Ryan Gambin
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Australian-Maltese |
| Born | 23 May 1985 |
| Height | 1.89 m (6 ft 2 in) |
| Weight | 90 kg (200 lb) |
| Sport | |
| Country |
 Malta |
| Sport | Swimming |
| Event(s) | Backstroke, butterfly |
| Club | Southport Olympic Pool |
| Coached by | Glen Baker |
Ryan Gambin (born May 23, 1985) is an Australian swimmer of Maltese origin, specialized in backstroke and butterfly events.[1] He was also a member of Southport Olympic Pool Club in Southport, Queensland, Australia, being coached and trained under his head coach Glen Baker. He had been successful at the national championships back in Australia, and had won a full set of medals at the Australian Open. In 2007, Gambin was approached by the Maltese Olympic Committee to become a member of the team, and thereby represented Malta in various swimming tournaments, including the Olympic Games.[2]
Gambin made his international debut under his ancestral homeland at the 2008 European Championships in Eindhoven, Netherlands, where he finished thirtieth out of a field of 56 swimmers in the men's 100 m butterfly event, clocking 54.33 seconds in his heat. At the same competition, he also competed in the men's 50 m backstroke, where he finished twenty-fifth out of 35 swimmers, with a time of 24.81 seconds. Apart from his best results in swimming, Gambin broke both of his personal and national records in each of his events. Because of his success and outstanding achievements at the European Championships, Gambin received his place as the first Maltese swimmer to qualify for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.[3] He also continued to set four more national records in his events at the Luxembourg Open Championships, and three at the Paris EDF Open.[4][5]
At the Olympics, Gambin qualified for the 100 m butterfly, an event which included defending champion United States' Michael Phelps, who later won eight gold medals at these Olympic games. He swam in the heats with a time of 53.70 seconds, finishing sixth in his round and forty-eighth in overall.[6] Although he failed to advance into the semi-finals, Gambin maintained his impressive pace, by lowering a mark in his event, and ultimately, by breaking another national record.[7]
After the Olympics, Gambin retired from his swimming career, and returned to Australia to work as a personal trainer and fitness instructor in the Gold Coast.
References
- ↑ "Ryan Gambin". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 21 November 2012.
- ↑ "Swimmer Ryan Gambin set to become part of Team Malta". Malta Independent. 12 June 2007. Retrieved 21 November 2012.
- ↑ Brincat, Henry (23 March 2008). "Swimming: Malta’s Ryan Gambin becomes first ever swimmer to qualify for Olympics". Malta Independent. Retrieved 21 November 2012.
- ↑ "Swimming: Ryan Gambin sets four new records". Malta Independent. 17 June 2008. Retrieved 21 November 2012.
- ↑ "Swimming: Ryan Gambin breaks three more national records". Malta Independent. 20 June 2008. Retrieved 21 November 2012.
- ↑ "Men's 100m Butterfly – Heat 4". NBC Olympics. Retrieved 21 November 2012.
- ↑ "Beijing Olympics 2008: Ryan Gambin again breaks national record, but fails to make it to the last 16". Malta Independent. 20 June 2008. Retrieved 21 November 2012.