Hayden Stoeckel

Hayden Stoeckel
Personal information
Full name Hayden Ernest Stoeckel
National team  Australia
Born 10 August 1984
Renmark, South Australia
Height 1.97 m (6 ft 6 in)
Weight 95 kg (209 lb)
Sport
Sport Swimming
Strokes Backstroke
Club Norwood

Hayden Ernest Stoeckel (born 10 August 1984)[1] is an Olympic and national record-holding backstroke swimmer from Australia. He swam for Australia at the 2008 Olympics where he tied with Russia's Arkady Vyatchanin for the bronze medal in the 100m backstroke; in semifinals of the event he also set a new Australian and Commonwealth Record (52.97).[2]

Stoeckel is a member of South Australia's Norwood Swimming Club.[3]

Stoeckel started his swimming with the Berri Swimming Club in South Australia. The swimming pool in Berri was renamed the Hayden Stoeckel Swimming Pool after he won two medals at the 2008 Olympics.[4]

At the 2007 World Championships, Stoeckel failed to advance from the preliminary heats of the 50m backstroke after coming 21st in a time of 26.38, failing to progress by 0.14 seconds. In the 100m event, he missed out on the semifinals by 0.01, placing 17th in the heats in a time of 55.64. However, one of the swimmers ahead of him withdrew from the semifinals, so he swam, finishing last in 55.51. He was eliminated in the heats of the 200 m backstroke, finishing 24th in a time of 2:02.32. He competed in the heats of the 4×100m medley relay, posting the fastest backstroke leg in a time of 55.18, as Australia qualified fourth. He was dropped in favour of Matt Welsh in the final, which Australia won.

At the 2008 Australian Swimming Championships he qualified in the 100m and 200m backstrokes for Australia's 2008 Olympic Team, placing second and first respectively.

In the 100m backstroke at the 2008 Olympics, Stoeckel won his heat and was seventh fastest going into the semifinals in a time of 53.93. He won the second semifinal in a time of 52.97, setting an Olympic, Commonwealth and Australian record to qualify fastest for the final. In the final, he finished third in a time of 53.18, tying for the bronze medal. Aaron Peirsol broke the world record in 52.54 s to defend his Olympic title.

Stoeckel came sixth in the 200 m back and was part of Australia's a silver-medal winning medley relay.

In early 2009, he qualified to swim at the 2009 World Championships; however, two weeks before championships he withdrew from the Australian team due to an injury.[5]

References

Wikinews has related news: Paralympic swim world records tumble at Australian championships
  1. Stoeckel's bio/results page from the 2008 Olympics website; retrieved 2009-07-27.
  2. Stoeckel's entry from www.sports-reference.com; retrieved 2009-07-23.
  3. Norwood Swimming club website
  4. Berri Olympic pool left 'high and dry'
  5. "Sullivan, Stoeckel out of worlds". The Australian. 12 July 2009. Retrieved 2009-07-19.

External links