2012 Olympic Champion Cameron van der Burgh Announces Retirement After Short Course World Championships

Photo Courtesy: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

2012 Olympic Champion Cameron van der Burgh of South Africa has announced his intentions to retire from the sport of swimming after this week’s World Short Course Championships in Hangzhou, China. Van der Burgh won the 100 breaststroke gold medal in China for his third World Short Course gold medal in his career, adding to the 100 win in 2010, and the 50 win in 2016.

Van der Burgh, 30, won South Africa’s first individual Olympic gold medal in men’s swimming at the 2012 Olympics when he won the 100 breaststroke and broke the world record. He followed that up with a silver medal four years later in the same event behind Great Britain’s Adam Peaty, who would break van der Burgh’s world record in 2015.

South African swimmer and 2x Olympic medallist ??@Cameronvdburgh ?? has announced his retirement.

Do you remember this gold medal moment from London 2012? @fina1908 @TeamSA18 pic.twitter.com/bhjrJRRtHE

— Olympic Channel (@olympicchannel) December 12, 2018

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A post shared by Adam Peaty MBE (@adam_peaty)

Van der Burgh also has 10 total World Championships (LC) medals and now has seven short course medals. Van der Burgh won the bronze medal at the 2007 Worlds in the 50 breast, and won gold in the same event in 2009 and 2013.

Van der Burgh still holds the SCM world records in the 50 and 100 breast, which he set in 2009.

Van der Burgh was Swimming World’s African Swimmer of the Year three times in 2009, 2010 and 2011. He also graced the cover of Swimming World Magazine in January 2010.

?WORLD CHAMPION! ?

I couldn't of written a better ending for my last 100 meter race. Looking forward to closing out my career with some fun in the 50m! ??? pic.twitter.com/Fkd8JinzTh

— Cameron van der Burgh (@Cameronvdburgh) December 12, 2018

Van der Burgh will close out his career with the 50 breaststroke at the end of the week. The prelims will be held on Saturday morning with the final coming on Sunday night in China. Van der Burgh is the world record holder in the 50 breaststroke from 2009, and will have his hands full this year in Hangzhou with Italy’s Fabio Scozzoli, Russia’s Kirill Prigoda, USA’s Michael Andrew and Brazil’s Felipe Lima.

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A post shared by Cameron van der Burgh OIS (@cameronvdburgh)

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Laura Motllo

5 years ago

Chloe Gardon Nous ne serons plus en guerre toi et moi, Cameron clôture sa carrière ! Faut avouer qu’il va nous manquer ?