Ryan Mitchell

Ryan Mitchell (born April 24 1977 in Port Augusta, South Australia) was an Australian breaststroke swimmer of the 1990s, who won a silver medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney as part of the 4x100m medley relay team.

Growing up in Adelaide and being coached by Glenn Beringen at the South Australian Sports Institute, Mitchell made his debut at the 1994 Commonwealth Games in Victoria, Canada. He won selection to the national team for the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, after dead-heating with Phil Rogers to win the 200m breaststroke at the Australian Championships. He swam slower at the Olympics, finishing in eleventh place.

At the 1998 World Aquatics Championships in Perth, Mitchell finished fifth in the 200m breaststroke and then won silver at the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur, behind fellow Australian Simon Cowley, who won both breaststroke events. He gained selection to the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney after winning the 200m event and finishing third in the 100m event.

At the Olympics, he finished eighth in the 200m breaststroke. After Australia's only 100m breaststroker Phil Rogers put in a poor performance in the individual event, Australian head coach Don Talbot dropped Rogers and Mitchell swam in the heats of the 4x100m medley relay, even though he was not originally selected in the 100m breaststroke. Mitchell was replaced in the final by Regan Harrison (who came fourth in the 200m breaststroke), who combined with Matt Welsh, Geoff Huegill and Michael Klim to claim silver, behind the United States who broke the world record.

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* [http://www.abc.net.au/olympics/2000/profiles/RYANMITCHELL.htm ABC profile]