James Magnussen

James Magnussen
Personal information
Surname:	James Magnussen
Nickname (s):	Maggie, The Missile ("The Missile")
Nation:	Australia
Swimming style (s) :	Freestyle
Society:	Macquarie University SOPAC Swim Club
Birthday:	April 11, 1991
Place of birth:	Port Macquarie , New South Wales
Size:	1.95 m
Weight:	90 kg
Medal table

James Magnussen (born April 11, 1991 in Port Macquarie , New South Wales ) is an Australian swimmer . In 2010 he made his first international appearance as a member of the Australian 4 × 100 meter freestyle relay. A year later he became the first Australian to win the world title in the 100-meter freestyle.

biography

Training and first successes

James Magnussen was born in Port Macquarie, where he grew up and attended school, including St Joseph's Regional College . He has a brother. His father's family, who is an accountant by trade, originally came from Norway , where distant relatives still live today. His mother, an English and history teacher, was an active basketball player. In his youth, Magnussen also excelled as his father as a rugby league player in addition to swimming , before he turned completely to swimming with his team after a defeat: “[...] because I have complete control over everything [when swimming] what happens and I don't depend on anyone else. When I step on the block, there is only one person that matters and that is me. I live well and successfully through the feeling of responsibility and control over the situation, ” said Magnussen in 2011. According to former Australian national coach Alan Thompson , Magnussen was discovered for swimming at a young age, but was not one of the best in his age group . So he went through the system slowly and stayed in his hometown. As a 16-year-old, the two-time youth champion took part in the Australian eliminations for the Olympic Games in Beijing in 2008 , but could not qualify for the national team. Magnussen then took a year off from swimming in 2009 to graduate from high school and traveled to Norway to get to know his family roots better.

The following year was Magnussen's breakthrough on a national level. The swimmer moved alone from his hometown of Port Macquarie to Sydney, where he found a new coach in the former competitive swimmer Brant Best and began studying economics at Macquarie University . In March 2010, after only three months of training at the Australian eliminations for the Commonwealth Games 2010 in Sydney , Magnussen finished third with 49.43 seconds over the 100-meter freestyle course, behind winner Eamon Sullivan (48.52 s) and Tommaso D. 'Orsogna (49.35 s). Although the 18-year-old was criticized by the Australian head coach Leigh Nugent in his diving phases and turns, he was appointed to the Australian national swimming team for the first time. A few weeks later Magnussen won the 100 m freestyle of the 17- and 18-year-olds in 49.44 seconds at the Australian Age Championships in Sydney. Magnussen became a member of the national sprint training group around Eamon Sullivan, Geoff Huegill and Andrew Lauterstein over the year , which was trained by Grant Stoelwinder . He also regularly visited the Australian Institute of Sport with Brant Best to improve his start and turns.

At the following Pan Pacific Swimming Championships in Irvine , USA, in August , Magnussen was together with Sullivan, Kyle Richardson and Cameron Prosser a member of the Australian 4 × 100 m freestyle relay, which was 3: 14.30 minutes behind the USA Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte (3: 11.74 min) won the silver medal. In the title fights, the Australian managed to undercut the 49-second mark for the first time with 48.94 s. According to his own account, the Australian only became aware of the professionalism required to catch up with the world's best when he met people who were in awe of Magnussen's conditions for training with Huegill, Sullivan and Lauterstein. A month later, when he took part in the Commonwealth Games in Delhi, India, Magnussen was one of the new generation of Australian swimmers around Thomas Fraser-Holmes , Emily Seebohm , Yolane Kukla and Katie Goldman . The country boy , with little international experience , was named the final swimmer of the 4 × 100 m freestyle relay and was already considered a great talent and possible heir to Eamon Sullivan and Ian Thorpe in advance . The Australian relay team around Magnussen, Sullivan, Kyle Richardson and Tommaso D'Orsogna lived up to the high expectations and won the gold medal in front of the teams from England and South Africa in a new championship record of 3: 13.92 minutes. At the short course world championships in Dubai in December , Magnussen, together with Richardson, D'Orsogna and Matthew Abood, managed to undercut the Australian record by two seconds. However, the formation only finished fifth in the finals of the 100-meter freestyle relay with a victory for France in 3: 06.18 minutes.

