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| Jacqui Cooper |
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| Chris Anstey |
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| Petria Thomas |
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| Adam Thompson |
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| Linley Frame |
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| Daniel Kowalski |
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| Daniel Kowalski |
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Daniel Kowalski is unlike any other swimmer. He has shown a remarkable ability to ride out adversity and still produce extraordinary performances. At age 16, he missed selection for the 1992 Olympic Team when he finished 3rd in the 1500m freestyle. Later that year he developed glandular fever but came back from illness to win his place in the 1993 Pan Pacific Championships – he finished 2nd to Kieren Perkins in the 1500 metres, 800 metres and the 400 metres Freestyle events. In December 1993, Daniel was Australia’s sole distance representative at the inaugural World Short Course swimming Championships in Majorca, where he won gold in the 400 metres and the 1500 metres Freestyle events. |
One month before the Commonwealth Games trials in 1994, Daniel contracted a viral infection that destroyed his final preparation and left him expecting failure. Instead, he stunned Australia – not to mention Kieren Perkins – by beating the Olympic champion over both the 400 metres and the 1500 metres freestyle events – and broke the 15 minute barrier for the first time. Daniel had just turned 19 when he swam a personal best time in Rome, at the World Championships. Before the race he had been violently ill with food poisoning, and was still suffering acutely when he swam. Despite this, his silver medal swim behind Kieren Perkins was the fourth fastest time of all.
Daniel’s courage is now legendary. After moving to Melbourne he concentrated on preparing for the Atlanta Olympics. His coach felt he was stronger after enduring the trials of the past few years and his exceptional performances at the Australian Swimming Championships finally gave Daniel his clear run to Atlanta, where he walked away with more medals than any other Australian – a silver and two bronze. In 1997, a serious shoulder injury kept Daniel out of the water till about eight weeks before the World Championship trials. Again, with such a limited preparation, he was not expected to qualify for the team. He confounded everyone, including himself, by qualifying for the 4 x 200 metres relay and the 1500 metres Freestyle, where he came home with two medals – a gold in the relay and a bronze in the 1500 metres.
Daniel was appointed a Sporting Ambassador for the United Nations and in this capacity visited some refugee camps on the Thai/ Cambodia border in October 1998. Daniel rated this as highly as any of his sporting achievements to date. Shoulder surgery in July 1999 meant that Daniel was to miss out on the Pan Pacific Championships that year but he was looking to his long term dream of swimming at the Olympics in Sydney, and the trials for the Olympic Games were to be in May 2000. In November 1999, Daniel was chosen and given diplomatic status for a day when asked to speak on the floor of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
This was an Australia sponsored resolution calling for world peace during the up coming Olympic Games in Sydney in September 2000. Daniel made the team for the 2000 Olympics in Sydney but due to continuing shoulder problems he only swam in the 4 x 200 metres relay (gold medal) but did not swim in the 1500 metres Freestyle event. More surgery was advised for Daniel and his left shoulder was reconstructed in December, and then the right one followed in March 2001, but again Daniel still wanted to swim and compete.
An intensive program of rehabilitation had Daniel make his come back in December 2001at the Melbourne World Cup when he won gold in the 1500 metres Freestyle.
Daniel has now retired from competitive swimming. |
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| CAREER HIGHLIGHTS |
Won 400m freestyle at World Short Course Championships in Majorca (1993)
Won 1500m freestyle at World Short Course Championships in Majorca (1993)
2nd 1500m freestyle at World Championships in Rome (1994)
2nd 1500m freestyle at Commonwealth Games in Victoria (Canada) (1994)
Won 400m freestyle at Pan Pacific Championships at Atlanta (1995)
Won 800m freestyle at Pan Pacific Championships at Atlanta (1995)
Won 4 x 200m freestyle at Pan Pacific Championships at Atlanta (1995)
2nd 200m freestyle at Pan Pacific Championships at Atlanta (1995)
2nd 1500m freestyle at Pan Pacific Championships at Atlanta (1995)
Won 400m freestyle at World Short Course Championships at Rio de Janeiro (1995)
Won 1500m freestyle – World Short Course Championships at Rio de Janeiro (1995)
Won 4 x 200m relay at World Short Course Championships at Rio de Janeiro (1995)
Won 4 x 200m freestyle at World Swimming Championships at Perth (1998)
3rd 1500m freestyle at World Swimming Championships at Perth (1998)
Won 4 x 200m relay at Commonwealth Games at Kuala Lumpur (1998)
Won 4 x 200m relay at Sydney Olympic Games (2000)
Won 1500m freestyle at World Cup at Melbourne (2001) |
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| FASTEST TIMES |
Daniel holds the third fastest 1500m Short Course time in history, the fifth fastest 1500m Long Course tine, and the second fastest 800m freestyle time.
His personal best times are:
• 200m freestyle 1:48.26
• 200m freestyle 1:50.11 (Short Course)
• 400m freestyle 3:48.86
• 400m freestyle 3:48.95 (Short Course)
• 800m freestyle 7:50.28
• 1500m freestyle 14:53.42
• 1500m freestyle 14:39.95 (Short Course)
Daniel was part of the WORLD RECORD breaking 4 x 200m freestyle relay team at the Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur – the time 7:11.86. |
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