Lyndon Ferns

Lyndon Ferns (born 24 September 1983 in Pietersburg, South Africa)[1] is a retired Olympic gold-medalist and former world record swimmer from South Africa. He swam for South Africa at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics.[2]

Lyndon Ferns

Personal information
Nationality	South Africa
Born	24 September 1983 Polokwane, South Africa
Height	6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Weight	198 lb (90 kg)
Sport
Sport	Swimming
Strokes	Sprint Freestyle / Butterfly
Club	Ford Aquatics
College team	Arizona Wildcats (USA)
Medal record Men's swimming Representing  South Africa Olympic Games 2004 Athens 4×100 m freestyle Commonwealth Games 2006 Melbourne 4×100 m freestyle Pan Pacific Championships 2010 Irvine 4×100 m freestyle

At the 2004 Olympics, he was a member of South Africa's Men's 4×100 m freestyle relay that won the event in a world record. Three of the team were a part of the relay that broke the record and won gold at the 2006 Commonwealth Games.

During the 2007 World Championships held in Melbourne, Australia, Lyndon became the first man out of Africa to complete the 100m butterfly in under 52 seconds, touching the wall in 51.90 seconds and with that breaking his own African record. He was also part of the 4 × 100 m freestyle and 4 × 100 m medley relay, both placing fourth.

Lyndon also competed at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, where he set the African record in the 100m freestyle at 48.00, earning a sixth place in the finals. He also competed in the 100m butterfly, 4 × 100 m freestyle relay and 4 × 100 m medley relay.

In May 2009, it was announced that he was part of South Africa's team to the 2009 World Championships. At the 2009 World Championships, Lyndon became the first male athlete from Africa, to complete the 100m freestyle in under 48 seconds, setting the African record at 47.79 seconds. He is still the only man from Africa to have completed the 100m freestyle in a sub 48 second swim.[3] He is the holder of the following records: (Updated July 2014)

• African records: 100 m freestyle, 4×100 m freestyle relay
• South African records: 100 m freestyle, 4×100 m Freestyle relay

In April 2011, Lyndon retired from competitive swimming.

College

He attended the University of Arizona,[4] where he competed at the NCAA level for his four years of eligibility under the tutelage of former-Olympian, world-renowned sprint coach, Rick DeMont. Lyndon completed his eligibility as a 24-time All-American, NCAA record holder, 3-time relay national champion as well as national champion in the 100y butterfly. Lyndon now lives in South Africa.

Personal bests

Event	Time	Date
50 lcm Freestyle	22.22	April, 2008
100 lcm Freestyle	47.79	July, 2009
100 lcm Butterfly	51.69	June, 2009

Event	Time	Date
50 scm Freestyle	21.28	July, 2006
50 scm Butterfly	22.83	July, 2006
100 scm Freestyle	46.00	October, 2009
100 scm Butterfly	50.17	November, 2009

Event	Time	Date
50 y Freestyle	19.22	December, 2003
100 y Freestyle	42.34	March, 2005
100 y Butterfly	45.89	March, 2006

Affiliations

• TuksSport - University of Pretoria, South Africa[5]
• Northern Tigers
• University of Arizona, USA

See also

• List of Commonwealth Games medallists in swimming (men)
• List of Olympic medalists in swimming (men)
• World record progression 4 × 100 metres freestyle relay

References

1. Ferns' result page from the 2008 Olympics website; retrieved 2009-06-30.
2. Ferns' entry from www.sports-reference.com; retrieved 2009-06-30.
3. SA swim squad announced. From sport24.com.za; published 2009-05-12, retrieved 2009-06-30.
4. Ferns' bio page Archived 13 January 2009 at the Wayback Machine from the University of Arizona Athletics website; retrieved 2009-06-30.
5. Lyndon Ferns at Sports Reference Lyndon Ferns Retrieved 25 June 2011

External links

• Retirement news article Sport24