Bill Kirby
Encyclopedia
William Ashley Kirby (born 12 September 1975 in Perth, Western Australia
) is an Australia
n swimmer who was competitive on an international level in the nineties and early 2000s. He specialized in freestyle
and butterfly and won a gold medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics
in Sydney
as part of the 4x200m freestyle relay team.
in Victoria, Canada
and the 1994 World Aquatics Championships
in Rome
as a butterfly swimmer. After missing selection for the 1996 Summer Olympics
in Atlanta, due to glandular fever, he contemplated quitting the sport.
Kirby found his way back into the national team at the 1997 FINA World Short Course Swimming Championships
in Gothenburg
, Sweden
. Although he missed selection for the 1998 World Aquatics Championships
in his home town, he bounced back to qualify for the 1998 Commonwealth Games
in Kuala Lumpur
, where he won a silver medal in the 200m butterfly. At the 1999 Pan Pacific Championships in Sydney
, he was a member of the 4x200m freestyle relay team (along with Michael Klim
, Ian Thorpe
and Grant Hackett
) that lowered the world record, at the time, to 7m 8.79s. Training at the Australian Institute of Sport
, he earned an Olympic berth the following year, anchoring the Australian 4x200m relay team of Thorpe, Klim and Todd Pearson
to another world record of 7m 7.05s.
Kirby's final international competition was at the 2001 World Aquatics Championships
in Fukuoka
, Japan
, where along with Klim, Hackett and Thorpe, he lowered the 4x200m freestyle relay world record to 7m 4.66s. That record held firm for nearly six years until United States
relay team clocked in at 7m 3.24s at the 2007 World Championships in Melbourne, Australia.
Kirby also collected a gold for swimming in the non-final heats of the 4x100m freestyle relay and also swam in the finals of the 200m freestyle individual event. He retired after the championships to start a coaching career and business.
He now teaches swimming at Christ Church Grammar School
, the school at which he was educated.
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
) is an 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...
n swimmer who was competitive on an international level in the nineties and early 2000s. He specialized in freestyle
Freestyle swimming
Freestyle is an unregulated swimming style used in swimming competitions according to the rules of FINA. The front crawl stroke is almost universally used during a freestyle race, as this style is generally the fastest...
and butterfly and won a gold medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics
2000 Summer Olympics
The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
as part of the 4x200m freestyle relay team.
Swimming career
Kirby made his debut at the 1993 Pan Pacific Championships before competing at the 1994 Commonwealth Games1994 Commonwealth Games
The 1994 Commonwealth Games were held in Victoria, in the province of British Columbia in Canada, from 18 August to 28 August 1994.The XV Commonwealth Games marked South Africa's return to the Commonwealth Games following the apartheid era, and over 30 years since the country last competed in the...
in Victoria, Canada
Victoria, British Columbia
Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia, Canada and is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of about 78,000 within the metropolitan area of Greater Victoria, which has a population of 360,063, the 15th most populous Canadian...
and the 1994 World Aquatics Championships
1994 World Aquatics Championships
The 1994 FINA World Aquatics Championships were held in Rome, Italy between September 1 and September 11, 1994.-Medal table:-Diving:MenWomen-Open water swimming:MenWomen-Swimming:MenWomen-Synchronized swimming:-Water polo:...
in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
as a butterfly swimmer. After missing selection for the 1996 Summer Olympics
1996 Summer Olympics
The 1996 Summer Olympics of Atlanta, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States....
in Atlanta, due to glandular fever, he contemplated quitting the sport.
Kirby found his way back into the national team at the 1997 FINA World Short Course Swimming Championships
1997 FINA Short Course World Championships
The 3rd FINA Short Course World Championships were held at the Scandinavium in Gothenburg, Sweden from April 17 – April 20, 1997.-Men:-Women:-Medal table:-References:* * *...
in Gothenburg
Gothenburg
Gothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated on the west coast of Sweden, the city proper has a population of 519,399, with 549,839 in the urban area and total of 937,015 inhabitants in the metropolitan area...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. Although he missed selection for the 1998 World Aquatics Championships
1998 World Aquatics Championships
The 1998 World Aquatics Championships or the 8th FINA World Swimming Championships were held in Perth, Western Australia, Australia between 8 January and 17 January 1998....
in his home town, he bounced back to qualify for the 1998 Commonwealth Games
1998 Commonwealth Games
The 1998 XVI Commonwealth Games were held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from 11 September to 21 September 1998 making it the first Asian country to act as host and the last Commonwealth Games for the 20th century. A record 70 nations supplied 3638 athletes...
in Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...
, where he won a silver medal in the 200m butterfly. At the 1999 Pan Pacific Championships in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, he was a member of the 4x200m freestyle relay team (along with Michael Klim
Michael Klim
Michael Klim OAM is a Polish-born Australian swimmer. He was born in Gdynia. He was educated at the University High School, Melbourne and Wesley College, Melbourne where he is currently employed as the College's elite Head Coach of swimming...
, Ian Thorpe
Ian Thorpe
Ian James Thorpe OAM , nicknamed the Thorpedo and Thorpey, is an Australian swimmer who specialises in freestyle, but also competes in backstroke and the individual medley. He has won five Olympic gold medals, the most won by any Australian, and with three gold and two silver medals, was the most...
and Grant Hackett
Grant Hackett
Grant Hackett OAM is an Australian former swimmer most famous for winning the men's 1500 metres freestyle race at both the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney and the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. This achievement has led him to be regarded as one of the greatest distance swimmers in history...
) that lowered the world record, at the time, to 7m 8.79s. Training at the 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...
, he earned an Olympic berth the following year, anchoring the Australian 4x200m relay team of Thorpe, Klim and Todd Pearson
Todd Pearson
Todd Pearson is an Australian swimming champion, who was born in Geraldton, Western Australia. He started swimming on the advice of a doctor treating his asthma. Pearson was vice captain of Hale School in 1994 where he spent time in Faulkner House And St George House.He is no stranger to the...
to another world record of 7m 7.05s.
Kirby's final international competition was at the 2001 World Aquatics Championships
2001 World Aquatics Championships
rightThe 2001 World Aquatics Championships or the 9th FINA World Swimming Championships were held in Fukuoka, Japan between 16 July and 29 July 2001....
in Fukuoka
Fukuoka, Fukuoka
is the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture and is situated on the northern shore of the island of Kyushu in Japan.Voted number 14 in a 2010 poll of the World's Most Livable Cities, Fukuoka is praised for its green spaces in a metropolitan setting. It is the most populous city in Kyushu, followed by...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, where along with Klim, Hackett and Thorpe, he lowered the 4x200m freestyle relay world record to 7m 4.66s. That record held firm for nearly six years until United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
relay team clocked in at 7m 3.24s at the 2007 World Championships in Melbourne, Australia.
Kirby also collected a gold for swimming in the non-final heats of the 4x100m freestyle relay and also swam in the finals of the 200m freestyle individual event. He retired after the championships to start a coaching career and business.
He now teaches swimming at Christ Church Grammar School
Christ Church Grammar School
Christ Church Grammar School is an independent, Anglican day and boarding school for boys from Pre-Primary to Year 12. Located in Perth, Western Australia, the school overlooks the Swan River at Freshwater Bay in Claremont....
, the school at which he was educated.