Bronte Campbell sparks flood of messages after Aussie swimming hero drops massive personal news
The Australian swimming champion has all the more reason to celebrate.
Aussie swimming champion Bronte Campbell has shared the wonderful news of her engagement on social media, sparking a flood of congratulatory messages from her teammates. The 30-year-old has been holidaying in Europe with partner Benfield Lainchbury after adding another gold medal to her collection at the Paris Olympics.
Lainchbury popped the question while the couple were in Venice this week. Campbell raised eyebrows when she posted a video of herself with a huge rock on her finger, and then confirmed the news of the engagement.
"What a week celebrating all that’s happened and all the exciting things to come," she wrote. "Easiest yes of my life." She had earlier written: "Venice: special for so many reasons."
Olympic teammate Lani Pallister commented: "YEAHHHHH THE POST WE ALL WANTED. Congratulations beautiful, here’s to a lifetime of happiness." Fellow swimmer Shayna Jack wrote: "Congratulations to you both." While Channel 9 presenter Roz Kelly added: "Congratulations! So happy for you."
The happy news comes after Campbell won the third gold medal of her Olympics career in Paris as part of Australia's all-conquering women's 4x100m freestyle relay team. Campbell didn't swim in the final but was awarded a gold medal for her efforts in the heat.
Cate Campbell's mixed emotions after Bronte wins another gold
The 30-year-old also won gold in the same event at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 and Rio Games in 2016. It marked the fourth-straight Olympics in which Australia has won gold in the event, but it marked a bittersweet moment for Bronte's sister Cate.
Cate Campbell was part of all three relays teams that won gold in 2012, 2016 and 2021, but she failed in her bid to qualify for the Paris Olympics. She was spotted in tears in the crowd after the race in Paris, and admitted to mixed emotions.
“I got emotional, not after the race, but watching the flag go up and the national anthem,” she said on Channel 9, with who she did some commentary work. “I’m not resentful to any of them. I love them, I know every single one of them because I’ve grown up with them.
“But just six weeks ago, I hoped that would be me standing on that (podium). But I’m so, so proud of the legacy that I am able to leave and the fact that these girls have now done something that no Australian relay has done before. We’ve got four in a row. That is phenomenal.
“It’s a testament to the fact that we have been able to knowledge-share within the Australian swim team, that we haven’t hoarded knowledge. We have consistently put emphasis on our relays and those girls are incredible. Every single one of them I know personally and I know the struggles and the stories they’ve had to overcome.
“There was this kinship there, because it was only a couple of weeks ago that I was racing against them. I want to be really clear that I don’t want this moment to be about me. I don’t want to take away from those girls in the water. I want to celebrate them because they deserve it.”
Will Bronte Campbell keep swimming or retire?
As for Bronte Campbell, she hasn't yet announced whether she'll keep swimming or call it quits. Injuries have hampered her career in the last few years and she took an 18-month break from swimming in 2021. Considering she'll be 34 by the time the LA Olympics roll around in 2028, it seems highly unlikely she'll be there.
