Josh Watson
Encyclopedia
Josh Watson is an Australia
n backstroke swimmer, who won a silver medal in the 4 × 100 m medley relay at the 2000 Sydney Olympics
.
Training at the Kingscliff
club near the Queensland
border, and coached by Greg Salter,
Watson became Australian champion in the 50 m backstroke in 1996. However, as it was not an Olympic event, he did not gain national selection until 1997, when he competed at the 1997 FINA Short Course World Championships
in Gothenburg
, Sweden
. In 1998, he made his international long-course debut at the 1998 Commonwealth Games
, where he won a silver medal in the 100 m backstroke and a gold medal in the medley relay. He also won bronze in the 100 m backstroke at the 1999 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships
in Sydney
.
At the 2000 Summer Olympics
in Sydney
, Watson swum the backstroke leg in the heats of the 4 × 100 m medley relay, before being replaced by Matt Welsh
in the team that trailed the United States
home in the final. Watson was also a finalist in the 100 m backstroke, where he was narrowly beaten into fourth place. Watson continued to be selected in the same role (except for a self-imposed break in 2002) until the 2004 Athens Olympics
, when he failed to qualify for the semifinals of the 100 m backstroke
. This enabled him to collect a gold medal in the 4 × 100 m medley relay at the 2001 World Championships
in Fukuoka
, Japan
.
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 backstroke swimmer, who won a silver medal in the 4 × 100 m medley relay at the 2000 Sydney 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...
.
Training at the Kingscliff
Kingscliff, New South Wales
Kingscliff is a coastal town just south of Tweed Heads in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, Australia, and is part of Tweed Shire. At the 2006 census, Kingscliff had a population of 6,016 people....
club near the Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
border, and coached by Greg Salter,
Watson became Australian champion in the 50 m backstroke in 1996. However, as it was not an Olympic event, he did not gain national selection until 1997, when he competed at the 1997 FINA Short Course World 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....
. In 1998, he made his international long-course debut at 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...
, where he won a silver medal in the 100 m backstroke and a gold medal in the medley relay. He also won bronze in the 100 m backstroke at the 1999 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships
1999 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships
The eighth edition of the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships, a long course event, was held in 1999 at the Sydney International Aquatic Centre in Sydney, Australia, from 22–29 August...
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...
.
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...
, Watson swum the backstroke leg in the heats of the 4 × 100 m medley relay, before being replaced by Matt Welsh
Matt Welsh
Matthew "Matt" Welsh is an Australian swimmer who is the former world champion in the backstroke and butterfly. Welsh trained under coach Ian Pope at the Melbourne Vicentre Club. He took two golds in 50 metres butterfly and 50 metres backstroke, during one hour, at the World Championships in...
in the team that trailed the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
home in the final. Watson was also a finalist in the 100 m backstroke, where he was narrowly beaten into fourth place. Watson continued to be selected in the same role (except for a self-imposed break in 2002) until the 2004 Athens Olympics
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...
, when he failed to qualify for the semifinals of the 100 m backstroke
Swimming at the 2004 Summer Olympics - Men's 100 metre backstroke
These are the results of the Men's 100 metre backstroke, one of sixteen events for male competitors in Swimming at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens.-Records:-Medalists:-Heat 1:# Christopher Vythoulka, Bahamas 58.31...
. This enabled him to collect a gold medal in the 4 × 100 m medley relay at the 2001 World 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...
.