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
Sport
Sport	Swimming
Strokes	Freestyle
College team	Arizona Wildcats
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 is known for being a three-time World Champion and for breaking World Records four times in Olympic swimming. Many people consider him one of the best swimmers ever.

Today, Ryk Neethling is the CEO of the Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation South Africa. He is also an ambassador for the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation. He started the Ryk Neethling Swimming Schools and is a director and owner of Val de Vie Estate. He also gives talks to inspire people around the world.

He won an Olympic gold medal in 2004. This was for the 4×100 m freestyle relay at the 2004 Summer Olympics. In 2006, he won three individual gold medals at the FINA World Aquatics Championships in Shanghai.

Ryk won nine National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) championships. This makes him one of the top three male swimmers in almost 100 years of NCAA history. He used to hold the world record for the 4×100 m freestyle relay. In 2005, he broke the 100m Individual Medley World Record three times. He is also the first South African to swim in four Olympic Games in a row.

He studied Psychology and Business at the University of Arizona. The university also named him the American NCAA Swimmer of the Year and Athlete of the Century in 1999.

Ryk Neethling's Early Life and Career

Starting His Swimming Journey

Ryk Neethling was born in Bloemfontein, South Africa. He went to Grey College. There, he was excellent at swimming. He joined the South African swimming team for the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. At these Games, he finished fifth in the 1500 m freestyle race.

College Success in the United States

After the Olympics, Ryk went to The University of Arizona in the United States. He became even better at swimming there. He won many awards. These included being a 9-time NCAA National Champion. He was also named Arizona Athlete of the Year. For four years in a row, he was the PAC-10 Athlete of the Year. In 1999, he became the NCAA Swimmer of the Year. The University of Arizona also gave him the Athlete of the Century award.

International Competitions and Medals

Ryk continued to compete internationally. At the 1998 Commonwealth Games, he won a silver medal in the 1500 m freestyle. However, he only finished fifth at the 1998 World Aquatics Championships. In 1999, he did much better at the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships. He won silver in the 1500 m freestyle. He also got bronze medals in the 400 m and 200 m freestyle events.

At the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, he finished fifth in the 1500 m freestyle and eighth in the 400 m freestyle. After this, he decided to stop competing in the 1500 m race. He chose to focus on the shorter 50 m and 100 m freestyle events instead. He is the only male swimmer in Olympic history to reach the finals in freestyle races from 100m to 1500m.

At the 2002 Commonwealth Games, he won a bronze medal in the 100 m freestyle. He finished fourth in the 50 m freestyle. At the 2006 Commonwealth Games, he won silver in the 100 m freestyle. He was also part of the South African team that won gold in the 4×100 m freestyle relay.

Ryk Neethling's Records and Achievements

South African and World Records

Ryk Neethling holds the South African records for the 200 m, 400 m, 800 m, and 1500 m freestyle events. He also held the world record for the 4×100 m freestyle relay for a time. He broke three world records in the 100m individual medley.

Olympic Gold and Beyond

The biggest moment in his career was winning a gold medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics. This was for the 4×100 m freestyle relay. He also finished fourth in the individual 100 m freestyle race at those Games.

In November 2005, Ryk announced that he said no to a very large offer. The country of Qatar wanted him to swim for them at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. He chose to keep swimming for South Africa. The 4×100 m freestyle relay world record was later broken by the United States in 2006.

After the 2008 Summer Olympics, Ryk Neethling made history. He became the first South African to take part in four Olympic Games in a row.

Ryk Neethling's Life After Swimming

Today, Ryk is a shareholder and marketing director for Val de Vie Estate. This is a large property development in Paarl, South Africa.

See also

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

Images for kids

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  Ryk Neethling in Spanish