Kyle Lee (born 23 February 2002) is an Australian open water swimmer. At the

2022 World Aquatics Championships The 2022 World Aquatics Championships, the 19th edition of the FINA World Aquatics Championships, were held in Budapest, Hungary, from 17 June to 3 July 2022. These championships included five disciplines, with high diving not staged for this edi ...

, he placed fifth in the 25 kilometre open water swim and eighth in the 5 kilometre open water swim. As part of the 2022 Marathon Swim World Series, he won two silver medals in the 4×1500 metre open water team relay. He is the 2022 Rottnest Channel Swim winner.

Background

Lee emigrated with his parents and sister from

Zimbabwe file:Zimbabwe, relief map.jpg, upright=1.22, Zimbabwe, relief map Zimbabwe, officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Bots ...

Australind, Western Australia Australind is a town in Western Australia, located 12 km north-east of Bunbury's central business district. Its local government area is the Shire of Harvey. At the 2016 census, Australind had a population of 14,539. History Prior to Eur ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

when he was six years old, at which time he started club swimming as a way to integrate into the new community."Our chat with 2021 WA Open Water Swimmer of the Year, Kyle Lee"
'' Swimming WA''. 25 November 2021. Retrieved 10 January 2023."Kyle Lee balancing Commerce degree and sport as he eyes 2022 World Championship selection"
''

Western Australian Institute of Sport The Western Australian Institute of Sport (WAIS) is an elite sports institute set up in 1983 by the Government of Western Australia to support athletes in Western Australia. The founding director was Wally Foreman who held the position for 17 ye ...

''. 15 February 2022. Retrieved 10 January 2023. After completing his pre-university education, he moved to

Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...

to attend university and train with North Coast Swimming Club under the guidance of coach Ian Mills. He currently attends the

University of Western Australia University of Western Australia (UWA) is a public research university in the Australian state of Western Australia. The university's main campus is in Crawley, Western Australia, Crawley, a suburb in the City of Perth local government area. UW ...

where he is pursuing a

Bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

commerce Commerce is the organized Complex system, system of activities, functions, procedures and institutions that directly or indirectly contribute to the smooth, unhindered large-scale exchange (distribution through Financial transaction, transactiona ...

. As part of his weekly training routine volume, he completes approximately 60 to 70 kilometers in the water.

Career

2020–2022

In February 2020, Lee competed in the 19.7 kilometre Rottnest Channel Swim at 17 years of age, placing third with a final time of 4 hours, 25 minutes and 30 seconds.Wilkinson, Carmelle (21 February 2020)
"Dutchman Lars Bottelier takes line honours in 2020 Rottnest Channel Swim"
''

The Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British Sunday newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of N ...

''. Retrieved 10 January 2023. In January 2022, he won the 3.6 kilometre

Busselton Jetty Busselton Jetty is a jetty located in Busselton, Western Australia. It is the longest timber-piled jetty (pier) in the Southern Hemisphere at long. The jetty is managed by a not-for-profit community organisation, Busselton Jetty Inc. The jetty ...

Swim, placed second in the 5 kilometre open water swim and third in the 10 kilometre open water swim at the Australian Open Water Championships for the year.Amonini, Taylar (12 February 2022)
"Busselton Jetty Swim: Kyle Lee takes out first place for second time"
''Busselton Dunsborough Times''. Retrieved 10 January 2023. The following month, on 26 February, he achieved his first title-win in the Rottnest Channel Swim, finishing over 10 seconds ahead of the second-place finisher with a time of 4 hours, 5 minutes and 19 seconds."They made it! – Rottnest Channel Swim 2022"
''Fremantle Shipping News''. 27 February 2022. Retrieved 10 January 2023."2022 South32 Rottnest Channel Swim Recap!"
'' Swimming WA''. 28 February 2022. Retrieved 10 January 2023."Kyle Lee selected in open water team for 2022 FINA World Championships in Hungary"
''

''. 9 March 2022. Retrieved 10 January 2023.

