Cameron de Burgh (born 11 April 1971) is an Australian Paralympic swimmer, who has won four medals at two Paralympics.

Personal

De Burgh was born in New Zealand on 11 April 1971, and moved to

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

in Australia in 1991. At the age of 16, his trail-bike was hit by a car while he was performing a U-turn and his right leg was amputated above the knee due to his injuries. Four months after the accident, he began an apprenticeship at a golf course.

Swimming

De Burgh started swimming in the early 1990s. In 1995, he won five gold medals at the Australian National Swimming Championships. He won a silver medal at the 1996 Atlanta Games in the Men's 4x100 m Freestyle S7–10 event. In the freestyle and butterfly events at the 1996 Games, he set Australian records. He was a 1997 and 1998 Motor Accidents Authority Paralympian. In 1998, he competed at the

IPC Swimming World Championships The World Para Swimming Championships, known before 30 November 2016 as the IPC Swimming World Championships, are the world championships for swimming where athletes with a disability compete. They are organised by the International Paralympic C ...

Christchurch Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon Rive ...

. In the 100 m freestyle and 100 m butterfly events, he won silver medals. At the Championship, he was part of the Australian 4 x 100 m relay team that won a gold medal. In 1999, he competed in the German and United Kingdom national swimming championships. His medal haul at these two events included five gold medals, a silver medal and a bronze medal. In 2000, his competitive sport participation was sponsored by the

Motor Accidents Authority An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert one or more forms of energy into mechanical energy. Available energy sources include potential energy (e.g. energy of the Earth's gravitational field as exploited in hydroelectric power g ...

in New South Wales. At the 2000 Sydney Paralympics, he won two silver medals in the Men's 100 m Freestyle S9 and Men's 4x100 m Freestyle 34 pts events and a bronze medal in the Men's 4x100 m Medley 34 pts event.

Recognition

In 1995, the

Australian Paralympic Federation Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Aus ...

named De Burgh their Developing Paralympian of the Year.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:de Burgh, Cameron Male Paralympic swimmers for Australia Swimmers at the 1996 Summer Paralympics Swimmers at the 2000 Summer Paralympics Medalists at the 1996 Summer Paralympics Medalists at the 2000 Summer Paralympics Paralympic silver medalists for Australia Paralympic bronze medalists for Australia Amputee category Paralympic competitors Australian amputees New Zealand amputees New Zealand emigrants to Australia Swimmers from Brisbane 1971 births Living people Paralympic medalists in swimming Australian male freestyle swimmers S9-classified para swimmers