Kieren Perkins facts for kids

Kieren John Perkins (born 14 August 1973) is a famous Australian former freestyle swimmer. He was best known for swimming the 1500-metre freestyle race. Kieren won two Olympic gold medals in this event. He won his first gold at the 1992 Olympics and then again at the 1996 Olympics. In total, he earned four Olympic medals during his amazing career.

Kieren Perkins: Australia's Swimming Legend

Early Life and Start in Swimming

Kieren Perkins was born in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. He went to Indooroopilly State Primary School. Later, he graduated from Brisbane Boys' College.

When he was eight, Kieren had a serious leg injury. He started swimming regularly to help his leg heal. This is how he discovered his talent for swimming.

By age 13, it was clear he had great potential. With his coach John Carew, he won his first medal. This was at the Australian Championships in Melbourne in 1989.

Rising Star: Early International Races

First Big Wins: Commonwealth and Worlds

Kieren's first big international competition was the 1990 Commonwealth Games in Auckland, New Zealand. He won a silver medal in the 1500-metre freestyle. He finished behind another Australian swimmer, Glen Housman. Both swimmers finished the race in under 15 minutes.

At the 1991 World Aquatics Championships in Perth, Kieren was expected to win. However, he was beaten by a German swimmer, Jörg Hoffmann, by only 0.22 seconds. Hoffmann set a new world record, but Kieren's time was also very fast.

Olympic Glory in Barcelona (1992)

Kieren was the top favourite for the men's 1500-metre freestyle at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. He was the fastest swimmer in the qualifying rounds. In the final, Kieren broke his own world record by 5 seconds! He finished in 14:43.48. This was the only gold medal won by an Australian swimmer at those Games.

Earlier in the same Olympics, Kieren also won a silver medal. This was in the 400-metre freestyle race. A Russian swimmer won that race, setting a new world record. Kieren also swam faster than the old world record.

Kieren was chosen to carry the Australian flag at the closing ceremony. This is a great honour for an athlete.

Dominating the Pool: Peak Career

More Gold at Commonwealth Games (1994)

At the 1994 Commonwealth Games in Victoria, Canada, Kieren was incredible. He won four gold medals! He won the 200-metre, 400-metre, 1500-metre, and 4 x 200-metre freestyle relay races. He set world records in all of these events.

World Champion Again (1994)

Just two weeks after the Commonwealth Games, Kieren competed at the 1994 World Aquatics Championships in Rome. He won two more gold medals. These were in the 400-metre and 1500-metre freestyle events. His 400-metre race was another world record.

His world records in the 400-metre and 1500-metre stood for many years. Other Australian swimmers, Ian Thorpe and Grant Hackett, later broke them. Kieren's amazing performances that year earned him the "Male World Swimmer of the Year" award. He once said the Olympic Pool in Rome was his favourite place to swim.

Atlanta Olympics: The Comeback Win (1996)

By the time of the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Kieren was not in his best form. Many people thought his Australian rival, Daniel Kowalski, would win. Kieren barely made it into the 1500-metre freestyle final. He was the slowest of the top 8 qualifiers. It was later shared that he felt unwell before the race and thought about not swimming.

But from lane eight, Kieren surprised everyone and dominated the race! He was the only swimmer to finish under 15 minutes. He won gold again, with Kowalski taking silver. Kieren became only the third swimmer ever to win two Olympic gold medals in this event in a row. He was the only Australian since Dawn Fraser to defend an individual Olympic title outside of Australia.

End of an Era: Later Career

Passing the Torch: Commonwealth Games (1998)

Kieren had the honour of carrying the flag at the opening ceremony for the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur. In the 1500-metre freestyle, he won a bronze medal. The gold medal went to 18-year-old Grant Hackett, who would become the next big star in this event.

Sydney Olympics: A Final Medal (2000)

Kieren was in Monte Carlo in 1993 when Sydney won the right to host the Olympic Games. He managed to qualify for his third Olympic Games in 2000. Even though he was only 27, he was one of the older, more experienced swimmers on the team.

At the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Kieren was the fastest qualifier for the final. However, this time Grant Hackett won the gold, and Kieren won the silver. Kieren joined Frank Beaurepaire as one of only two swimmers to win three medals in the 1500-metre freestyle event.

Kieren Perkins' Amazing Legacy

Kieren Perkins, nicknamed Super Fish, retired from swimming in 2000 at age 27. He had won 23 medals at international competitions.

He set 11 world records during his career. He held the 1500-metre freestyle record for nine years. He held the 800-metre record for ten years and the 400-metre freestyle record for five years.

Kieren is the first person in history to hold the Olympic, World, Commonwealth, and Pan Pacific titles all at the same time. He broke over 40 Australian records between 1989 and 2000.

Kieren won two of Australia's 16 gold medals at the 1992 and 1996 Olympic Games. He was one of only six Australians to win gold medals at both of these Games. He won two of the three swimming gold medals Australia earned during this time. Kieren brought back the fame of the 1500-metre freestyle in Australia. Australian swimmers had won Olympic gold in this event from 1956 to 1964, but then there was a 28-year gap until Kieren won. Australia has won this event more times than any other country.

Awards and Recognition

In 1992, Kieren Perkins was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM). This is a special honour for Australians.

He was named the 1992 Young Australian of the Year. He was also called an Australian Living Treasure. In 2002, he was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame. In 2009, Kieren was inducted into the Queensland Sport Hall of Fame. Also in 2009, he was named one of the "Q150 Icons" of Queensland for being a "sports legend."

The University of Queensland also gave Kieren an honorary degree.

Life After Swimming

Since retiring from swimming, Kieren says he hasn't even swum for fun because of a bad back. He has worked in broadcast media sometimes. In 2009, he joined the National Australia Bank.

Kieren was part of a team that reviewed the Australian swimming team after the 2012 Olympics. In November 2020, he became the President of Swimming Australia.

He was also a director for the Starlight Foundation, a charity helping sick children.

On 17 December 2021, Kieren Perkins was named the new CEO of the Australian Sports Commission and the Australian Institute of Sport. Kieren has spoken out against the "Enhanced Games". This is a sports competition that would allow athletes to use banned substances. In March 2024, he said that "Someone will die if we allow that sort of environment to continue."

Family Life

Kieren married in 1997 and has three children: Harry, Georgia, and Charlie, with his ex-wife Symantha. In June 2012, Kieren and Symantha announced they had separated. In October 2014, Kieren married Karen Davis in Positano, Italy.

See Also

• List of members of the International Swimming Hall of Fame
• Commonwealth Games records in swimming
• List of Commonwealth Games medallists in swimming (men)
• List of Olympic medalists in swimming (men)
• World record progression 400 metres freestyle
• World record progression 800 metres freestyle
• World record progression 1500 metres freestyle