Cameron van der Burgh

Cameron van der Burgh

Personal information
Full name	Cameron van der Burgh
National team	South Africa
Born	(1988-05-25) 25 May 1988 Pretoria, South Africa
Height	1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Weight	85 kg (187 lb)
Sport
Sport	Swimming
Strokes	Breaststroke
Club	TuksSport
Medal record Men's swimming Representing South Africa Olympic Games 2012 London 100 m breaststroke World Championships (LC) 2009 Rome 50 m breaststroke 2013 Barcelona 50 m breaststroke 2013 Barcelona 100 m breaststroke 2015 Kazan 50 m breaststroke 2015 Kazan 100 m breaststroke 2007 Melbourne 50 m breaststroke 2009 Rome 100 m breaststroke 2011 Shanghai 50 m breaststroke 2011 Shanghai 100 m breaststroke World Championships (SC) 2010 Dubai 100 m breaststroke 2008 Manchester 100 m breaststroke 2010 Dubai 50 m breaststroke 2014 Doha 50 m breaststroke 2008 Manchester 50 m breaststroke Commonwealth Games 2010 Delhi 50 m breaststroke 2010 Delhi 100 m breaststroke 2014 Glasgow 50 m breaststroke 2010 Delhi 4×100 m medley 2014 Glasgow 100 m breaststroke 2014 Glasgow 4×100 m medley All-Africa Games 2011 Maputo 50 m breaststroke 2011 Maputo 100 m breaststroke 2015 Brazzaville 50 m breaststroke 2015 Brazzaville 100 m breaststroke

Cameron van der Burgh OIS (born 25 May 1988) is a South African competitive swimmer. He is Africa's first home-trained world record holder and individual male Olympic Champion.

Career

He trains with Dirk Lange and is based in Pretoria. He has represented South Africa at the 2008 Summer Olympics and at the 2012 Summer Olympics where he won the gold medal at the 100-meter breaststroke in a new world record. He has won numerous World Championship medals since his debut in 2007 when he took a bronze medal. Twice he has won the FINA overall World Cup.

Van der Burgh set his first world long-course record (27.06s) in the 50 m breaststroke in the semifinals at South African nationals in April 2009, cutting 0.12 of a second from Oleg Lisogor's old world record set in 2002. He won the world title in the same year at the Rome championship, also in the 50 m breaststroke.

He won the 50m breaststroke at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in a time of 27.18 seconds in a new games record and the 100m world title at the 2010 short course world championships. He won the 100m breaststroke gold medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics in a new world record time of 58.46 seconds, and paid tribute to late world champion Alexander Dale Oen afterwards. Van der Burgh later admitted to breaking the rules by utilising illegal dolphin kicks during the race which was confirmed by video replays showing Van der Burgh taking three dolphin kicks. Subsequently FINA have suggested they may consider underwater video evidence to judge results, although van der Burgh's results and medal are not under threat.

Personal life

Van der Burgh went to Glenstantia Primary as a young boy but matriculated at Crawford college in 2006 He now studies Financial Management through UNISA part-time and is interested in becoming an entrepreneur after his swimming career. Cameron since the London Olympics has received various awards including South African Style Icon 2012 GQ 7th best dressed man 2012, and has gone on to make various magazine covers and appeared in South African TV shows. He has made many appearances around the country giving motivational speeches and attending gala dinners. He has been linked to a few charities and recently fed underprivileged kids in Alexandria with his Olympic earnings

Sponsors

Cameron has signed many lucrative endorsement deals since the London Olympics. These include Arena Investec Audi USN, and Tag Heuer, with his most recent being a four-year deal with multi-brand corporation Procter & Gamble as the new Head and Shoulders ambassador, joining the likes of Michael Phelps, Lionel Messi and Jenson Button He is estimated to be earning between $200,000 and $400,000 per annum from sponsorship deals.

See also

• List of Olympic medalists in swimming (men)
• World record progression 50 metres breaststroke

External links

• BEST sports – Profile

Records
Preceded by Felipe França Silva	Men's 50-metre breaststroke world record-holder 29 July 2009 – 22 August 2014	Succeeded by Adam Peaty
Preceded by Oleg Lisogor	Men's 50-metre breaststroke world record-holder (25m) 8 November 2008 – present	Succeeded by Incumbent
Awards
Preceded by Brenton Rickard	Men's 100-metre breaststroke world record-holder (long course) 29 July 2012– 17 April 2014	Incumbent
Preceded by Ed Moses	Men's 100-metre breaststroke world record-holder (25m) 9 November 2008 – present	Succeeded by Incumbent
Awards
Preceded by Oussama Mellouli	Swimming World Magazine's African Swimmer of the Year 2009–2011	Succeeded by Chad le Clos
Sporting positions
Preceded by Randall Bal	FINA World Cup overall male winner 2008, 2009	Succeeded by Thiago Pereira

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