Ashley Callus: Australian freestyle swimmer
The Olympic gold medallist, Ashley Callus, is one of the most dynamic freestyle swimmers in the sport. The 32-year-old Callus has showered his expertise at all international swimming events and has made his country proud at world’s biggest stage of sports,
the Olympic Games.
With the help of his breath-taking swims, the Australian swimmer has earned many awards and accolades during his entire swimming career. Callus has the honour to represent his country at the Olympic Games, World Long Course Championships, World Short Course
Championships, Commonwealth Games, Pan Pacific Championships and the Goodwill Games.
The Australian swimmer has been representing his country at these world levels for thirteen years. During his impressive swimming career, Callus occupied nine gold medals, five silver medals and one bronze medal.
The Brisbane born, Ashley, made a debut in international competitive swimming by qualifying for the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur. He qualified for these Commonwealth Games by dominating the Australian national championships and represented his
country in the 4*100m freestyle relay at these Games. His fastest freestyle stroke paved the way for Australia’s team to conquer the gold medal of the freestyle relay event at these championships.
The next year, at the Australian Olympic Selection Trial, Callus sustained his spot in the top four Australian freestyle swimmers that led to his qualification in the Australian swimming team for the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. He joined the league of Michael
Klim, Chris Fydler and Ian Thorpe, who won the gold medal of the relay event in a world record time of 3 minutes and 13.67 seconds.
The following year, he took part in the 2001 Goodwill Games in Brisbane, where he competed in the events of 4*100m freestyle and the individual 100m freestyle. Ashley conquered a gold medal in the 4*100m freestyle relay, while he gained a silver medal in
the 100m freestyle.
His dominating performance at these Games qualified him for the 2001 World Long Course Championships in Fukuoka. These were the first championships, where the Australian swimmer competed in three events including 100m freestyle, 4*100m medley relay and the
4*100m freestyle relay. Callus was only able to reach the finals of the 100m freestyle but he obtained two gold medals in the medley relay and the freestyle relay event.
At the 2002 Pan Pacific Championships in Yokohama, he pocketed two gold medals in the individual 100m freestyle and the 4*100m freestyle relay event. The same year, Callus represented Australia at the Commonwealth Games in Manchester, where he settled on
the podium for the gold medal in freestyle relay and one silver medal in the individual freestyle. After a few months, at the 2002 World Short Course Championships, he won his first gold medal of the individual 100m freestyle, while the Australian team settled
on the podium for the silver medal in the freestyle relay.
Then, the Australian swimmer did not take part in any swimming event for almost three years, but appeared on the international stage of the Commonwealth Games in 2006. He qualified in the Australian team for the freestyle relay, which won a silver medal
at these Games. Later, he won a gold medal in the 4*100m medley relay at the 2006 World Short Course Championships.
Two years later, he qualified for the national team to the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. Ashley participated in the freestyle relay alongside his fellows, Eamon Sullivan, Andrew Lauterstein and Matt Targett and won a bronze medal in the relay event.
Now, in 2011, Ashley failed to qualify in the Australian team to the 2011 World Championships in Shanghai but he is hopeful that he will qualify the Australian team to the 2012 London Olympics.
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