1. Cate Campbell is a former world record holder in the long course 100 m freestyle, breaking Britta Steffen's supersuit WR by 0.01.
38 Facts About Cate Campbell
1. 2.
Cate Campbell was Australia's joint flagbearer at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
3.
Cate Campbell was coached by Simon Cusack at the Commercial Swimming Club for over two decades, before moving to train with Damien Jones at the Rackley Swimming Club then Vince Raleigh at Chandler in her fifth and final Olympic campaign bid.
4.
Cate Campbell is regarded as one of the greatest Australian swimmers and one of the best relay swimmers of all time, holding four of the fastest 100 m freestyle splits in history at the time of her retirement.
5.
Cate Campbell is the first of five children born to South African parents, Eric, an accountant, and Jenny, a nurse.
6.
Cate Campbell has four younger siblings : Bronte, Jessica, Hamish, and Abigail.
7.
Cate Campbell recalls swimming near Hippopotami in Lake Malawi as a small child.
8.
Cate Campbell stated she received top marks for public speaking at school.
9.
Cate Campbell completed her secondary school studies at Kenmore State High School in Brisbane, Queensland.
10.
Cate Campbell was the fastest qualifier into the 50 metre freestyle semi-finals, after recording a time of 24.20 seconds.
11.
Cate Campbell won bronze as part of Australia's women's 4 x 100 metre freestyle relay team.
12.
Cate Campbell finished ahead of Sarah Sjostrom of Sweden and defending Olympic champion, Ranomi Kromowidjojo.
13.
Cate Campbell broke the Australian record in the 50 metre freestyle in the semifinals with a time of 23.93, which was the fastest time ever in a textile swimsuit.
14.
Cate Campbell went on to win the final and qualify for the Olympics in the 50 metre freestyle, improving her time to 23.84.
15.
Cate Campbell narrowly missed a medal in the 50 m freestyle final, finishing 5th.
16.
Cate Campbell used most of the year to do "normal things" other people her age might do, taking her first real break from training since the age of 9.
17.
Cate Campbell then won gold for the women's 50m freestyle, with a time of 23.78, breaking a Commonwealth record.
18.
Cate Campbell won gold for the women's 50m butterfly, despite having no prior experience in the stroke.
19.
Cate Campbell stated she opted for the event to "shake things up" and "to try something new and different".
20.
Cate Campbell claimed the silver medal for the 100m freestyle with a time of 52.69, touching behind her sister Bronte, who had a time of 52.27.
21.
Alongside Emma McKeon, Meg Harris, and sister Bronte, Cate Campbell won gold in the women's freestyle relay, again breaking Australia's previous record.
22.
Cate Campbell then went on to win the bronze medal in the 100m freestyle, behind Emma McKeon and Hong Kong's Siobhan Haughey.
23.
On day 9 of the Olympics, Cate Campbell finished 7th in the 50m freestyle final.
24.
Cate Campbell took an 18 month break following the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 before announcing her tilt at a fifth and final Olympics, hoping to become the first Australian swimmer to do so.
25.
At the 2024 Australian Swimming Trials, Cate Campbell placed 9th in the 100m freestyle heats, failing to progress to the final by 0.01.
26.
Cate Campbell's competitors paid homage to her for setting the standards in sprint freestyle nationally and internationally, as well as for being an inspiration in and out of the pool.
27.
In 2015, Cate Campbell opened up about her struggles with body image.
28.
Cate Campbell confessed that pressure from TV and magazine models made her want to be skinny, however it reached the point where she was getting sick.
29.
Cate Campbell read a chapter in Michael Phelps' book Beneath the Surface, where the line "skinny swimmers aren't good swimmers" stuck out in her head.
30.
Cate Campbell's mother encouraged her to see a dietitian, and now believes "the sum of your worth is so much more than what you look like".
31.
Since 2011, Cate Campbell has been studying a degree in Mass Communication at Queensland University of Technology.
32.
Cate Campbell has stated that she wants to pursue a career that combines her interest in the media industry with her love of sport, when she retires.
33.
Cate Campbell is a member of the QUT Elite Athlete program.
34.
Cate Campbell enjoys hiking, listening to music, newspaper crosswords, and brewing Kombucha.
35.
Cate Campbell is a supporter of Nexus Care, a not-for-profit organisation, that aims to improve the lives of those living in poverty in the northern suburbs of Brisbane.
36.
In November 2018, Cate Campbell revealed she had been diagnosed with a stage one melanoma that developed in a mole she had had her whole life and had to get it removed.
37.
Cate Campbell urged her fans to get regular skin checks, stating "an hour out of your day once or twice a year is all it takes".
38.
Cate Campbell has since been praised for raising awareness of skin cancer.