Ky Hurst

Australia | Swimming

Birthdate: Mar 11, 1981
Weight: 87kg
Height: 183cm
Age: 28

Athlete Results

Swimming

21/08

Men's Marathon 10 km Final

1h52:13.7 (11th)

Athlete Profile

Profile

Gender: Male

Place of birth: Nambour, Queensland, Australia

Residence: Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Hero/Idol: Australia's multiple Ironman champion Trevor Hendy. "Ever since nippers I just wanted to follow in his footsteps."

Most influential person in career: His mum Kerrie because she raised him and his brother on her own.

Awards/Honours: Inducted into the Surf lifesaving Australia [SLSA] Hall of Fame in 2007.

Notes

Highlights

FROM SURF TO POOL

After twice just failing to make the Australia swimming team for the Olympic Games [in 2000 and 2004] because he wasn't committed enough and admitting he needed a new challenge because he had won everything available to him in the sport of surf lifesaving, he moved to Sydney at the start of 2007 to train under Ian Thorpe's former coach Tracey Menzies. He left the Gold Coast, his family and support structures behind to work with Menzies and prove he was at last serious about his Olympic aspirations. "In Queensland, if the surf was good, I would skip training and just go surfing," he said. "But now, I stay away from the surf. Even if I go down to beach, I try not to take my board."

GRANT HACKETT

He and Grant Hackett grew up together on the central coast of New South Wales before moving north to Queensland. They competed against each other in junior surf carnivals and national age swimming championships and have been friends for a long time. He recalled that they first met in the U13s. "I was really small then," Hurst said. "I was thinking 'this guy is big, he's massive'. He beat me in the 200m backstroke and 400m freestyle, but I won the U16 surf race."

OTHER ACTIVITIES

He has a commitment to a number of charities that assist young people in the fight against suicide and cancer.

BALLROOM DANCING

He appeared in Australian television's third series of Dancing with the Stars, a pro-celebrity ballroom dancing show, and was partnered by Masha Belash.

Competition Highlights

Date	Competition	Venue	Event	Rank
4 May, 2008	World Championships Open Water	Seville	10km Freestyle	5
29 Mar, 2008	Australian Championships	Sydney	1500m Freestyle	4
20 Oct, 2007	World Cup Open Water	Overall	10km Freestyle	17
17 Jun, 2007	World Cup Open Water	London	10km Freestyle	1