Cameron van der Burgh
Birthday:
25 May 1988
Olympic events:
100m and 200m breaststroke
Best times in breaststroke:
58.46s in the 100m and 2:10.13 in the 200m.
Medals at Olympic Games/World Championships/Commonwealth Games:
Gold at 2012 Olympic Games; Worlds (long course): 2 gold – 3 silver – 4 bronze; Worlds (short course): 1 gold – 3 silver – 1 bronze; Commonwealth Games: 3 golds – 2
silver – 1 bronze.
Coach:
Dirk Lange.
Olympic participation:
2008 in Beijing, 2012 in London, 2016 in Rio.
Best performance at the Games:
Winning gold in the 100m breaststroke in a world record time of 58:46s.
Cameron on records:
Records are obviously important. But the reality is that you just ‘borrow’ a record. What is special about breaking a record is that your name will appear in the history books
because you were the best swimmer in the world at a specific time. This is quite impressive, so for me records are important. I like the challenge of constantly pushing the
boundaries. The ultimate would be to set a time that no one else can improve.
Reason for choosing the sport you specialize in:
Swimming is a place where I can express myself freely with my body and mind as you are not held back by the limitations of gravity! You can do anything in the water as long
as you can hold your breath.