Brenton Rickard: Australia’s breast-stroke champion
Brenton Rickard is one of the most remarkable breast-stroke swimmers of Australia. His gruelling swimming efforts and perfect stroke, has earned many awards and accolades at the world’s highest level of sports.
He is one of those honourable Australian swimmers, who have represented their country at the Olympic Games, World Championships, Commonwealth Games and the Pan Pacific Championships during his seven years international career.
Rickard made a debut to his international swimming career in 2004, where he earned the titles of 100m breast-stroke and 200m breast-stroke at the Australian Swimming Championships to qualify for the 2004 World Short Course Championships in Indianapolis.
He competed in the events of 100m breast-stroke, 200m breast-stroke and the 4*100m medley relay and earned silver medals in all of them. His wonderful performance at the first international meet made him the star of arena and he became the centre of attention
for the media and swimming fans.
He then decided to take a year off from competitions but remained in full training during 2005. His aim was to give full time to his training, so he could appear on the international stage with improved timings. He returned to the international meet in 2006,
where he proved his qualification for the 2006 Victoria Pan Pacific Championships by conquering his events at the Australian Nationals. He represented Australia in the events of 100m breast-stroke and the 4*100m medley relay and earned a silver medal in the
100m event along with the bronze in the relay event.
The same year, he again demonstrated his performance at the World Short Course Championships in Shanghai, where he earned a gold medal in the 4*100m medley relay event while reaching the podium twice for the 100m breast-stroke and the 200m breast-stroke.
Then, he showered his stunning efforts at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne. For the first time at any international competition, Rickard participated in four events including the 50m breast-stroke, 100m breast-stroke, 200m breast-stroke and the 4*100m
medley relay. He conquered the gold medal in the 4*100m medley relay, a silver medal in the 200m breast-stroke and two bronze medals in the 50m breast-stroke and the 100m breast-stroke respectively.
Rickard competed at the 2007 World Long Course Championships in Melbourne. He participated in the events of 100m breast-stroke, 200m breast-stroke and the 4*100m medley relay and earned a gold medal in the relay event, a silver medal in the 200m breast-stroke
and a bronze medal in the 100m breast-stroke event.
In 2008, the 27-year-old Rickard confirmed his spot for the Australian team to compete at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. He participated in his main events including the 100m breast-stroke, 200m breast-stroke and the 4*100m medley relay. He failed to reach
the podium in the 100m event but succeeded in earning two silver medals in the rest of two events.
In 2009, he competed at the World Championships in Rome, where he earned a gold medal in the 100m breast-stroke along with the bronze in the 4*100m medley relay. His performance elevated in the 2010, where he first earned a silver medal in the 200m breast-stroke
at the Pan Pacific Championships in Irvine. Then, the same year at the Delhi Commonwealth Games, he earned two gold medals in 200m breast-stroke and the 4*100m medley relay, a silver medal in the 50m breast-stroke and a bronze medal in the 100m breast-stroke
event.
Now, Rickard aims to qualify for the Australian squad for the 2012 London Olympics, so he can reach the podium once again at the world’s mega event.
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