2022 World Aquatics Championships

Following his performances in January and February 2022, Lee was named to the

open water team for

in the 5 kilometre open water swim."Dolphins Open Water team named for World Championships"
''

Swimming Australia Swimming Australia is the peak governing body for competitive swimming in Australia. The body has approximately 100,000 registered members nationally in 1100 clubs across the country, which includes swimmers, coaches, officials, administrators ...

''. 8 March 2022. Retrieved 10 January 2023. The second day of open water swimming competition at the Championships, 27 June in

Budapest Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, tenth-largest city in the European Union by popul ...

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...

, he finished in eighth-place in the 5 kilometre open water swim with a time of 54:28.2, which was 6.2 seconds behind seventh-place finisher

Dávid Betlehem Dávid Betlehem (born 4 September 2003) is a Hungarian competitive pool and open water swimmer. At the 2022 World Aquatics Championships, he won a silver medal in the open water 4×1500 metre team relay. At the 2020 European Aquatics Champions ...

of Hungary.

FINA World Aquatics, formerly known as FINA (; ), is the international federation recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for administering international competitions in List of water sports, water sports. It is one of several interna ...

(27 June 2022)
"19th FINA World Championships Budapest (HUN): Men's 5km Results"
''

Omega Timing Omega SA is a Swiss luxury watchmaker based in Biel/Bienne, Switzerland. Founded by Louis Brandt in La Chaux-de-Fonds in 1848, the company formerly operated as ''Louis Brandt et Fils'' until incorporating the name ''Omega'' in 1903, becoming ' ...

''. Retrieved 10 January 2023.Moore, Glenn (27 June 2022)
"Places of eight for Aussies in water"
''

Seven News Seven News (stylised 7NEWS) is the television news service of the Seven Network and, as of 2021, the highest-rating in Australia. National bulletins are presented from Seven's high definition studios in South Eveleigh, Sydney, while its flags ...

''. Retrieved 13 January 2023. Three days later, he placed fifth in the 25 kilometre open water swim with a time of 5:02:48.5, finishing 27.0 seconds after gold medalist Dario Verani of

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

(30 June 2022)
"19th FINA World Championships Budapest (HUN): Men's 25km Results"
''

''. Retrieved 10 January 2023.

2022 Marathon Swim World Series

At the second stop of the 2022 FINA Marathon Swim World Series, held at

Parc de la Villette The Parc de la Villette () is the third-largest park in Paris, in area, located at the northeastern edge of the city in the 19th arrondissement of Paris, 19th arrondissement. The park houses one of the largest concentrations of cultural venues ...

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, Lee started off with a twenty-eighth-place finish in the 10 kilometre open water swim with a time of 1:52:49.37 on 9 July."FINA Marathon Swim World Series 2022 – Leg 2: Results Men 10km"

. 10 July 2022. Retrieved 10 January 2023. The following and final day, he won a silver medal as part of the 4×1500 metre open water relay, helping finish second behind the relay team from Italy in a time of 1:08:03.35.Arcobelli, Stefano (10 July 2022)
"Paltrinieri fa vincere la staffetta. Galossi e la piccola Italia d'oro"
(in Italian). ''

La Gazzetta dello Sport (; English: "The Sports Gazette") is an Italian Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper dedicated to coverage of various sports. Founded in 1896, it is the most widely read daily newspaper of any type in Italy (in 2018). History and profile was fou ...

''. Retrieved 10 January 2023.McPherson, Luke (18 July 2022)
"South West swimmer Kyle Lee claims silver medal for Australia in 4x1500m relay"
'' Bunbury Herald''. Retrieved 13 January 2023.Bunbury Swimming Club's Newsletter (August 2022)
"Kyle Lee at the OWS World Series"
''Dolphin Telegraph'' 177: 8. Retrieved 13 January 2023. The medal marked his first achieved at a world-level senior competition. On 10 August, Lee was named to the open water roster for the 2022

Duel in the Pool The Duel in the Pool is a swimming event that took place bi-annually from 2003 to 2015. In 2022, the event was reintroduced with an edition between the United States and Australia and co-organized by Swimming Australia and USA Swimming. From 2003 t ...

