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Ryk Neethling

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Ryk Neethling
Personal information
Full nameRyk Neethling
NationalitySouth African
Born (1977-11-17) 17 November 1977 (age 47)
Bloemfontein
Height196 cm (6 ft 5 in)
Weight95 kg (209 lb)
Sport
SportSwimming
StrokesFreestyle
ClubSeals Swim Club
Bloemfontein, S.A.
College teamUniversity of Arizona
CoachSimon Gray (Seals)
Rick DeMont, Frank Busch
(U of Arizona)
Medal record
Men's swimming
Representing  South Africa
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2004 Athens[1] 4×100 m free
World Championships (LC)
Bronze medal – third place 2005 Montreal[2] 100 m freestyle
Bronze medal – third place 2005 Montreal 200 m freestyle
World Championships (SC)
Gold medal – first place 2006 Shanghai[3] 100 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 2006 Shanghai 100 m medley
Gold medal – first place 2006 Shanghai 200 m freestyle
Pan Pacific Championships
Silver medal – second place 1999 Sydney 1500 m freestyle
Bronze medal – third place 1999 Sydney 200 m freestyle
Bronze medal – third place 1999 Sydney 400 m freestyle
Goodwill Games
Gold medal – first place 1998 New York 800 m freestyle
Bronze medal – third place 1998 New York 400 m freestyle
Commonwealth Games
Gold medal – first place 2006 Melbourne 4×100 m free
Silver medal – second place 1998 Kuala Lumpur 1500 m freestyle
Silver medal – second place 2002 Manchester 4×100 m free
Silver medal – second place 2006 Melbourne[4] 100 freestyle
Bronze medal – third place 2002 Manchester[5] 100 m freestyle

Ryk Neethling OIS (born 17 November 1977) is a South African businessman who rose to prominence as a three-times World Aquatic Champion and four-time World Record breaking Olympic swimming champion, participating in five Olympics from 1996-2008.[6] He is known as one of the most accomplished South African swimmers in history.[7]

Born in Bloemfontein, S.A. on 17 November 1977, he attended Grey College, and was coached by Simon Gray at the Seals Swim Club of Bloemfontein. In 1994, Ryk eclipsed the 1500m freestyle South African record by ten seconds, formerly set by his own coach Simon Gray in 1976. Around 18, he captured the 400 and 1500m freestyle competition at the 1995 South African swimming championships. During his time at Grey College, he rose to national prominence as a swimmer, earning a place with the South African swimming team for the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. He enrolled at the University of Arizona after the 1996 games in the fall of 1996.[6]

University of Arizona

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After attending the 1996 Atlanta Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia, Neethling attended the University of Arizona in Tempe, Arizona, enrolling in the Fall of 1996, where he was managed and trained by ASCAA Hall of Fame Head Coach Frank Busch, and Assistant Coach Rick DeMont, a former holder of the 1500-meter world record in 1972, and an Olympic participant.[8]

Neethling won nine National Collegiate Athletic Association championships while a student at Arizona. He was a Pac-10 Conference individual champion seven times, an All-American seventeen times, and the NCAA Division I Swimmer of the Year for 1998-99.[9] Graduating around 1999, he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and Business from the University.[10][11]

Olympics 1996-2008

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He was the first South African to compete in four successive Olympic Games from 1996-2008.[12][13][14]

He participated in the 1500 at the Atlanta Olympic Games in 1996 finishing fifth with a time of 15:14.63. He again finished fifth in the 1500 with an improved time of 15.00.48 at the 2000 Sydney Olympic games, less than four seconds from contending for a bronze medal.[7]

2004 Athens Olympic gold medal

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Neethling won an Olympic gold medal in the 4×100 m freestyle relay freestyle relay at the 2004 Summer Olympics in a high point of his career. The 2004 4x100 meter Olympic gold medal South African relay team that set a winning time of 3:13.17, consisted of Roland Schoeman, Lyndon Ferns, Darian Townsend and Neethling. As one of the events fastest swimmers, Schoeman's opening leg in the 4x100 meter freestyle relay, opened up a short lead that remained throughout the race defeating the second place Netherlands team at the finish by a second and defeating the United States team which took the bronze.[7] Making a major contribution, Neethling maintained the lead swimming the anchor position with a time of 47.99, the fastest time of all the South African relay swimmers.[7][15] Neethling placed 4th in the individual 100 meter freestyle at the 2004 games.[7]

At the 2008 Olympics, he again competed in the 100-meter freestyle placing 30th, and in the 4x100 meter freestyle relay, one of his signature events, he placed seventh.[7]

World and S.A. records

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He is the former joint owner of the 4×100 m freestyle relay world record and broke the 100m Individual Medley World Record three times in 2005. He has held the South African record in the 200 m, 400 m, 800 m and 1500 m freestyle events. He also broke three world records in the 100m individual medley.[7]

