Daniel Kowalski

Daniel Kowalski

Personal information
Full name	Daniel Steven Kowalski
Nationality	Australia
Born	2 July 1975 (1975-07-02) (age 36) Singapore
Height	1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Weight	76 kilograms (170 lb)
Sport
Sport	Swimming
Stroke(s)	Freestyle
College team	University of Miami
Medal record Men's swimming Competitor for  Australia Olympic Games Gold 2000 Sydney 4x200 m freestyle Silver 1996 Atlanta 1500 m freestyle Bronze 1996 Atlanta 200 m freestyle Bronze 1996 Atlanta 400 m freestyle World Championships (LC) Gold 1998 Perth 4x200 m freestyle Silver 1994 Rome 1500 m freestyle Bronze 1998 Perth 1500 m freestyle Commonwealth Games Gold 1998 Kuala Lumpur 4x200 m freestyle Gold 1994 Victoria 4x200 m freestyle Silver 1994 Victoria 1500 m freestyle Bronze 1998 Kuala Lumpur 200 m freestyle Bronze 1994 Victoria 400 m freestyle Bronze 1998 Kuala Lumpur 400 m freestyle World Championships (SC) Gold 1993 Palma 400 m freestyle Gold 1993 Palma 1500 m freestyle Gold 1995 Rio de Janeiro 400 m freestyle Gold 1995 Rio de Janeiro 1500 m freestyle Gold 1995 Rio de Janeiro 4x200 m freestyle Bronze 1999 Hong Kong 1500m freestyle Pan Pacific Championships Gold 1995 Atlanta 4x200 m freestyle Gold 1995 Atlanta 400 m freestyle Gold 1995 Atlanta 800 m freestyle Silver 1995 Atlanta 200 m freestyle Silver 1993 Kobe 400 m freestyle Silver 1993 Kobe 800 m freestyle Silver 1993 Kobe 1500 m freestyle Silver 1995 Atlanta 1500 m freestyle

Daniel Steven Kowalski (born 2 July 1975 in Singapore) is a former Australian middle- and long-distance swimmer specialising in freestyle events. He competed in the Olympic Games in 200 m, 400 m and 1,500 m individual freestyle events and in the 4x200 m freestyle relay. At the 1996 Summer Olympics, he was the first man in 92 years to earn medals in all of the 200 m, 400 m and 1500 m freestyle events. Kowalski was however perhaps best known for being perpetual "bridesmaid" to fellow Australians Kieren Perkins and Grant Hackett, who were respectively the world's best 1500 m freestyle competitors during the earlier and later parts of Kowalski's career.

Olympic medals

• 2000 Summer Olympics: gold medal in the 4x200 m freestyle relay (Kowalski was replaced in the final by Ian Thorpe but as a swimmer in the qualifying heat, he shares the gold medal).
• 1996 Summer Olympics: silver medal in the 1500 m freestyle, bronze medal in the 400 m freestyle, and bronze medal in the 200 m freestyle.

World championship results

• 1998 World Aquatics Championships: silver medal in the 1500 m freestyle
• 1994 World Aquatics Championships: gold medal in the 4x200 m relay, bronze medal in the 1500 m freestyle

World records

Kowalski was part of the world record setting Australian gold medal 4x200 m relay team at the 1998 Commonwealth Games. Kowalski also holds 400 freestyle long course masters world record in the 30 to 34 age group which he set on the 2nd May 2009 in a time of 3:58.42

Retirement

Kowalski announced his retirement from competitive swimming on 8 May 2002. He studied sports marketing at Bond University, graduating in 2003. He was named as an assistant swimming coach at the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 2007, and also won the 2007 Pier to Pub 1.2 km open water swim – the largest open water swim in the world – held annually in Lorne, Australia.^[1]

In February 2004, he was the host of an overnight program on SEN 1116 with former Magic basketballer Andrew Parkinson. In May 2007 Kowalski appeared as one of the celebrity performers on the celebrity reality singing competition It Takes Two.

In April 2010 Kowalski announced that he is gay.^[2] Kowalski says he was inspired to come out by Welsh rugby player Gareth Thomas, who announced last December that he was gay.

He said "I felt really compelled to do it because it's very tough to live a closeted existence".

In 2010, Kowalski was selected by readers of samesame.com.au as one of the 25 most influential gay Australians.^[3]

References

1. ^ College Swimming (2008). Wisconsin Names Kowalski Assistant. Retrieved 6 April 2008.
2. ^ Bradley, Seamus (18 April 2010). "Out and proud: Olympian Kowalski breaks silence". Sydney Morning Herald. http://www.smh.com.au/sport/swimming/out-and-proud-olympian-kowalski-breaks-silence-20100417-slo3.html. Retrieved 18 April 2010. 
3. ^ "Samesame 25". samesame. http://www.samesame.com.au/25/2010/. Retrieved 31 March 2011. 

• ABC Online News: Athletes – Daniel Kowalski
• Australian Swimming | Swimmer Profile^{[dead link]}
• Daniel Kowalski announces his retirement

External links

• Daniel Kowalski website^{[dead link]}
• Swimming Australia profile for Daniel Kowalski^{[dead link]}
• Daniel Kowalski at the Internet Movie Database
• Sports-Reference.com profile

Persondata
Name	Kowalski, Daniel
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	2 July 1975
Place of birth	Singapore
Date of death
Place of death