Bronte Campbell
Quick Facts
Biography
Bronte Campbell OAM (born 14 May 1994) is an Australian competitive swimmer who is an Olympic gold-winner, world champion, and world record-holder. Her older sister, Cate, is also a competitive swimmer, who holds the current world record in both the short and long course 100 metre individual freestyle events. Bronte and Cate were the first Australian siblings on the same Olympic swimming team since the 1972 Olympics and the first Australian sisters ever to compete in the same swimming event at the Olympics. Bronte Campbell won three gold medals at the 2015 World Championships, including the 50 and 100 metre freestyle events.
Early Life
Campbell is the second of five children born to Eric (an accountant) and Jenny (a nurse) Campbell. She has an older sister, Cate, two younger sisters and a younger brother, Jessica, Hamish, and Abigail. Hamish has severe cerebral palsy and requires around-the-clock care. She shares a birthday with Hamish, with Hamish being four years younger. Jenny used to be a synchronised swimmer and taught her four daughters to swim.
Career
Her family moved from Malawi to Australia in 2001 and she and Cate joined the Indooroopilly Swimming Club in Brisbane that same year. Their coach at Commercial, Simon Cusack, continues to coach both sisters.
In 2009, Bronte won gold in the 50 metre freestyle at the Australian Youth Olympic Festival then in 2011, she won gold in the same event at the 2011 FINA World Junior Swimming Championships in Lima, Peru.
2012
Campbell competed in the women's 50 meter freestyle at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. She and her sister Cate swam in the same heat, finishing second and third, respectively, and qualifying for the semi-final in ninth and tenth place, respectively.
2013
At the 2013 Australian Swimming Championships she won silver in the 50 and 100 metre freestyle events finishing behind sister Cate in both and qualified for the 2013 World Aquatics Championships. At the World Championships, she teamed up with Cate, Emma McKeon and Alicia Coutts in the 4 × 100 metre freestyle relay where they won the silver medal, finishing 0.12 of a second behind the United States.
2014
Competing at the 2014 FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m) in Doha, she won two silver medals, one in the 50 metre freestyle event (timing 23.62) behind Ranomi Kromowidjojo, and the other in the 4 × 100 metre medley relay behind the Danish team. She finished fourth (timing 51.65) in the finals of the 100-metre freestyle event, behind Femke Heemskerk, Ranomi Kromowidjojo and Sarah Sjöström.
2015
At the 2015 World Championships in Kazan, she won three gold medals and one bronze. She finished first in the 100 metre freestyle event (in 52.52), beating Sarah Sjöström and Cate Campbell, and the 50 metre freestyle event (in 24.12), beating Ranomi Kromowidjojo and Sarah Sjöström.
She also won gold in the 4×100 metre freestyle relay, beating the Dutch and US teams by a comfortable lead, and a bronze medal in the 4 × 100 metre medley relay behind the Chinese and Swedish teams.
2016
At the 2016 Summer Olympics, Campbell represented Australia in both the 50 m and 100 m freestyle, as well as the 4 × 100 m freestyle relay (in which they came first and set a new world record). Despite being the reigning world champion in the 50 and 100 m freestyle, she did not win a medal in these events.
Personal Life
Campbell is a student at Queensland University of Technology, where she is studying a Business degree, majoring in Public Relations.
She attends a local Baptist church in Brisbane.
Until December 2016, Campbell lived with her sister, Cate. As of 2017, they are no longer housemates, and she currently resides in Coorparoo.