Australia’s Most Famous Swimmers to Speak at National Young Leaders Day
The National Young Leaders Day features Australia’s most inspirational voices and role models. Halogen Australia has announced that current swimming superstar Cate Campbell, or recent swimming legend Leisel Jones, will be speaking across every one of the upcoming events.
Students with be treated to a unique experience to hear their story, to ask questions, and perhaps even chat up close. Cate will be speaking at the events in Brisbane and Sydney, and Leisel in Melbourne, Perth and Adelaide. More high-profile speakers will soon be announced, as Halogen honors the commitment to connect students face-to-face with prominent Australians through the National Young Leaders Day.
Cate Campbell is currently one of the most prominent names in Australian swimming.
Born in Africa, she moved with her family to Australia when she was 9 years old, and joined her local swimming club as a way of meeting others. Cate first came to prominence at age 13 in 2006, when she claimed gold in both the 50m and 100m Freestyle at the Australian Age Championships. She has gone on to hold both Olympic and world records in these same events.
Cate admits that she was never good at singing or dancing, but she realised that swimming was something she could do well. Also admitting that she isn’t naturally a driven person, Cate has become highly motivated by her pursuit of excellence. Cate shares a very real story of the journey to being the best in the world.
At the recent Commonwealth Games, Cate earned 3 gold and 1 silver medal, the exact same tally as her sister Bronte, whom she swam with in the world record breaking 4 x 100m relay team.
Leisel Jones is one of the most loved personalities of Australian swimming, and in 2015 Leisel was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame.
Leisel’s professional swimming career began at the age of 15 where she was the youngest member of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Swimming Team, winning 2 silver medals and making her one of the youngest Olympic medalists in Australia’s history. She was an Olympic gold medalist by the age of 18, and went on to win 14 individual world records, 9 Olympic medals, and 10 Commonwealth Games gold medals.
Leisel faced many adversities and setbacks in her swimming career. Her final Olympics was not without its unique challenges including media controversy, overcoming bullying and disharmony in the team.
Leisel now shares her personal journey where lessons from the pool are seamlessly transformed into lessons of life. At such a young age, pressures to be thin or act a certain way took a toll, and it wasn’t until she was able to unlock authenticity that she was able to find freedom. Now an author and speaker, Leisel’s mission is to share principles of truth, integrity, and authenticity. Also prominent in the media, Leisel is a regular part of television swimming coverage and was even a contestant on ‘I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here’.