroke	1:01.58	2013 Australian Swimming Championships	Adelaide

Short Course (25m pool)

Event	Time	Meet	Location	Notes
100m Medley	51.19	2013 FINA Swimming World Cup	Doha	AR (Australian Record)
200m Medley	1:52.01	2013 FINA Swimming World Cup	Berlin	AR (Australian Record)
100m Freestyle	46.57	2013 FINA Swimming World Cup	Berlin
100m Butterfly	50.19	2012 FINA Swimming World Cup	Adelaide
100m Breaststroke	58.05	2013 FINA Swimming World Cup	Doha

See also

In Spanish: Kenneth To para niños