Craig Stevens (swimmer)
Encyclopedia
Craig Stevens (born 23 July 1980 in Sydney
, New South Wales
) is an Australia
n freestyle
swimmer specialising in the 400 m. 800 m and 1500 m freestyle events.
Stevens was the bronze medallist in the 1500 m freestyle event at the 2002 Commonwealth Games
, but he narrowly missed out on a medal in the 400 m freestyle, finishing 4th.
In 2004, Stevens made his Olympic Games debut at Athens
. There, he won silver as part of the Australian 4x200 m relay team and also made the final in the 1500 m. He relinquished his place
in the 400 m freestyle for World Record Holder Ian Thorpe
, who was disqualified in the event at the Australian trials.
Stevens was initially left out of the Australian team at the 2006 Commonwealth Games
in his home country. However, Ian Thorpe
had to withdraw from the games due to illness, which allowed Stevens to take Thorpe's place in the team. After qualifying as the fastest heat swimmer, he again came 4th in the 400 m freestyle final. He also contested the 1500 m freestyle final and finished in 6th place.
In March 2007, Stevens won his first World Championship medal after finishing 3rd in the 800m freestyle final with a personal best time of 7:48.67. At the same meet, he also broke the 15-minute barrier in the 1500m freestyle for the first time, finishing 6th in the final with a time of 14:59.11.
Stevens qualified for the Australian Olympic Swimming Team for the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics
on the 29th of March 2008 at the Australian Olympic Qualifiers at Homebush in Sydney. He qualified for both the 400 metres and 1500 metres freestyle events. He finished 2nd behind Grant Hackett in the 1500 metres with a personal best of 14:53.18 making him the third fastest performer by an Australian in history.
Stevens failed to qualify for the finals of the 400m freestyle at the Olympics as he was comprehensively out-swum, finishing in 8th place in heat three, 7 seconds behind the winner. In the 1500m freestyle, Stevens again failed to make the finals finishing 5th in heat four, some 17 seconds behind the winner and 8 seconds outside of his personal best.
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
) is an Australia
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 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 specialising in the 400 m. 800 m and 1500 m freestyle events.
Stevens was the bronze medallist in the 1500 m freestyle event at the 2002 Commonwealth Games
2002 Commonwealth Games
The 2002 Commonwealth Games were held in Manchester, England from 25 July to 4 August 2002. The XVII Commonwealth Games was the largest multi-sport event ever to be held in the UK, eclipsing London's 1948 Summer Olympics in numbers of teams and athletes participating.After the 1996 Manchester...
, but he narrowly missed out on a medal in the 400 m freestyle, finishing 4th.
In 2004, Stevens made his Olympic Games debut at Athens
2004 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...
. There, he won silver as part of the Australian 4x200 m relay team and also made the final in the 1500 m. He relinquished his place
Ian Thorpe false start controversy
In late March 2004, at the Australian Championships in Sydney, Ian Thorpe lined up in the heats of the 400 m freestyle, but overbalanced whilst on the blocks and fell into the water, resulting in his disqualification....
in the 400 m freestyle for World Record Holder Ian Thorpe
Ian 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...
, who was disqualified in the event at the Australian trials.
Stevens was initially left out of the Australian team 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...
in his home country. However, Ian Thorpe
Ian 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...
had to withdraw from the games due to illness, which allowed Stevens to take Thorpe's place in the team. After qualifying as the fastest heat swimmer, he again came 4th in the 400 m freestyle final. He also contested the 1500 m freestyle final and finished in 6th place.
In March 2007, Stevens won his first World Championship medal after finishing 3rd in the 800m freestyle final with a personal best time of 7:48.67. At the same meet, he also broke the 15-minute barrier in the 1500m freestyle for the first time, finishing 6th in the final with a time of 14:59.11.
Stevens qualified for the Australian Olympic Swimming Team for the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics
2008 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...
on the 29th of March 2008 at the Australian Olympic Qualifiers at Homebush in Sydney. He qualified for both the 400 metres and 1500 metres freestyle events. He finished 2nd behind Grant Hackett in the 1500 metres with a personal best of 14:53.18 making him the third fastest performer by an Australian in history.
Stevens failed to qualify for the finals of the 400m freestyle at the Olympics as he was comprehensively out-swum, finishing in 8th place in heat three, 7 seconds behind the winner. In the 1500m freestyle, Stevens again failed to make the finals finishing 5th in heat four, some 17 seconds behind the winner and 8 seconds outside of his personal best.