Victories at the 2011 Swimming World Championships

2011 was Magnussen's most successful year from a sporting point of view. The 19-year-old lost a few kilograms and started tackling the 200-meter freestyle course. He also found a new training colleague in the 16-year-old Australian sprinter Te Haumi Maxwell. At the beginning of April Magnussen won the gold medal in the 100-meter freestyle for the first time at the Australian championships, ahead of James Roberts of the same age and former world record holder and four-time champion Eamon Sullivan. With 48.29 seconds he set a world best time for the year and undercut his previous personal best by 0.39 seconds. About the 50-meter freestyle Magnussen reached the final, where he finished last in Matthew Aboods' victory (22.02 s) in 22.52 s.

Hailed as the newest Australian “swimming star” and “sprint king” , Magnussen dealt with the announced comebacks of former world-class swimmers Michael Klim and Ian Thorpe in public with confidence and a time of 47.5 for the 2012 Olympic Games in London Seconds over the 100 meter freestyle. Due to his height of 1.95 meters, he is compared to a young Alexander Popow or Matt Biondi . At the beginning of July Magnussen lived up to his favorite status and won the 100- (46.98 s) and 200-meter freestyle (1: 44.12 min) at the Australian short course championships. Although he was handicapped by pneumonia in his preparations for the 2011 World Swimming Championships in Shanghai , he was able to build on earlier successes. The third fastest swimmer to travel the 100-meter freestyle, he won the gold medal in the 4 × 100-meter freestyle relay in 3: 11.00 min together with Matt Targett , Matthew Abood and Eamon Sullivan in front of France and the USA. He swam with 47.49 seconds (first lane: 23.1, second lane: 24.39) the fastest second lane and the fastest total time ever swum without a high-tech swimsuit . These were banned by the World Swimming Federation (FINA) in 2010 . Four days after winning the relay, Magnussen also reached the individual finals as a big favorite, where he was the youngest starter to win his second gold medal in 47.63 seconds ahead of Canadian Brent Hayden (47.95 s) and French William Meynard (48.00 s) . Magnussen wrote sporting history for his home country with this victory - he is the first Australian world champion in the 100 meter freestyle since the introduction of the swimming world championships in 1973. The last Australian winner on this route at a major sporting event was Michael Wenden at the 1968 Olympic Games in Been to Mexico City . Magnussen won another silver medal as the final swimmer of the Australian 4 × 100 meter relay behind the USA.

After this success Magnussen was voted Australia's Swimmer of the Year in his home country in early December. In the election for Australia's Sportsman of the Year, he was defeated by the cyclist Tour de France winner Cadel Evans . At the Queensland State Championships in December Magnussen started for the first time in a competition on the 200-meter freestyle course on the long track, where he was in 1: 49.09 min behind the winner Cameron McEvoy (1: 48.06 min) took second place. With a view to the 2013 World Swimming Championships in Barcelona, he plans to continue gaining experience over double the distance.

2012 Olympic season

In the year of the 2012 Olympic Games , which will take place in London at the end of July / beginning of August , Magnussen was able to build on his previous best times. At the South Australian Championships in late January, he won the 100-meter freestyle race in the world’s best time of 48.05 seconds ahead of Matthew Abood (49.85 s) and Eamon Sullivan (50.63 s). The record set early on, which Magnussen swam unshaved and unrested, surprised experts such as the former Dutch swimmer Pieter van den Hoogenband . The two-time 100-meter freestyle Olympic champion attested Magnussen at the same time a finer and more natural swimming style compared to the more powerful style of the reigning 100-meter freestyle world record holder César Cielo from Brazil. In the 50 meter freestyle, Magnussen took third place with a new personal best of 22.41 seconds behind Matt Targett (21.98 s) and Abood (22.15 s).

After a disappointing 100-meter freestyle victory in just 49.02 seconds at the National Championships in New South Wales ahead of Cameron McEvoy (49.44 s) and Tommaso D'Orsogna (49.46 s) in early February (his 14th . Victory on this route in a row), Magnussen made people sit up and take notice again at the Olympic eliminations in Adelaide in March. Although he had previously suffered from a chest infection that could only be treated with massages, he won his parade route in 47.10 seconds ahead of James Roberts , who was almost equally young (47.63 s). It was the fourth fastest time ever swum in the 100-meter freestyle. In front of Magnussen, César Cielo (46.91 s), the Frenchman Alain Bernard (46.94 s) and his compatriot Eamon Sullivan (47.05 s) had at the time still benefited from the performance-enhancing full-body suits , which were banned by the world swimming federation FINA in 2010 had been. While the comebacks of the former Australian world-class swimmers Ian Thorpe and Michael Klim failed, Magnussen also managed to win the 50-meter freestyle two days later in a new personal best of 21.74 seconds ahead of Sullivan (21.92 s) and Matthew Abood ( 21.94 s). In addition to the two freestyle courses, he will also compete in the 4 × 100 m freestyle relay at the Olympic Games. As a self-declared goal Magnussen had set himself the achievement of three Olympic medals.