International competition highlights

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Neethling participated in the 1998 Commonwealth Games, winning the silver medal in the 1500 m freestyle, but only capturing a fifth place at the 1998 World Aquatics Championships. In 1999 he had a better performance at the Pan Pacific Championships winning silver in the 1500 m freestyle, and bronze in the 400 m and 200 m freestyle.[6]

After achieving a disappointing fifth place in the 1500 m freestyle event and an eighth in the 400 m freestyle at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, he decided to quit competing in the 1500 m event, preferring to focus on the 50 m and 100 m freestyle events. At the 2002 Commonwealth Games he captured a bronze medal in the 100 m freestyle and finished 4th in the 50 m freestyle events. At the 2006 Commonwealth Games he captured a silver in the 100 m freestyle and was part of the S.A gold medal winning 4×100 m freestyle relay team. He won three individual gold medals at the 2006 FINA World Aquatics Championships in Shanghai.[7][6]

In November 2005, he announced that he had refused a multimillion-dollar offer by Qatar's Olympic body to switch nationalities and swim for Qatar at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.[7][6]

Professional life

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He has served as CEO of the Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation South Africa, a Laureus Sport for Good Foundation Ambassador, founder of the Ryk Neethling Swimming Schools and a director and shareholder of Val de Vie Estate. He is also an international keynote and motivational speaker.[16][17][18][19][20][21][22]

Neethling opened the second branch of the Ryk Neethling Swimming School and Academy in South Africa around June of 2012. The academy focuses on teaching children swimming at an early age, a focus Neethling believed could be a life-long benefit.[23]

He has more recently served as a shareholder and marketing director of Val de Vie Estate a luxury property development in Paarl, South Africa.[24]

Honors

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At the University of Arizona, he was named the American NCAA Swimmer of the Year and Athlete of the Century in 1999.[25][26]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "2004 Olympic Games swimming results". CNN. Archived from the original on 14 August 2004. Retrieved 22 July 2007.
  2. ^ "Montreal 2005 Results". Archived from the original on 28 January 2007. Retrieved 9 June 2007.
  3. ^ "Shanghai 2006 results". Archived from the original on 6 March 2007. Retrieved 24 July 2007.
  4. ^ "Swimming Schedule and Results". Archived from the original on 11 August 2007. Retrieved 22 August 2007.
  5. ^ "BBC Sport Commonwealth Games 2002 Statistics". BBC News. Retrieved 29 August 2007.
  6. ^ a b c d e "Swim History, Ryk Neethling". swimhistory.co.za. Retrieved 20 February 2025.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Olympedia Biography Ryk Neethling". olympedia.org. Retrieved 20 February 2025.
  8. ^ "Grace, Jeff, September 13, 2018, Rick DeMont; An Artists Approach to Coaching". swimswam.com. Retrieved 19 February 2025.
  9. ^ Swimming Champ who fell for Val de Vie. Retrieved 4 January 2020
  10. ^ 702.co.za interview. Retrieved 4 January 2020
  11. ^ Cape Talk interview. Retrieved 4 January 2020
  12. ^ Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation – Ryk Neethling. Retrieved 4 January 2020
  13. ^ swimhistory.co.za – Ryk Neethling. Retrieved 4 January 2020
  14. ^ Gauteng.net – Ryk Neethling. Retrieved 4 January 2020
  15. ^ "University of Arizona Sports Hall of Fame, Four Former Wildcats Inducted into South African Sports Hall of Fame, Roland Schoeman". arizonawildcats.com. Retrieved 19 February 2025.
  16. ^ Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation. Retrieved 4 January 2020
  17. ^ Val de Vie Management Team. Retrieved 4 January 2020
  18. ^ On Fire Comedy Public Speaker. Retrieved 4 January 2020
  19. ^ Entertainment online Public Speaker. Retrieved 4 January 2020
  20. ^ Whacked Public Speaker. Retrieved 4 January 2020
  21. ^ Laureus Ryk Neethling. Retrieved 4 January 2020
  22. ^ Laureus News 24. Retrieved 4 January 2020
  23. ^ "Ryk Neethling", Arizona Daily Star, Tucson, Arizona, 28 June 2012, pg. B002
  24. ^ Swimming Champ who fell for Val de Vie. Retrieved 4 January 2020
  25. ^ 702.co.za interview. Retrieved 4 January 2020
  26. ^ Cape Talk interview. Retrieved 4 January 2020
[edit]
Records
Preceded by World Record Holder
Men's 100 Individual Medley (25m)
22 January 2005 – 12 April 2008 		Succeeded by
Sporting positions
Preceded by FINA World Cup
overall male winner
2004/2005, 2005/2006 		Succeeded by
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