Ryk Neethling (bilingual post) de Sudáfrica

In English

My SA friends told me: "Look! Ryk Neethling is there!, let´s take a picture!" I did not know who he was, except he was cute and handsome. We took a picture, everyone smiled. I wrote down his name and thought: I`ll Google him... Well, more than a year later, this is my post about Ryk Neethling, one of the most successful swimmers in history to compete for the University of Arizona and the Republic of South Africa. Ryk was born and raised in Bloemfontein, South Africa. Ryk has participated in the last three Olympic Games for South Africa, culminating with a Gold Medal and World Record performance in the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece. Currently, Neethling holds the South African record in five different events and ranks in the top ten in the world in both the 50, 100, 200 Freestyle and Individual Medleys. Yet it is his success as an intercollegiate swimmer at the University of Arizona that elevated him to become one of the most highly regarded athletes in Tucson and the International swimming community. Ryk’s collegiate athletic career at Arizona was unmatched, leading to nine individual NCAA Championships and the Arizona Athlete of the Century Award.

Family: He was raised by his parents Ryk and San-Marie with his two sisters Elsje and Jean-Marie. Growing up in a close knit family, Ryk learned the meaning of competition and determination. His sister, Elsje, was diagnosed with brain tumors at the age of twelve and endured three brain surgeries before recovering fully. Throughout her treatment, she continued swimming, never giving up her hope, determination, and passion while fighting for her life. It was this mentality that Ryk adopted in his swimming that led him to his international and collegiate success.

Corina Moscovich, Ryk Neethling, Candice Marshoff at Bloemfontein Airport, 2010

Schooling: Ryk attended all of his schooling prior to the University of Arizona at Grey College in South Africa; the third generation of Neethling’s to attend. One of the most prestigious institutions in South Africa, Grey College, was attended by former South African presidents and other influential politicians.

In 1995, at the age of 17, several colleges began recruiting Ryk for swimming scholarships. At this point, he had never visited the United States and barely spoke English. When Michigan did not guarantee him an athletic scholarship and he began seriously considering other programs, he first thought of the University of Arizona. Throughout the four years he competed for Arizona, he had several opportunities to show Michigan the recruiting error they had made. Ryk had become one of the most successful intercollegiate swimmers in history. Ryk began participating in international competition for the country of South Africa in 1993 and continued throughout his career at Arizona. Ryk continues to travel to international competitions to represent South Africa. More info at  http://www.rykneethling.com/ . By the way, it´s really difficult to find info of Ryk in Spanish...

Corina Moscovich, Ryk Neethling at Bloemfontein Airport, 2010

En castellano

Mis amigos sudafricanos me dijeron: "Mirá! Ahí está Ryk Neethling!, vamos a sacarnos una foto!" Yo no sabía quién era, excepto que era bonito y guapo. Nos sacamos una foto, todos sonrieron. Yo tomé nota de su nombre y pensé: lo voy a googlear... Bueno, más de un año después, este es mi post sobre Ryk. Lo gracioso es que la información disponible sobre Ryk Neethling en castellano está en sitios de hombres gays. Semejante guapo, parece que gusta a todos, chicos, chicas, en fin... Aquí va su sitio web, advierto que la foto de bienvenida es impactante... http://www.rykneethling.com/

Algo de su data: El nadador Ryk Neethling nació el 17 de noviembre de 1977 en Bloemfontein, Sudáfrica, donde también se crió. Es el  primer sudafricano que ha competido en cuatro Juegos Olímpicos, ganó una medalla en los del 2004 en el relevo 4x100 libres. Tiene varios registros importantes de su país.  Ryk comenzó a participar en competencias internacionales para el país de Sudáfrica en 1993 y continuó su carrera en Arizona. Ryk continúa participando en competencias internacionales para representar a Sudáfrica.