In his first competition at the Olympic Games, however, as the starting swimmer of the 4 × 100-meter freestyle relay, Magnussen missed the medal he was aiming for. With a slow 48.03 seconds for him, he handed over as second behind the American Nathan Adrian . The Australian relay team with Matt Target, Eamon Sullivan and James Roberts only finished fourth in 3: 11.63 minutes, 1.7 seconds behind Olympic champion France. For Magnussen, according to his own statements, it was the first big disappointment on an international level. His time, which was slower than that of team-mates Target and Sullivan, he attributed to the fast forward in the morning, when he had covered the distance in 47.3 seconds. Australia's head coach Leigh Nugent attributed the failure to the too high expectations of the season. One day later, Magnussen qualified fastest in 47.63 seconds for the 100-meter freestyle final on August 1st. He lost the final, in the lead after the turn, but by a hundredth of a second against Nathan Adrian at the stop in 47.53 seconds. With the final 4 × 100 m individual medley relay with Hayden Stoeckel , Christian Sprenger , Matt Target and Magnussen as the final swimmer, Australia won bronze behind the victorious Americans and the Japanese relay.

Others

James Magnussen, also known by the nicknames “Maggie” or “The Missile” , lives in Drummoyne, a suburb of Sydney. His role models include the Australian swimmer Michael Klim . In addition to Brant Best as coach, Magnussen received tips from Gennadi Turetski, the former coach of Alexander Popow, who also prepared Ian Thorpe for his comeback. Public criticism in Australia brought Magnussen in 2011 a statement about the online short message service Twitter , according to which Adelaide as the location for the Olympic eliminations 2012 was an "absolute joke" and would be under- visited. Magnussen later apologized for this.

Magnussen signed advertising contracts with Speedo , Mitsubishi , Samsung and the Hong Kong men's underwear label jac5 .

Personal best times (50-meter track)

route	time	date	place
50 m freestyle	21.74 s	March 21, 2012	Adelaide
100 m freestyle	47.10 s	March 19, 2012	Adelaide
200 m freestyle	1: 49.09 min	December 11, 2011	Brisbane

