Ashley Callus
Encyclopedia
Ashley Callus is an Australia
n sprint freestyle
swimmer, who won a gold medal in the 4 × 100 m freestyle relay at the 2000 Sydney Olympics
.
Coming from Brisbane
, Queensland
, and of Maltese
origin, Callus, graduated in Iona College
, he was coached by Chris Urquhart, spent the beginning of his career as the understudy of fellow Australians Michael Klim
and Chris Fydler
. After finishing fourth in the 100 m freestyle at the 2000 Australian Championships, Callus was selected to make his debut at the age of 21 at the 2000 Sydney Olympics
in the 4×100 m freestyle relay.
, the Australians were not expected to win, as the United States
had never lost the event at Olympic level. However, cheered on by a raucous home crowd, Klim set a world record 48.18 s in the leadoff leg, before Fydler maintained the lead, handing Callus a half-body length lead over Jason Lezak
. Callus did well to stave off the faster and more experienced Lezak, giving Thorpe a slender lead. The fast-finishing Thorpe managed to overhaul the fast-starting Gary Hall Jr. by a handspan, sealing a gold medal in a world record time of 3 min 13.67 s, almost two seconds below the previous world mark.
At the 2001 World Championships in Fukuoka
, Japan
, he was again part of the 4 × 100 m freestyle relay team which won gold ahead of the United States
, and was also a finalist in the 100 m freestyle. The following year, 2002 saw his finest moment as he won individual gold at the 2002 World Short Course Championships
in Moscow
, Russia
in the 100 m freestyle.
, Callus swum much slower in the heats of his individual events and was a long margin from even qualifying for the semifinals. He was ignominiously dropped from the final of the 4 × 100 m freestyle relay, where Australia came sixth. It was revealed that he had contracted the Epstein-Barr virus and he took a year off to recover, returning in late 2005, declaring that he had completely overcome his illness. He has gained selection for the 2006 Commonwealth Games
in Melbourne
.
At the 2006 Commonwealth Games
, Callus anchored the 4 × 100 m freestyle relay team to silver, and also reached the final of both the 50 m and 100 m freestyle, although he was considerably outside his best time in both events. He took a new gold for Australia in the 2006 World Short Course Championships
at 4 × 100 m medley relay, in Shanghai, China, April 2006.
, Callus was part of the Australian 4×100m freestyle relay team, which won the bronze medal in the event. He also took part in the 50m freestyle finishing a close 4th. In a post swim interview, he said he would not return for a 4th Olympics.
& Matthew Abood
. In a post swim interview he claimed due to the slow real estate market he had more free time to return to the pool.
After what most swimming fans assumed was a quiet retirement, Callus made an unexpected return to the Australian short course championships, clocking a new Australian record in the 50m freestyle.
On 26 November at the 2009 International AIS meet, Callus broke Sullivan's Australian record (former world record) in the men's 50m freestyle to clock 21.24 in the mourning prelims. For the second time in a day, taking 0.05 off the mark in the finals and bringing it down to 21.19, making him the 3rd fastest swimmer in history. "At the end of the day it's great to do fast times and see what I can possibly do, and that would have won a medal at Worlds," said Callus.
At the 2010 Telstra Trials
he won the 50m freestyle in a time of 22.09, at the 2010 Pan Pacs
he finished 7th in 22.15. At the 2010 Commonwealth Games
he was disqualified in the semi finals. "It's one of those things," he said. "That's bitterly disappointing ... I could have been up on the dais because I knew I was in good form." Asked if that was his last swim: "Definitely in the Commonwealth Games format. "As they say, shit happens."
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n sprint freestyle
Freestyle swimming
Freestyle is an unregulated swimming style used in swimming competitions according to the rules of FINA. The front crawl stroke is almost universally used during a freestyle race, as this style is generally the fastest...
swimmer, who won a gold medal in the 4 × 100 m freestyle relay at the 2000 Sydney Olympics
2000 Summer Olympics
The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
.
