Ryk Neethling facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Ryk Neethling

Personal information
Nationality	South African
Born	(1977-11-17) 17 November 1977 (age 47) Bloemfontein
Height	196 cm
Weight	95 kg
Sport
Sport	Swimming
Strokes	Freestyle
Club	Seals Swim Club Bloemfontein, S.A.
College team	University of Arizona
Coach	Simon Gray (Seals SC) R. DeMont, F. Busch (U. A.)
Medal record Men's swimming Representing  South Africa Olympic Games Gold 2004 Athens 4×100 m free World Championships (LC) Bronze 2005 Montreal 100 m freestyle Bronze 2005 Montreal 200 m freestyle World Championships (SC) Gold 2006 Shanghai 100 m freestyle Gold 2006 Shanghai 100 m medley Gold 2006 Shanghai 200 m freestyle Pan Pacific Championships Silver 1999 Sydney 1500 m freestyle Bronze 1999 Sydney 200 m freestyle Bronze 1999 Sydney 400 m freestyle Goodwill Games Gold 1998 New York 800 m freestyle Bronze 1998 New York 400 m freestyle Commonwealth Games Gold 2006 Melbourne 4×100 m free Silver 1998 Kuala Lumpur 1500 m freestyle Silver 2002 Manchester 4×100 m free Silver 2006 Melbourne 100 freestyle Bronze 2002 Manchester 100 m freestyle

Ryk Neethling (born 17 November 1977) is a famous South African swimmer and businessman. He became well-known as a three-time World Aquatic Champion. He also broke World Records four times as an Olympic swimmer.

Ryk competed in four Olympic Games for South Africa between 1996 and 2008. A highlight of his career was winning a gold medal in the 4x100 meter freestyle relay at the 2004 Athens Olympics. Many people consider him one of the best South African swimmers ever. After his swimming career, he became the CEO of the Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation South Africa. He also started his own swimming schools, called the Ryk Neethling Swimming Schools.

Ryk was born in Bloemfontein, South Africa, on 17 November 1977. He went to Grey College and trained with coach Simon Gray at the Seals Swim Club. In 1994, Ryk broke the South African record for the 1500 meter freestyle. He beat the old record, which his coach Simon Gray had set in 1976, by ten seconds!

When he was about 18, Ryk won the 400 meter and 1500 meter freestyle events. This happened at the 1995 South African swimming championships. His success at Grey College helped him join the South African swimming team. He then competed in the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. After the 1996 Olympics, he enrolled at the University of Arizona.

Ryk's College Swimming Career

After the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, Ryk Neethling went to the University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona. He studied there from 1996 to 2000. At the university, he was coached by Frank Busch and Rick DeMont. Coach DeMont was a former world record holder in the 1500 meter race. He was perfect for helping Ryk improve his freestyle swimming.

While at the University of Arizona, Ryk won nine NCAA championships. As a second-year student, he won NCAA titles in the 200, 500, and 1650-yard freestyle races. He also won the Pac-10 Conference individual championship seven times. He was named an All-American seventeen times. In 1998-99, he was the NCAA Division I Swimmer of the Year. Ryk graduated around 2000 with a degree in Psychology and Business.

Ryk at the Olympics (1996-2008)

Ryk Neethling was the first South African swimmer to compete in four Olympic Games in a row. He participated in the Olympics from 1996 to 2008.

At the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, he finished fifth in the 1500 meter race. His time was 15:14.63. He again finished fifth in the 1500 meter race at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. His time improved to 15:00.48, which was less than four seconds away from a bronze medal.

Winning Gold at the 2004 Athens Olympics

A major highlight of Ryk's career was winning an Olympic gold medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics. He won it in the 4×100 meter freestyle relay. The South African team set a winning time of 3:13.17. The team included Roland Schoeman, Lyndon Ferns, Darian Townsend, and Ryk Neethling.

Roland Schoeman, one of the fastest swimmers, started the race. He gave the team a small lead. The team kept this lead throughout the race. They beat the Netherlands team by one second and the United States team, which won bronze. Ryk Neethling swam the final part of the relay. He kept the lead with a time of 47.99 seconds, which was the fastest of all the South African relay swimmers. In the individual 100 meter freestyle at the 2004 games, Ryk placed fourth.

At the 2008 Olympics, he competed in the 100 meter freestyle, finishing 30th. He also swam in the 4x100 meter freestyle relay, one of his best events, where his team placed seventh.

World and South African Records

Ryk Neethling was once a joint holder of the 4×100 meter freestyle relay world record. He also broke the 100 meter Individual Medley World Record three times in 2005. He has held the South African record in several freestyle events: the 200 meter, 400 meter, 800 meter, and 1500 meter races.

Other Big Competitions

Ryk competed in the 1998 Commonwealth Games, where he won a silver medal in the 1500 meter freestyle. However, he only placed fifth at the 1998 World Aquatics Championships. In 1999, he did better at the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships. He won silver in the 1500 meter freestyle and bronze in both the 400 meter and 200 meter freestyle events.

After the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, where he placed fifth in the 1500 meter freestyle and eighth in the 400 meter freestyle, he decided to stop competing in the 1500 meter event. He chose to focus on the shorter 50 meter and 100 meter freestyle races instead.

At the 2002 Commonwealth Games, he won a bronze medal in the 100 meter freestyle. He finished fourth in the 50 meter freestyle. At the 2006 Commonwealth Games, he won a silver medal in the 100 meter freestyle. He was also part of the South African team that won a gold medal in the 4×100 meter freestyle relay. In 2006, he won three individual gold medals at the FINA World Aquatics Championships in Shanghai.

In November 2005, Ryk shared that he turned down a huge offer from Qatar. They wanted him to change his nationality and swim for Qatar at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, but he chose to stay with South Africa.

Ryk's Life After Swimming

After his swimming career, Ryk Neethling became a successful businessman. He served as the CEO of the Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation South Africa. He is also an ambassador for the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation.

Ryk founded the Ryk Neethling Swimming Schools. He is also a director and shareholder of Val de Vie Estate. He often gives speeches to inspire people. In June 2012, he opened the second branch of his swimming school in South Africa. The school teaches children to swim at a young age. Ryk believes this skill can help them throughout their lives.

More recently, he has been a shareholder and marketing director for Val de Vie Estate. This is a luxury property development located in Paarl, South Africa.

Awards and Recognition

At the University of Arizona, Ryk was considered one of the most celebrated swimmers in the school's history. In 1999, he was named the American NCAA Swimmer of the Year. He also received the University of Arizona Athlete of the Century award. He was named Pac-10 Athlete of the Year four years in a row while at Arizona.

In August 2024, Ryk was inducted into the South Africa Sports Hall of Fame. He was honored along with the three other swimmers from the 4x100 meter freestyle relay team. This was the team that won the gold medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics.

See also

In Spanish: Ryk Neethling para niños

• List of Commonwealth Games medallists in swimming (men)
• List of Olympic medalists in swimming (men)
• World record progression 4 × 100 metres freestyle relay