Simon Burnett

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Simon Burnett interviewed at the 2006 Commonwealth Games.
Simon Burnett interviewed at the 2006 Commonwealth Games.
International Events
Olympic Games (Long Course)
Pos. Year Event Time
7th 2004 Men's 200 m freestyle 1:48.02
4th 2004 Men's 4x200 m freestyle relay 7:12.60 BR (1:47.90 (Lead-off)

Commonwealth Games (Long Course)
Pos. Year Event Time
12th 2002 Men's 50 m backstroke 26.78
10th 2002 Men's 100 m backstroke 57.34
Bronze 2002 Men's 4x200 m freestyle relay 7:22.56
Gold 2006 Men's 100 m freestyle 48.57 BR
Silver 2006 Men's 200 m freestyle 1:47.38
4th 2006 Men's 4x100 m freestyle relay 3:19.56 (48.79 (Lead-off)
Gold 2006 Men's 4x200 m freestyle relay 7:14.14 (1:47.57 (Lead-off)
Domestic Events
Olympic Trials (Long Course)
Pos. Year Event Time
Silver 2004 Men's 100 m freestyle 49.94
Gold 2004 Men's 200 m freestyle 1:48.50
ASA National Championships (Long Course)
Pos. Year Event Time
Gold 2001 Men's 50 m backstroke 27.21
8th 2001 Men's 100 m backstroke 1:01.73
10th 2001 Men's 50 m freestyle 24.37
10th 2001 Men's 100 m freestyle 52.63
Gold 2002 Men's 50 m backstroke 27.37
11th 2002 Men's 50 m freestyle 24.79
9th 2002 Men's 100 m freestyle 55.83
Gold 2002 Men's 200 m freestyle 1:53.45
Gold 2005 Men's 50 m freestyle 22.12 BR
Gold 2005 Men's 100 m freestyle 48.68 BR
Gold 2005 Men's 200 m freestyle 1:46.59 BR
NCAA Swimming (USA Inter-collegiate)
Pos. Year Event Time
Gold 2003 Men's 200y freestyle 1:33.69
Gold 2003 Men's 200y freestyle 1:33.69
Gold 2005 Men's 200y freestyle 1:33.22
Bronze 2006 Men's 50y freestyle 19.32
Bronze 2006 Men's 100y freestyle 42.54
Gold 2006 Men's 200y freestyle 1:31.20
Silver 2006 Men's 4x50y freestyle 1:16.54(19.43) Lead-off)
Gold 2006 Men's 4x50y medley 1:23.88(18.86) freestyle)
Gold 2006 Men's 4x200y freestyle 6:16.67(1:33.41) Lead-off)

Simon Andrew Burnett[1] (born April 14, 1983) is a world-class English swimmer.

He holds 3 British records across the board in freestyle events, which is unprecedented for a British swimmer[citation needed]; they were all broken at the ASA National Championships in 2005. He trains in Arizona and formerly swam for the university's Arizona Wildcats

Contents

[edit] Career

Simon was born at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, the second of the three sons of Ray Burnett and Melanie Verhoeven. He lived in the Oxfordshire village of Chinnor as a child, and then moved a few miles to Tetsworth, attending Lord Williams's School in Thame, Oxfordshire. After completing his GCSEs, he went to John Hampden Grammar School, in High Wycombe, to study chemistry, biology, and physics at A-level. He first swam at Wycombe District Swimming Pool from very a young age, and soon joined the Wycombe District Swimming Club, where he remained until 2003. He was coached by Bob Pay and his move to John Hampden, which was local to the Wycombe Sports Centre at which he trained, helped him focus further on swimming. In 2003, with the help of his coach Bob Pay, Simon won a sports scholarship at the University of Arizona to study business. He now swims for the Arizona Wildcats under coach Frank Busch.

Burnett began competing at an international level in 2000 at the 3 Nations Junior International. At the ASA National Championships, he won gold in the 50 m backstroke in 2001 and 2002. On the advice of his coach Bob Pay, Burnett switched to swim freestyle in 2003 and began to excel. His television debut was in 2002 at the Manchester Commonwealth Games, where he competed in the 4x200 freestyle relay and won a bronze medal. The following Olympic Games saw Simon finish 7th in the 200 m freestyle, and he competed in the 4x200 freestyle relay team, which finished 4th, nearly grabbing bronze medals. The British trials for the Games had been a great success for Simon, in which he won silver in 100 m freestyle and gold in the 200 m freestyle, despite having broken his wrist in a cycling accident in Arizona two months previously. He was now emerging as an elite British swimmer. Swimming for the University of Arizona, Burnett competes in the American NCAAs and has had great success winning gold in his first year in the 200y freestyle and in 2005. 2005 was probably his best year yet, returning to England as well for the ASA National Championships. He won 3 gold medals in the 50 m, 100 m, and 200 m freestyle. All of which were new British records. In the United States, he also broke the 17-year old record for the 200y freestyle set by Matt Biondi at 1:33.03; Burnett swam a 1:32.22.

At the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, Burnett competed in the 200 m freestyle and won silver with a time of 1:47.38, beaten by team mate Ross Davenport, who swam a personal best of 1:47.29. Simon was also part of the relay team in the 4x100 m freestyle, managing to come fourth, with the South African favourites taking gold. However, the most sensational race was the 4x200 m freestyle, when the English team, won the gold medal, nudging Scotland into second place and Australia into third. The next day, he stormed to individual gold in the 100 m freestyle, leaving the South African entrants Ryk Neethling and Roland Schoeman into second and third respectively. With a time of 48.57s, he set a Commonwealth Games record and broke his own British record by eleven-hundredths of a second.

Before the Commonwealth Games had ended, Burnett was off to Atlanta for the 2006 NCAA Championships. Swimming for Arizona, Simon won bronze in the 50y freestyle, silver in the 4x50y freestyle relay, and gold in the 4x50y medley relay. In the 200y freestyle he won gold and broke the US open record with a time of 1:31.20.

[edit] Personal Bests

Long Course Meters

  • 50 m Freestyle 22.12 (British Record)
  • 100 m Freestyle 48.57 (British Record)
  • 200 m Freestyle 1.46.59 (British Record)
  • 50 m Backstroke 26.60
  • 100 m Backstroke 56.80

Short Course Meters

  • 100 m Freestyle 49.00
  • 200 m Freestyle 1.45.24
  • 50 m Backstroke 24.88
  • 100 m Backstroke 55.20


Short Course Yards

  • 50 y Freestyle 19.28
  • 100 y Freestyle 42.02
  • 200 y Freestyle 1.31.20 (NCAA Record and US Open Record)
  • 500 y Freestyle 4:42.26
  • 100 y Backstroke 46.44
  • 200 y Backstroke 1:45.35

[edit] Profile

Height: 1.85 m / 6 ft 2 in

Weight: 81 kg / 178 pounds

Stroke: Freestyle

[edit] References

  1. ^ Index of Births, Marriages and Deaths in England and Wales, 1837-1983.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links