Coming from Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
, and of Maltese
Maltese people
The Maltese are an ethnic group indigenous to the Southern European nation of Malta, and identified with the Maltese language. Malta is an island in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea...
origin, Callus, graduated in Iona College
Iona College (Queensland)
Iona College, is a private, Roman Catholic, day school for boys, located in Wynnum, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.Founded in 1958, the college currently caters for approximately 1,300 students from years 5 to 12, on a 25–hectare campus 16 km east of the Brisbane central business...
, he was coached by Chris Urquhart, spent the beginning of his career as the understudy of fellow Australians Michael Klim
Michael Klim
Michael Klim OAM is a Polish-born Australian swimmer. He was born in Gdynia. He was educated at the University High School, Melbourne and Wesley College, Melbourne where he is currently employed as the College's elite Head Coach of swimming...
and Chris Fydler
Chris Fydler
Christopher John Fydler is a former freestyle swimmer from Australia, who competed in three consecutive Summer Olympics for his native country, starting in 1992...
. After finishing fourth in the 100 m freestyle at the 2000 Australian Championships, Callus was selected to make his debut at the age of 21 at the 2000 Sydney Olympics
2000 Summer Olympics
The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
in the 4×100 m freestyle relay.
2000 Olympics
Swimming with Klim, Fydler and Ian ThorpeIan Thorpe
Ian James Thorpe OAM , nicknamed the Thorpedo and Thorpey, is an Australian swimmer who specialises in freestyle, but also competes in backstroke and the individual medley. He has won five Olympic gold medals, the most won by any Australian, and with three gold and two silver medals, was the most...
, the Australians were not expected to win, as the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
had never lost the event at Olympic level. However, cheered on by a raucous home crowd, Klim set a world record 48.18 s in the leadoff leg, before Fydler maintained the lead, handing Callus a half-body length lead over Jason Lezak
Jason Lezak
Jason Edward Lezak is an American Olympic swimmer, winner of 4 Olympic gold medals.He formerly swam for Irvine Novaquatics. He graduated from Irvine High School in 1994, and then from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 1999. He is a member of the Rose Bowl Aquatics swim club...
. Callus did well to stave off the faster and more experienced Lezak, giving Thorpe a slender lead. The fast-finishing Thorpe managed to overhaul the fast-starting Gary Hall Jr. by a handspan, sealing a gold medal in a world record time of 3 min 13.67 s, almost two seconds below the previous world mark.
At the 2001 World Championships in Fukuoka
Fukuoka, Fukuoka
is the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture and is situated on the northern shore of the island of Kyushu in Japan.Voted number 14 in a 2010 poll of the World's Most Livable Cities, Fukuoka is praised for its green spaces in a metropolitan setting. It is the most populous city in Kyushu, followed by...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, he was again part of the 4 × 100 m freestyle relay team which won gold ahead of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and was also a finalist in the 100 m freestyle. The following year, 2002 saw his finest moment as he won individual gold at the 2002 World Short Course Championships
2002 FINA Short Course World Championships
The 6th FINA Short Course World Championships were held in Moscow, Russia from Wednesday April 3 till Sunday April 7, 2002. The event took place in the 25m-pool of the renovated Olympiiski-complex, which also hosted the swimming event at the 1980 Summer Olympics...
in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
in the 100 m freestyle.
2004 Olympics
In 2004, Callus qualified to represent Australia for both the 50 m and 100 m freestyle, as well as the relays at the National Trials, swimming to his usual standards. However, at the Athens Olympics2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...
, Callus swum much slower in the heats of his individual events and was a long margin from even qualifying for the semifinals. He was ignominiously dropped from the final of the 4 × 100 m freestyle relay, where Australia came sixth. It was revealed that he had contracted the Epstein-Barr virus and he took a year off to recover, returning in late 2005, declaring that he had completely overcome his illness. He has gained selection for the 2006 Commonwealth Games
2006 Commonwealth Games
The 2006 Commonwealth Games were held in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia between 15 March and 26 March 2006. It was the largest sporting event to be staged in Melbourne, eclipsing the 1956 Summer Olympics in terms of the number of teams competing, athletes competing, and events being held.The site...
in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
.