Web links

• Profile at swimming.org.au (English)
• Gold rush - Portrait of Dominic Rolfe to James Magnussen and other Australian Olympic participants at smh.com.au, June 29, 2012
• The rise of a new swim star - portrait of Jessica Halloran at dailytelegraph.com.au, July 29, 2011
• James Magnussen in the database of Swimrankings.net (English)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Jones, Matt: DON'T get crook. In: Port Macquarie News , February 27, 2012, p. 38.
2. ^ Halloran, Jessica: In his wildest dreams . In: Sunday Telegraph , May 29, 2011, p. 81.
3. ↑ ^{a b} Profile ( Memento of the original from July 6, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. at swimming.org.au (accessed July 30, 2011). 
4. ↑ ^{a b c d} Rolfe, Dominic: Gold rush . In: Sydney Morning Herald , June 29, 2012, p. 38.
5. ↑ ^{a b} Paxios, Stathi: The man who would be king . In: The Age , July 23, 2011, p. 21.
6. ↑ ^{a b c} Huegill, Geoff : New swim sprint star has eyes on the gold . In: The Advertiser , July 16, 2011, p. 104.
7. ↑ Ryan Lochte's world record: Faster than Phelps at sueddeutsche.de, July 29, 2011 (accessed July 30, 2011).
8. ↑ ^{a b c d e} Nicole Jeffery: Country boy can be like Thorpe . In: The Australian , September 27, 2010, p. 37.
9. ↑ AFP : Swimming: Australian Commonwealth Games trials results . March 19, 2010, 10:41 AM GMT (accessed via LexisNexis Economy ).
10. ↑ AAP Newsfeed: Swim: Rising stars from Commonwealth Games trials . March 21, 2010, 3:17 PM AEST (accessed via LexisNexis Economy ).
11. ↑ Balym, Todd: Sullivan on track for Phelps clash . In: The Courier-Mail , March 20, 2010, p. 105.
12. ↑ AAP Newsfeed: Swim: Sixth gold medal for Seebohm . April 10, 2010, 8:46 PM AEST (accessed via LexisNexis Economy ).
13. ^ Jeffery, Nicole: Moment of truth for swimmers in Delhi . In: Weekend Australian , August 28, 2010, p. 44.
14. ↑ AAP Newsfeed: SWIM: Australia win 4x100m freestyle gold . October 4, 2010 at 11:42 PM AEST, New Delhi.
15. ↑ Jeffery, Nicole: Sullivan has teenager nipping at his heels . In: The Australian , January 31, 2011, p. 36.
16. ↑ Xinhua General News Service: Teenage James Magnussen beat Eamon Sullivan in men's 100m freestyle final at Australian Championships . April 5, 2011, 10:10 AM EST (accessed via LexisNexis Business ).
17. ↑ AAP Newsfeed: SWIM: Abood makes amends . April 7, 2011 8:47 PM AEST, Sydney (accessed via LexisNexis Business ).
18. ↑ Cowley, Michael: Catch me if you can: Magnussen . In: The Age , April 7, 2011, p. 18.
19. ^ Halloran, Jessica: I dont fear Thorpie . In: The Herald Sun , April 7, 2011, p. 78.
20. ↑ Huegill, Geoff: World trials a huge wake-up call for swimmers . In: The Advertiser , April 13, 2011, p. 77.
21. ↑ Halloran, Jessica: Sprint Triumph: Magnussen leaves rivals in his wake `Missile 'storms home . In: The Advertiser , July 2, 2011, p. 100.
22. ↑ AAP Newsfeed: SWIM: Magnussen dominates at short-course champs . July 2, 2011, 8:39 PM AEST (accessed via LexisNexis Economy ).
23. ^ Jeffery, Nicole: Leisel needs to lift as she takes on Soni . In: Weekend Australian , July 16, 2011, p. 44.
24. ↑ Jeffery, Nicole: Magnussen splits 100m atom . In: The Australian , July 26, 2011, p. 34.
25. ↑ AAP Newsfeed: SWIM: Magnussen the world's man to catch . July 26, 2011, 4:54 PM AEST, Shanghai (accessed via LexisNexis Economy ).
26. ^ FitzGibbon, Liam (AAP Newsfeed): SWIM: Magnussen becomes swimming's fastest man . July 28, 2011, 9:17 PM AEST, Shanghai (accessed via LexisNexis Economy ).
27. ^ AAP Newsfeed: Swimmer of the year award winners . December 3, 2011, 10:04 PM AEST (accessed via LexisNexis Economy ).
28. ↑ Lane, Samantha: Champ Evans humbled by fans' support at smh.com.au, December 10, 2011 (accessed March 24, 2012).
29. ↑ Balym, Todd: MISSILE CRISIS Exclusive: Foreign spies infiltrate Magnussen's training session . In: The Daily Telegraph , December 12, 2011, p. 64.
30. ^ Wald, Tom (AAP Newsfeed): Hoogie blown away by Magnussen's form . February 8, 2012, 4:04 PM AEST (accessed via LexisNexis Economy ).
31. ↑ Fitzgibbon, Liam: Magnussen shows he's human . February 10, 2012, 8:13 PM AEST (accessed via LexisNexis Economy ).
32. ↑ Paxinos, Stathi: Magnussen takes coach's breath away . In: The Age , March 21, 2012, p. 28.
33. ↑ Bühler, Karin: New King . In: Frankfurter Rundschau , March 20, 2012, p. 24.
34. ↑ Lulham, Amanda: Missile aims at Olympic treble . In: The Daily Telegraph , February 7, 2012, p. 67.
35. ↑ Larkin, Steve (AAP Newsfeed): SWIM: Magnussen can't explain relay failure . July 30, 2012, 6:46 AM AEST (accessed via LexisNexis Wirtschaft ).
36. ↑ Barlow, Karen: Coach backs Missile to re-ignite . In: ABC Premium News (Australia), July 30, 2012, 12:54 PM AEST (accessed via LexisNexis Economy ).
37. ^ Halloran, Jessica: Aussie gold start of new reign . In: The Advertiser , July 25, 2011, p. 86.
38. ↑ ^{a b} Homfray, Reece: Swim star's backflip on 'joke' city . In: The Advertiser , May 25, 2011, p. 11.
39. ^ Hail Magnussen the magnificent . In: The Advertiser , July 30, 2011, p. 13.
40. ↑ Dunker, Robert: Fastest apprentice in the world . In: Die Welt , July 29, 2011, No. 175, p. 19.
41. ↑ Cassimatis, Georgia: UNDIES to Olympian's best friend . In: Sunday Telegraph Magazine , March 4, 2012, p. 23.