Rowan Crothers


Rowan Crothers is an Australian freestyle swimmer. He represented Australia at the 2016 Rio Paralympics.

Personal life

Rowan Crothers was born 15 weeks prematurely on 24 October 1997 in Gosford on the New South Wales Central Coast. His prematurity resulted in him developing cerebral palsy and chronic lung disease. He has mild spastic diplegia and swims with the International Paralympic Committee Classifications S10, SB9, SM10. He is currently a member of and is trained by Rick Van Der Zant. Rowan is a member of the integrated Australian Swim Team for the 2014 Commonwealth Games and the Australian Para Swim Team for the 2014 ParaPanPacs. He is also a serving youth ambassador for the Cerebral Palsy League of Queensland.
Rowan currently lives in Moorooka on the south side of Brisbane and is studying a Bachelor of Public Relations & Communications at Griffith University.

Career

Crothers made his international swimming debut as a 13-year-old at the 2011 Arafura Games where he claimed a bronze medal in the Men's 400m MC freestyle and broke 4 Australian National Age Records in the 50m, 100m, 200m and 400m freestyle events in the S9 classification. He has since gone on to claim S9 Australian National Age Records in freestyle as a 13, 14, 15 and 16 year old in the 50m, 100m, 200m, and the 400m freestyle.
At the 2013 Australian Short Course Championships Rowan broke the men's S9 World Record for the 400 metre SC freestyle. He then followed this up at the 2014 Australian Swimming Championships by breaking World Records in the S9 100m freestyle twice, and then breaking the S9 200m freestyle WR. As well as setting these new records, Rowan qualified for the
2014 Australian Commonwealth Games Swim Team and the 2014 Para Pan Pacs Team.
Rowan's cerebral palsy affects the efficiency of his kick and he has worked consistently on perfecting a propulsion style to make the most out of the leg strength and coordination he has.
Crothers competed at the 2016 Rio Paralympics. He competed in four events and qualified for the finals in each. He placed fifth in the Men's 4 × 100 m Freestyle, sixth in Men's 400m Freestyle S10, fifth in Men's 100m Freestyle S10 and sixth in Men's 50m Freestyle S10.
At the 2019 World Para Swimming Championships, he won the bronze medalS in the Men's 50m and 100m Freestyle S10.

National Open Competition Medal Tally

Silver - Men 12 & Over 400 LC Metre Freestyle Multi-Class
2013 Australian Open Water Championships
Silver - Men 5K Open Water Multi-Class
2013 Australian Open Swimming Championships
Silver - Male 400 LC Metre Freestyle Multi-Class
Bronze - Male 100 LC Metre Freestyle Multi-Class
2013 Australian Open Short Course Swimming Championships
Gold – Men’s Open 400 SC Metre Freestyle Multi-Class
2014 Australian Open Swimming Championships
Gold – Men’s 100m freestyle Para Sport S9
Gold – Men’s Open 100 LC Metre Freestyle Multi-Class
Silver – Men’s Open 400 LC Metre Freestyle Multi-Class
Gold – Men’s Open 200 LC Metre Freestyle Multi-Class

International Competition Medal Tally

2011 Arafura Games inc. Oceanic Paralympic Championships
Bronze - Men's 400 LC Meter Freestyle Multi-Class
2013 IPC Swimming World Championships - Montreal
Gold – Men’s 34pt 4 × 100 m freestyle relay
Bronze - S9 Male 100m freestyle

Awards