At the 2006 Commonwealth Games
2006 Commonwealth Games
The 2006 Commonwealth Games were held in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia between 15 March and 26 March 2006. It was the largest sporting event to be staged in Melbourne, eclipsing the 1956 Summer Olympics in terms of the number of teams competing, athletes competing, and events being held.The site...
, Callus anchored the 4 × 100 m freestyle relay team to silver, and also reached the final of both the 50 m and 100 m freestyle, although he was considerably outside his best time in both events. He took a new gold for Australia in the 2006 World Short Course Championships
2006 FINA Short Course World Championships
The 8th FINA World Swimming Championships were held at the Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena in Shanghai, China from April 5 to April 9, 2006.-Medal table:-Freestyle:-Backstroke:-Breaststroke:-Butterfly:-Individual Medley:-Relays:...
at 4 × 100 m medley relay, in Shanghai, China, April 2006.
2008 Olympics
At the 2008 Summer Olympics2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
, Callus was part of the Australian 4×100m freestyle relay team, which won the bronze medal in the event. He also took part in the 50m freestyle finishing a close 4th. In a post swim interview, he said he would not return for a 4th Olympics.
Successful Return
Callus made a return in 2009 at the Aus trials, despite clocking thunderous times in the prelims and semi finals, he failed to beat the younger generation of sprinters in Eamon SullivanEamon Sullivan
Eamon Wade Sullivan is an Australian sprint swimmer.-Career :In April 2002 at the Australian Age Championships, Sullivan won the 50 m freestyle and came second in 100 m in his age group, and swam for Australia at Trans Tasman series with no dramatic result.In April 2003 at Brisbane in the Fisher &...
& Matthew Abood
Matthew Abood
Matthew Abood is a freestyle swimmer from Australia.Abood won the 50m national title in the 2009 Australian Swimming Championships beating the world record holder Eamon Sullivan....
. In a post swim interview he claimed due to the slow real estate market he had more free time to return to the pool.
After what most swimming fans assumed was a quiet retirement, Callus made an unexpected return to the Australian short course championships, clocking a new Australian record in the 50m freestyle.
On 26 November at the 2009 International AIS meet, Callus broke Sullivan's Australian record (former world record) in the men's 50m freestyle to clock 21.24 in the mourning prelims. For the second time in a day, taking 0.05 off the mark in the finals and bringing it down to 21.19, making him the 3rd fastest swimmer in history. "At the end of the day it's great to do fast times and see what I can possibly do, and that would have won a medal at Worlds," said Callus.
At the 2010 Telstra Trials
2010 Australian Swimming Championships
The 2010 Telstra Australian Swimming Championships were held from 16 March to 21 March 2010 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. They doubled as the national trials for the 2010 Commonwealth Games and 2010 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships.- Men:-Women:...
he won the 50m freestyle in a time of 22.09, at the 2010 Pan Pacs
2010 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships
The eleventh edition of the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships, also known as the 2010 Mutual of Omaha Pan Pacific Swimming Championships, a long course event, was held in Irvine, California, United States, from August 18–22....
he finished 7th in 22.15. At the 2010 Commonwealth Games
2010 Commonwealth Games
The 2010 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XIX Commonwealth Games, were held in Delhi, India, from 3 to 14 October 2010. A total of 6,081 athletes from 71 Commonwealth nations and dependencies competed in 21 sports and 272 events, making it the largest Commonwealth Games till date...
he was disqualified in the semi finals. "It's one of those things," he said. "That's bitterly disappointing ... I could have been up on the dais because I knew I was in good form." Asked if that was his last swim: "Definitely in the Commonwealth Games format. "As they say, shit happens."
Career Best Times
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