, held against the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

in late August in

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

."Games Stars Return to Finalise Duel Squad"
''

''. 10 August 2022. Retrieved 10 January 2023. At the competition, with open water swimming conducted at

Bondi Beach Bondi Beach () is a popular beach and the name of the surrounding suburb in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Bondi Beach is located east of the Sydney central business district, in the Local government in Australia, local government area of ...

, he anchored the 4×800 metre open water relay to a first-place finish.Pegan, Martin (18 August 2022)
"Australia surge past US in ocean swim duel"
''Busselton-Dunsborough Mail''. Retrieved 10 January 2023.Smith, Bradley (19 August 2022)
"Duel at the Beach? The Australia v USA swimming rivalry is back with a twist"
''

Infobae Infobae is an international Argentine online newspaper. It was launched in 2002 by businessman Daniel Hadad, with the original headquarters in Buenos Aires. The company expanded globally with local editions in New York City, Mexico City, Miami ...

''. Retrieved 13 January 2023. Finishing the World Series in November at the final stop, held in

Eilat Eilat ( , ; ; ) is Israel's southernmost city, with a population of , a busy port of Eilat, port and popular resort at the northern tip of the Red Sea, on what is known in Israel as the Gulf of Eilat and in Jordan as the Gulf of Aqaba. The c ...

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

, he won another silver medal in the 4×1500 metre open water relay, swimming the third leg of the relay in 16:13.80 to contribute to the final time of 1:06:36.60."FINA Marathon Swim World Series 2022 – Leg 5: Results Mixed 4x1500m"

. 11 November 2022. Retrieved 10 January 2023. The second of two days, he improved upon his twenty-eighth place in the 10 kilometre open water swim from Paris, this time finishing in a time of 1:46:59.80 to place fifteenth."FINA Marathon Swim World Series 2022 – Leg 5: Results Men 10km"

. 12 November 2022. Retrieved 10 January 2023.

2023

At the 2023 Australian Open Water Championships in January, Lee won the 5 kilometre open water swim, finishing 0.06 seconds ahead of second-place finisher Nicholas Sloman with a time of 55:20.90.Hanson, Ian (28 January 2023)
"Local WA Hero Kyle Lee Wins A 5Km Thriller With Nic Sloman In A Fitting Finale To Australian Open Water Championships"
''

Swimming World } ''Swimming World'' is a US-based quarterly swimming magazine that was first published in a magazine format as ''Junior Swimmer'' in January 1960. It concurrently runs online websites ''Swimming World Magazine'' and ''Swimming World News'' (kn ...

''. Retrieved 16 February 2023. In mid-February, he defended his title at the 28th Busselton Jetty Swim, this time winning in 38:48.6, which set a new event record.Massey, Catherine (13 February 2023)
"Swimmers from across WA turn out for 28th Busselton Jetty Swim"
''Busselton-Dunsborough Mail''. Retrieved 16 February 2023. On 24 March, he was named to the Swimming Australia roster for the

2023 World Aquatics Championships The 2023 World Aquatics Championships, the 20th edition of the World Aquatics Championships, were held in Fukuoka, Japan, from 14 to 30 July 2023. Originally scheduled to be held in 2021 as the 19th championships, the championships were postpo ...

in the 5 kilometre open water swim."Dolphins named for Open Water World Championships"
''

''. 24 March 2023. Retrieved 29 March 2023. At the 2023 Australian Swimming Trials in June, he placed fifth in the 800 metre freestyle with a time of 8:00.32."Meet Results: 2023 Australian Swimming Trials"
''

''. 15 June 2023. Retrieved 15 June 2023.

International championships

Marathon Swim World Series circuits

The following medals Lee has won at Marathon Swim World Series circuits."Kyle Lee: Medals"

. Retrieved 10 January 2023.

Awards and honours

Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...

(WA) Open Water Swimmer of the Year, Shelley Taylor-Smith medal: 2021

References

External links

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lee, Kyle 2002 births Living people Sportsmen from Western Australia Australian male freestyle swimmers Australian long-distance swimmers Zimbabwean emigrants to Australia World Aquatics Championships medalists in open water swimming Swimmers at the 2024 Summer Olympics Olympic swimmers for Australia 21st-century Australian sportsmen