Ben Austin
Encyclopedia
Benjamin James Austin OAM
(born 7 November 1980 in Wellington, New South Wales) is an Elite Athlete with a Disability (EAD) swimmer for Australia
. His classification is S8 (above elbow amputee).
. At a few weeks old, he lost his left arm above the elbow when doctors amputated it as a result of complications related to his birth. Outside of swimming, he plays rugby league
, rugby union
, water polo
and basketball
. Sport teams he barracks for include the Penrith Panthers
and the Dallas Cowboys
. One of his heroes is Mohammed Ali. He is a university student, working on a degree that will allow him to become an English as a Second Language teacher. He is also studying kinesiology
. He currently resides in Sydney, Australia. He is 187cm tall and weighs 83kg. He has four sisters.
. In 2008, he was coached by Graeme Carroll. He was an Australian Institute of Sport
scholarship holder, the first disability sport competitor to become one.
He has competed at the 2000 Summer Paralympics
, the 2004 Summer Paralympics
and the 2008 Summer Paralympics
. At the 2000 Games, he won a silver medal in the 200m individual medley, and a paid of bronze medals in the 100m fly, and 4x100m medley relay events. He set two world records at the 2004 Paralympic Games. They were in the 100m freestyle and 100m butterfly events, events where he also took home gold medals. He won silver medals in the 100m butterfly and 200m individual medleys. He took home bronze in the 4x100m free relay. At the 2008 Games, he won a silver medal in the 4x100m free relay. He finished in fifth place in the 100m butterfly event, and fourth in the 100m freestyle event.
In 2002, he competed at the IPC World Championships held in Argentina
. He competed in the 2006 IPC World Championships held in Durban, South Africa.
At the 2008 Australian Championships, he set a personal best time in the 100m Freestyle event with a time of 0:59.08.
.
.
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...
(born 7 November 1980 in Wellington, New South Wales) is an Elite Athlete with a Disability (EAD) swimmer for Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. His classification is S8 (above elbow amputee).
Personal
Austin was born on 7 November 1980 in Wellington, New South WalesWellington, New South Wales
Wellington is a town in inland New South Wales, Australia located at the junction of the Macquarie and Bell Rivers. The town is the administrative centre of the Wellington Shire Local Government Area. The town is 362 kilometres from Sydney on the Great Western Highway and Mitchell Highway...
. At a few weeks old, he lost his left arm above the elbow when doctors amputated it as a result of complications related to his birth. Outside of swimming, he plays rugby league
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
, rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
, water polo
Water polo
Water polo is a team water sport. The playing team consists of six field players and one goalkeeper. The winner of the game is the team that scores more goals. Game play involves swimming, treading water , players passing the ball while being defended by opponents, and scoring by throwing into a...
and basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
. Sport teams he barracks for include the Penrith Panthers
Penrith Panthers
The Penrith Panthers are an Australian professional rugby league football team based in the western Sydney suburb of Penrith. They compete in the National Rugby League premiership, the top rugby league football competition in Australasia. For the 2012 NRL season they will be coached by Ivan...
and the Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
. One of his heroes is Mohammed Ali. He is a university student, working on a degree that will allow him to become an English as a Second Language teacher. He is also studying kinesiology
Kinesiology
Kinesiology, also known as human kinetics is the scientific study of human movement. Kinesiology addresses physiological, mechanical, and psychological mechanisms. Applications of kinesiology to human health include: biomechanics and orthopedics, rehabilitation, such as physical and occupational...
. He currently resides in Sydney, Australia. He is 187cm tall and weighs 83kg. He has four sisters.
Swimming
Austin started swimming at five years of age, and start swimming competitively in 1996. He represented Australia for the first time in 1999. While he is primarily known for being a Paralympic swimmer, he also competed in abled bodied swimming. He swims for Warringah Aquatic and is coached by Ben DaviesBen Davies
Benjamin or Ben Davies may refer to:*Benjamin Davies , British actor *Ben Davies , Australian rules footballer*Ben Davies , English footballer...
. In 2008, he was coached by Graeme Carroll. He was an Australian Institute of Sport
Australian Institute of Sport
The Australian Institute of Sport is a sports training institution in Australia with world class facilities and support services. The Institute's headquarters is situated in Canberra, the capital city of Australia. The 66.0 hectare site campus is in the northern suburb of Bruce, but some of the...
scholarship holder, the first disability sport competitor to become one.
He has competed at the 2000 Summer Paralympics
2000 Summer Paralympics
The 2000 Paralympic Games were held in Sydney, Australia, from 18 October to 29 October. The eleventh Summer Paralympic Games, an estimated 3800 athletes took part in the Sydney programme. They commenced with the opening ceremony on 18 October 2000...
, the 2004 Summer Paralympics
2004 Summer Paralympics
The 2004 Summer Paralympics were held in Athens, Greece, from September 17 to September 28. The twelfth Paralympic Games, an estimated 4,000 athletes took part in the Athens programme, with ages ranging from 11 to 66. Paralympic events had already taken place during the 2004 Summer Olympics as...
and the 2008 Summer Paralympics
2008 Summer Paralympics
The 2008 Summer Paralympic Games, the thirteenth Paralympics, took place in Beijing, China from September 6 to September 17, 2008. As with the 2008 Summer Olympics, equestrian events were held in Hong Kong and sailing events in Qingdao....
. At the 2000 Games, he won a silver medal in the 200m individual medley, and a paid of bronze medals in the 100m fly, and 4x100m medley relay events. He set two world records at the 2004 Paralympic Games. They were in the 100m freestyle and 100m butterfly events, events where he also took home gold medals. He won silver medals in the 100m butterfly and 200m individual medleys. He took home bronze in the 4x100m free relay. At the 2008 Games, he won a silver medal in the 4x100m free relay. He finished in fifth place in the 100m butterfly event, and fourth in the 100m freestyle event.
In 2002, he competed at the IPC World Championships held in Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
. He competed in the 2006 IPC World Championships held in Durban, South Africa.
At the 2008 Australian Championships, he set a personal best time in the 100m Freestyle event with a time of 0:59.08.
2002 Manchester Commonwealth Games
Austin set two world records at the 2006 Commonwealth Games2006 Commonwealth Games
The 2006 Commonwealth Games were held in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia between 15 March and 26 March 2006. It was the largest sporting event to be staged in Melbourne, eclipsing the 1956 Summer Olympics in terms of the number of teams competing, athletes competing, and events being held.The site...
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2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games
Austin set six world records at the 2006 Commonwealth Games2006 Commonwealth Games
The 2006 Commonwealth Games were held in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia between 15 March and 26 March 2006. It was the largest sporting event to be staged in Melbourne, eclipsing the 1956 Summer Olympics in terms of the number of teams competing, athletes competing, and events being held.The site...
.
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