Justin Norris
Encyclopedia
Justin Neville Norris is an Australian butterfly and individual medley swimmer, who won the bronze medal in the 200 m butterfly at the 2000 Sydney Olympics
.
Coming from Stockton
, New South Wales
, Norris relocated to the Australian Institute of Sport
, Canberra
in 1999 after being awarded a scholarship. He subsequently gained selection for Australia at the 1999 Pan Pacific Championships
in Sydney. At his first Olympics in Sydney, Norris made a poor start, missing the final of the 400 m individual medley. However, he qualified for the final of the 200 m butterfly, where he was considered an outsider. Having nothing to lose, Norris attacked from the start, contesting the lead over the first 100 m. Willed on by a partisan home crowd, he managed to hang onto third position as the favourites surged for the finished line. While being interviewed on the pooldeck, a bewildered Norris repeatedly used what has become his winning catchphrase - I'm stoked.
In 2001, Norris claimed another bronze at the 2001 FINA World Championships
in Fukuoka
, Japan, this time in the 200 m individual medley, and in 2002 collected triple gold in the 200 m and 400 m individual medley and the 200 m butterfly at the 2002 Commonwealth Games
in Manchester
. However in 2003, he had no success in his three events, failing to medal at the 2003 FINA World Championships
in Barcelona
, Spain. He fared even worse at the 2004 Athens Olympics
, failing to reach a single final.
On arrival back in Australia, Norris departed the AIS to return to Newcastle, and thereafter announced that he would be taking a year out of swimming in 2005.
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 Stockton
Stockton, New South Wales
Stockton is a suburb of Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia, located from Newcastle's central business district. It is the only suburb of Newcastle that lies north of the Hunter River.-Geography:...
, 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...
, Norris relocated to the Australian Institute of Sport
Australian Institute of Sport
The Australian Institute of Sport is a sports training institution in Australia with world class facilities and support services. The Institute's headquarters is situated in Canberra, the capital city of Australia. The 66.0 hectare site campus is in the northern suburb of Bruce, but some of the...
, Canberra
Canberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
in 1999 after being awarded a scholarship. He subsequently gained selection for Australia at the 1999 Pan Pacific Championships
1999 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships
The eighth edition of the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships, a long course event, was held in 1999 at the Sydney International Aquatic Centre in Sydney, Australia, from 22–29 August...
in Sydney. At his first Olympics in Sydney, Norris made a poor start, missing the final of the 400 m individual medley. However, he qualified for the final of the 200 m butterfly, where he was considered an outsider. Having nothing to lose, Norris attacked from the start, contesting the lead over the first 100 m. Willed on by a partisan home crowd, he managed to hang onto third position as the favourites surged for the finished line. While being interviewed on the pooldeck, a bewildered Norris repeatedly used what has become his winning catchphrase - I'm stoked.
In 2001, Norris claimed another bronze at the 2001 FINA World Championships
2001 World Aquatics Championships
rightThe 2001 World Aquatics Championships or the 9th FINA World Swimming Championships were held in Fukuoka, Japan between 16 July and 29 July 2001....
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, this time in the 200 m individual medley, and in 2002 collected triple gold in the 200 m and 400 m individual medley and the 200 m butterfly 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...
in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
. However in 2003, he had no success in his three events, failing to medal at the 2003 FINA World Championships
2003 World Aquatics Championships
Barcelona, Spain was the host city of the X FINA World Aquatics Championships or the 10th FINA World Championships in Aquatics, which were held from July 12 until July 27, 2003....
in Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
, Spain. He fared even worse at the 2004 Athens Olympics
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...
, failing to reach a single final.
On arrival back in Australia, Norris departed the AIS to return to Newcastle, and thereafter announced that he would be taking a year out of swimming in 2005.