Eamon Sullivan: Australia’s talented freestyle swimmer
Eamon Wade Sullivan is one of the most talented freestyle swimmers that Australia has produced, since the retirement of world renowned Ian Thorpe in 2006. His consistent performances are moving him up the ranks, among some of the world’s top swimmers. Sullivan’s
aggressive swimming technique and fierce competitive spirit has earned him many awards and accolades at the international level.
Sullivan reached the top of Australian swimming in 2006, as he qualified for the Pan Pacific Championships. He managed to win three bronze medals in the 100m freestyle, 4*100m medley relay and the 4*100m freestyle relay. Sullivan finished the 100m freestyle
in a time of 49.09 behind USA’s Jason Lezak and Canada’s Brent Hayden.
In 2006, he qualified for the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, where he won a gold medal in the 4*100m medley relay and secured a silver medal in the 4*100m freestyle relay. However, the Australian sprinter failed to reach the podium at any individual freestyle
event. His disappointment in sustaining his position in the 100m freestyle affected his performance and Sullivan took a little time off to regain his confidence and resume the training session.
Sullivan underwent an extensive training session under the Australian Institute of Sport, which involved the combination of sports sciences and training strategies to help him improve his timings for the upcoming World Long Course Championships in Melbourne.
Sullivan qualified to represent Australia in the 100m freestyle, the medley relay and the 100m freestyle relay. He managed to win a gold medal in the medley relay event, while he finished third in the 100m freestyle in an improved time of 48.47 seconds behind
Italy’s Filippo Magnini and Canadian Brent Hayden’s tie for the gold medal in a time of 48.43 seconds.
After his close third in the championship, Sullivan gained some confidence and at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, he obtained a silver medal in the 100m freestyle. Sullivan was also a part of the 4*100m medley relay and the 4*100m freestyle relay, in which he
won a silver medal and a bronze medal respectively.
Sullivan suffered a viral infection that prevented him from appearing at the 2009 World Championships in Rome. Two months after the infection, he was attending a training camp when he turned ill and went through surgery. After a short time of recuperating
and gaining back his fitness, he resumed competitive swimming.
In 2010, Sullivan managed his way into the 4*100m freestyle Australian swimming team, which was to participate at the 2010 Pan Pacific Championships, as Sullivan won a silver medal in the event as a part of the relay team.
During the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games, Sullivan earned a bronze medal in the 100m freestyle and two gold medals in the 4*100m freestyle and 4*100m medley relay events. Currently, with the upcoming 2011 World Championships in Shanghai, Sullivan faces a
fierce battle in the tournament with many international swimmers.
Sullivan is also working very hard due to the return of the former Olympic gold medalist Australian Ian Thorpe, who has recently stated that he will be targeting the 100m freestyle and the 4*100m freestyle relay events to qualify for the 2012 London Olympic
Games. Sullivan has expressed that he will not show any leniency to secure a spot for the 100m freestyle event. He has announced that he is preparing to beat Thorpe at the Olympic Trials in the early part of 2012.
Sullivan is expected to train hard, as he competes with the return of Thorpe into competitive international swimming. It will be interesting to see which of these top class swimmers qualifies for the 2012 London Olympics and has the opportunity to represent
Australia.
Tags: