Lyndon Ferns
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| Nationality |  South Africa |
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| Born | 24 September 1983 Pietersburg, South Africa |
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| Height | 6'2" (188cm) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 198lb/90kg | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Sport | Swimming | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Strokes | Sprint Freestyle / Butterfly | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | Ford Aquatics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| College team | Arizona Wildcats (USA) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Lyndon Ferns (born 24 September 1983 in Pietersburg, South Africa)[1] is a retired Olympic gold-medalist and former world record swimmer from South Africa. He swam for South Africa at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics.[2]
At the 2004 Olympics, he was a member of the South Africa's Men's 4×100 m freestyle relay that won the event in a world record. Three of the team were a part of the relay that broke the record and won gold at the 2006 Commonwealth Games.
During the 2007 World Championships held in Melbourne, Australia, Lyndon became the first man out of Africa to complete the 100m butterfly in under 52 seconds, touching the wall in 51.90 seconds and with that breaking his own African record. He was also part of the 4x100m freestyle and 4x100m medley relay, both placing fourth.
Lyndon also competed at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, where he set the African record in the 100m freestyle at 48.00, earning a sixth place in the finals. He also competed in the 100m butterfly, 4x100m freestyle relay and 4x100m medley relay.
In May 2009, it was announced that he was part of South Africa's team to the 2009 World Championships. At the 2009 World Championships, Lyndon became the first male athlete from Africa, to complete the 100m freestyle in under 48 seconds, setting the African record at 47.79 seconds. He is still the only man from Africa to have completed the 100m freestyle in a sub 48 second swim.[3] He is the holder of the following records: (Updated July 2014)
- African records: 100 m freestyle, 4×100 m freestyle relay
- South African records: 100 m freestyle, 4×100 m Freestyle relay
In April 2011, Lyndon retired from competitive swimming.
College
He attended the University of Arizona,[4] where he competed at the NCAA level for his four years of eligibility under the tutelage of former-Olympian, world-renowned sprint coach, Rick DeMont. Lyndon completed his eligibility as a 24-time All-American, NCAA record holder, 3-time relay national champion as well as national champion in the 100y butterfly. Lyndon now lives in South Africa.
Personal bests
| Event | Time | Date |
|---|---|---|
| 50 lcm Freestyle | 22.22 | April, 2008 |
| 100 lcm Freestyle | 47.79 | July, 2009 |
| 100 lcm Butterfly | 51.69 | June, 2009 |
| Event | Time | Date |
|---|---|---|
| 50 scm Freestyle | 21.28 | July, 2006 |
| 50 scm Butterfly | 22.83 | July, 2006 |
| 100 scm Freestyle | 46.00 | October, 2009 |
| 100 scm Butterfly | 50.17 | November, 2009 |
| Event | Time | Date |
|---|---|---|
| 50 y Freestyle | 19.22 | December, 2003 |
| 100 y Freestyle | 42.34 | March, 2005 |
| 100 y Butterfly | 45.89 | March, 2006 |
Affiliations
- TuksSport - University of Pretoria, South Africa[5]
- Northern Tigers
- University of Arizona, USA
See also
- List of Commonwealth Games medallists in swimming (men)
- List of Olympic medalists in swimming (men)
- World record progression 4 × 100 metres freestyle relay
References
- ↑ Ferns' result page from the 2008 Olympics website; retrieved 2009-06-30.
- ↑ Ferns' entry from www.sports-reference.com; retrieved 2009-06-30.
- ↑ SA swim squad announced. From sport24.com.za; published 2009-05-12, retrieved 2009-06-30.
- ↑ Ferns' bio page from the University of Arizona Athletics website; retrieved 2009-06-30.
- ↑ http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/fe/lyndon-ferns-1.html Lyndon Ferns Retrieved 25 June 2011
External links
Retirement news article Sport24
- Use dmy dates from September 2012
- Use South African English from September 2012
- All Wikipedia articles written in South African English
- Pages using Infobox sportsperson with module2 parameter
- No local image but image on Wikidata
- Pages using infobox swimmer with nationality parameter
- 1983 births
- Living people
- People from Pietersburg
- South African swimmers
- White South African people
- Arizona Wildcats athletes
- Olympic swimmers of South Africa
- Swimmers at the 2004 Summer Olympics
- Swimmers at the 2008 Summer Olympics
- Olympic gold medalists for South Africa
- Swimmers at the 2006 Commonwealth Games
- Commonwealth Games gold medalists for South Africa
- Commonwealth Games competitors for South Africa
- University of Pretoria alumni
- Former world record holders in swimming
- Olympic medalists in swimming
- Male freestyle swimmers
- South African people of British descent
