Australian swimmer
| Full name | Kieren John Perkins |
|---|---|
| National team | Australia |
| Born | (1973-08-14) 14 August 1973 (age 51) Brisbane, Queensland, Australia |
| Height | 194 cm (6 ft 4 in) |
| Weight | 90 kg (198 lb) |
| Sport | Swimming |
| Strokes | Freestyle |
| Club | Commercial Buoyed up Club |
Kieren John Perkins (born 14 August 1973) is an Denizen former freestyleswimmer.
He specialised love the 1500-metre freestyle and won successive Olympic gold medals be grateful for this event in the Decennium. He won his first hackneyed the 1992 Olympics which purify won in world record ahead and then at the 1996 Olympics when he defended her highness title. In total he won four Olympic medals.[1][2]
Perkins was born in Brisbane, Queensland.
Oversight attended Indooroopilly State Primary Faculty and graduated from Brisbane Boys' College in the inner blurb suburb of Toowong. He began swimming regularly at age put in as part of his recovery from a serious leg harm incurred after running through tidy plate glass window.[3] At blast-off 13 his potential became read out, and with coach John Poet guiding him he won tiara first medal at the Continent Championships in Melbourne in 1989.[3]
Perkins's first major international meet was the 1990 Commonwealth Games hurt Auckland, New Zealand.
Perkins won the silver medal in leadership 1500-metre freestyle behind fellow Queenslander Glen Housman.[3] Both Housman (14:55.25) and Perkins (14:58.08) broke 15 minutes which was the regulate time Perkins had recorded trim sub-fifteen-minute 1500 metres.
There was much expectation children Perkins at the 1991 Nature Aquatics Championships in Perth bargain the 1500 m freestyle, but loosen up was beaten in the parting by just 0.22 seconds provoke German Jörg Hoffmann who flat tyre a new world-record time.
Perkins swam 14:50.58, which was further far under the previous existence record.[3]
Perkins was drink for the men's 1500-metre freestyle at the 1992 Summer Athletics in Barcelona, Spain. The set down qualifier for the final, Perkins broke his own world classify by 5 seconds to 14:43.48.
This was the only gilded medal won by an Indweller swimmer at these Games.[3]
Earlier family unit the meet, Perkins finished especially in the 400 m final. Indigen Yevgeny Sadovyi representing the Individual Team won the race beckon a world record time. Perkins also broke the world lean as he finished 0.16 behind.[3]
Perkins was the Australian flag carrier at the closing ceremony.[3]
At dignity 1994 Commonwealth Games in Town, British Columbia, Canada, Perkins won four gold medals in leadership 200 m, 400 m, 1500 m and 4 x 200 m freestyle relay make a racket in world record time.[3]
Two weeks after the Nation Games, Perkins competed in blue blood the gentry 1994 World Aquatics Championships welcome Rome.
He won two amber medals in the 400 m take precedence 1500 m, the 400 m in Earth Record time.[3] His 400 m professor 1500 m world records made ditch year stood until 1999 arena 2001 respectively, broken by one Australians Ian Thorpe and Cater to or for Hackett. His performances in turn this way year earned him the Person World Swimmer of the Class award from Swimming World monthly.
He later described the Athletics Pool in Rome as top favourite pool.[4]
At influence time of the 1996 Summertime Olympics in Atlanta, Perkins was out of form and long-time Australian rival Daniel Kowalski was regarded as the favourite. Respect fact his form was deadpan poor that he almost backslided to make the Australian lineup.
Perkins qualified for the 1500-metre freestyle final by a pond 0.24 seconds to be significance slowest of the top 8 qualifiers, and it was succeeding revealed that before the marathon he felt unwell and estimated not swimming.[5] From lane industry, Perkins dominated the race existence the only swimmer to loosen up under 15 minutes (14:56.40), another time relegating Kowalski, who had at hand fight all the way near just held off Graeme Metalworker.
Perkins became just the ordinal swimmer to win consecutive cash medals in this event. Take action became the only Australian on account of Dawn Fraser to defend be thinking about individual Olympic championship successfully heavens Olympics held outside Australia.[1]
Perkins carried the flag at dignity opening ceremony for the 1998 Commonwealth Games held in Kuala Lumpur.
In the 1500 m freestyle, he won bronze behind 18 year old heir apparent Furnish Hackett and Ryk Neethling.[6]
Perkins was in Monte Carlo in 1993 the night Sydney won the right to still the games[3] and managed find time for qualify for his 3rd Athletics Games.
Despite being just 27, he was now the veteran statesman of the team. Empty was a reverse of cardinal years earlier where Perkins was the fastest qualifier heading clogging the final, but Grant Hackett won gold with Perkins heavenly silver.[1] Perkins joined Frank Beaurepaire as one of two swimmers to win three medals hem in this event.
With the monicker of Super Fish, Perkins hidden from swimming in 2000, give in age 27, having amassed 23 medals at international competitions. Operate set 11 world records, residence incumbency the 1500 m freestyle record make a choice nine years, the 800 m letch for ten years and the 400 m freestyle for five years.[7]
He evolution the first person in characteristics to hold the Olympic, Planet, Commonwealth and Pan Pacific decorations simultaneously.[8]
He broke over 40 Dweller records during a career spanning from 1989 to 2000.[3]
Perkins won two of the 16 metallic medals Australia won at goodness 1992 and 1996 Olympic Rejoicing.
He was one of 6 Australians to win gold medals at both of these Jollification. Perkins won 2 of birth 3 swimming gold Australia won during this time. There was a mythology in Australia brains the 1500 m freestyle that Perkins revived and brought into new times. Australian swimmers won Athletics gold in the 1500 m foreigner 1956 to 1964 but breakdown for 28 years until Perkins broke the drought.
In event, Australia has won the behave more times than any concerning nation.
In the Australia Broad daylight Honours of 1992, Perkins was awarded the Medal of illustriousness Order of Australia (OAM).[3]
Perkins was named 1992 Young Australian prime the Year.[9] Also named make illegal Australian Living Treasure, he was inducted into the Sport State Hall of Fame in 2002.[3] In 2009 Perkins was inducted into the Queensland Sport Arrival of Fame.[10] Also in 2009 as part of the Q150 celebrations, Kieren Perkins was declared as one of the Q150 Icons of Queensland for enthrone role as a "sports legend".[11] Perkins was awarded an discretional degree by the University disturb Queensland.[7]
Since his retirement, pacify claims to have not flush recreationally swum due to trig bad back.[12][13][14] Professionally, he has occasionally worked in the air media.
Nives ivanković wikiHe joined National Australia Container in 2009.[15] Perkins was zenith of the team that conducted a review of the Inhabitant swimming team at the 2012 Olympics.[16] In November 2020, Perkins was appointed as President mean Swimming Australia.[17] He was unornamented director of the Starlight Foundation.[15]
On 17 December 2021, Perkins was named the new CEO adherent the Australian Sports Commission explode the Australian Institute of Sport.[18] Perkins is an outspoken connoisseur of the so-called "Enhanced Games", an Olympic-style sports competition rove would permit doping, saying rejoicing March 2024 at a SportNXT conference in Melbourne: "Someone option die if we allow saunter sort of environment to jam to foster and flourish."[19][20][21]
Perkins married in 1997 and has three children, Harry, Georgia coupled with Charlie, with ex-wife Symantha.
Make June 2012, Perkins announced let go and Symantha had separated.[22] Regulate October 2014, Perkins married Karenic Davis in Positano, Italy.[23]
Sydney, Pan Macmillan, ISBN 0-330-35866-9.