Regan Harrison
Encyclopedia
Regan Harrison was an Australia
n breaststroke
swimmer of the 1990s and 2000s, who won the silver medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics
in Sydney
as part of the 4×100 m medley relay team.
Training at the Australian Institute of Sport
, Harrison made his international debut at the 1999 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships
in Sydney
, where he won a silver medal in the 100 m breaststroke and came fourth in the 200 m breaststroke. The following year he finished second at the Australian Championships behind Ryan Mitchell, earning himself selection for the Sydney Olympics.
At the Olympics, he finished fourth in the 200 m breaststroke, just 0.15 s slower than the bronze medal winner. After Australia's only 100 m breaststroker Phil Rogers
put in a poor performance in the individual event, Australian head coach Don Talbot
gambled on Harrison to replace Rogers, even though he was not originally selected in the 100 m breaststroke. Harrison combined with Matt Welsh
, Geoff Huegill
and Michael Klim
to claim silver, behind the United States
who broke the world record.
At the 2001 Australian Championships, Harrison won gold and silver respectively in the 200 m and 100 m breaststroke to qualify for the 2001 World Aquatics Championships
in Fukuoka
, Japan
. He came sixth and 20th in the 200 m and 100 m respectively, despite setting an Australian record in the 200 m event. He combined with Welsh, Huegill and Ian Thorpe
to win gold in the 4×100 m medley relay. Harrison had a poor year in 2002, managing only seventh in the 200 m breaststroke at the 2002 Commonwealth Games
in Manchester
, and being dropped for the 100 m event and the medley relay. He won gold and silver in the 100 m and 200 m breaststroke at the 2003 Australian Championships, but continued to decline, finishing outside the top twenty in both events at the 2001 World Aquatics Championships
in Barcelona
, Spain
. At the 2004 Summer Olympics
, Harrison was eliminated in the heats of the 200 m breaststroke. He retired after the Games. After retirement he began swimming recreationally with Ginninderra Marlins. He is now coaching the squad full time
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 breaststroke
Breaststroke
The breaststroke is a swimming style in which the swimmer is on his or her chest and the torso does not rotate. It is the most popular recreational style due to its stability and the ability to keep the head out of the water a large portion of the time. In most swimming classes, beginners learn...
swimmer of the 1990s and 2000s, who won the silver 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 4×100 m medley relay team.
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...
, Harrison made his international debut 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...
, where he won a silver medal in the 100 m breaststroke and came fourth in the 200 m breaststroke. The following year he finished second at the Australian Championships behind Ryan Mitchell, earning himself selection for the Sydney Olympics.
At the Olympics, he finished fourth in the 200 m breaststroke, just 0.15 s slower than the bronze medal winner. After Australia's only 100 m breaststroker Phil Rogers
Phil Rogers
Philip John Rogers is a former breaststroke swimmer who competed in three consequentive Summer Olympics for Australia, starting in 1992....
put in a poor performance in the individual event, Australian head coach Don Talbot
Don Talbot
Don Talbot OBE is an Olympic swimming coach from Australia. He has coached national teams for Canada and Australia.-Canada:Since the 1950s Talbot has coached Olympic champions and World Record holders for a thirty year period...
gambled on Harrison to replace Rogers, even though he was not originally selected in the 100 m breaststroke. Harrison combined with 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...
, Geoff Huegill
Geoff Huegill
Geoffrey Andrew Huegill , nicknamed Skippy and Skip, is an Australian butterfly swimmer...
and 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...
to claim silver, behind the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
who broke the world record.
At the 2001 Australian Championships, Harrison won gold and silver respectively in the 200 m and 100 m breaststroke to qualify for 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...
. He came sixth and 20th in the 200 m and 100 m respectively, despite setting an Australian record in the 200 m event. He combined with Welsh, Huegill and 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...
to win gold in the 4×100 m medley relay. Harrison had a poor year in 2002, managing only seventh in the 200 m breaststroke at the 2002 Commonwealth Games
2002 Commonwealth Games
The 2002 Commonwealth Games were held in Manchester, England from 25 July to 4 August 2002. The XVII Commonwealth Games was the largest multi-sport event ever to be held in the UK, eclipsing London's 1948 Summer Olympics in numbers of teams and athletes participating.After the 1996 Manchester...
in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, and being dropped for the 100 m event and the medley relay. He won gold and silver in the 100 m and 200 m breaststroke at the 2003 Australian Championships, but continued to decline, finishing outside the top twenty in both events 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 Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. At the 2004 Summer 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...
, Harrison was eliminated in the heats of the 200 m breaststroke. He retired after the Games. After retirement he began swimming recreationally with Ginninderra Marlins. He is now coaching the squad full time