Darian Townsend
Darian Townsend
A defining moment in the lives of these four men. The South African squad of Roland Schoeman (split 48:38), Lyndon Ferns (48:34), Darian Townsend (49:13) and Ryk Neethling(47:99) - clocked 3 minutes and 13.17 seconds to triumph over the Netherlands (2nd) and the US team (3rd).
Darian Roy Townsend was born on 28 August 1984 in Pinetown. Unlike his teammates in 2004, his was a thoroughly English upbringing in Pietermaritzburg. He attended Merchiston Preparatory School and matriculated from Maritzburg College in 2002. He swam with coach Wayne Riddin at the Seals Swimming Club in Pietermaritzburg.
He swam for South Africa at three Olympic Games from 2004 - 2012. The highlight of his Olympic swimming career was the men's relay at the 2004 Athens Games, where he was the Englishman amongst the Afrikaners from Bloemfontein, Pietersburg, and Pretoria.
After school, he took up a scholarship to swim at the University of Arizona, where he joined Lyndon Ferns, Ryk Neethling, and Roland Schoeman. He became a U.S. citizen during the summer of 2014 and has subsequently represented the United States in international events. Since becoming a citizen Townsend has represented the USA in the 2014 Short Course World Championships, the 2015 Aquatic Super Series, as well as at the 2015 Pan American Games
Darian retired from competitive swimming in 2017, although he did swim in the 2017 Midmar Mile. About the race, he says: "It’s all about having fun. I started coming when I was six years old. I love it here. "
He is now Head Coach of the YMCA West Side Silver Fins and as the Senior Aquatics Director for the Southwest Valley Family YMCA in Phoenix, Arizona.
During his collegiate career at the University of Florida and the University of Arizona, Townsend was a five-time NCAA Relay Champion and a two-time individual NCAA champion in the 200 FR (2007) and 200 IM (2008).
Darian continues to train and race in Master’s Swimming, holding more than 25 Master’s World Records. In 2018 for the third time in his career, Darian Townsend was named one of Swimming World’s Top 12 World Masters Swimmers of the Year, having also been recognized in 2014 and 2016.
“Making the decision to retire from professional swimming is not an easy one. Ever since I was 12 years old, my passion has been to compete at the highest level. I did that for over 15 years and I thoroughly enjoyed every second of it. Swimming has given me so much. I have traveled the world, made many lifelong friends, received an education, and met my soul mate. I could not have asked for more. I feel it is now time to switch my focus to educating and training the swimmers of the future.
I’d like to thank all the coaches I have worked with in my career, firstly for being so patient and secondly for caring. Without your passion and belief in me, I would never have achieved the things I did.
To my family; Mom, Dad, Cheryl, and Claire. Thank you for understanding and supporting me through all the ups and downs. Having you guys as my support team helped me more than you’ll ever know.
Roland, Lyndon, and Ryk. What we achieved in Athens in 2004 was really special and I will relive those incredible scenes in my head for the rest of my life. Thank you for being my brothers.”
Darian Townsend: Life of a Professional International Athlete
Feature by Elle Meinholz, Swimming World internship
May 7, 2013
Just like many young competitive swimmers, South African Olympic Gold Medallist Darian Townsend dreamed of continuing his swimming career in college. Unlike these swimmers who grow up and move miles away from home to swim as college athletes, Townsend wound up in an entirely different country as he moved to the United States to further his education and continue pursuing his passion for the sport of swimming.
From a swimming family, Townsend started swimming at a young age. Despite encouragement from his parents to try other sports, Townsend enjoyed swimming the most, and has stuck with it.
"It was the logical and natural thing for me to do," Townsend said. "Just being in the water for me is just so much fun. When I get into the water, it's the same every time, and I just love it. Water is where I kind of feel is the best place for me to be."
Townsend came from a club team that sent a lot of swimmers overseas to swim, particularly in the American college system. Motivated by previous South African success stories, American college swimming became a huge goal for Townsend in his early teens.
"Just seeing swimmers that went over to the U.S. and did so well at the Olympics and World Champs and in the college system was kind of my motivating factor to get myself over there and be like them," said Townsend.
Transitioning from a South African swimmer to a South African representative training in the U.S. has had its challenges for Townsend. In college, Townsend was united with his American team by group goals as an Arizona Wildcat.
"It was really nice to be a part of a group that had a single goal in mind" said Townsend.
Now training as a post-graduate as part of Tucson Ford, Townsend's goals are no longer shared by a team.
"Since I finished with college there is no longer a group goal we are all heading towards. I was training for something completely different than the college kids."
Another significant transition for Townsend was from a very sprint-oriented and technique based program to one of high volume yardage and intense dryland work.
"When I came to the U.S. my training dramatically increased in the yardage, and also in the gym. I wasn't used to doing two weight sessions a week and dryland on top of that, and like I said, more yardage."
Although the transition was tough initially, Townsend believes that the way he trained in South Africa before moving to the U.S. has allowed him to really excel in the U.S. and have a long and successful career.
"My coach was very big on good technique and that is something that I have carried throughout my career. I have been blessed to have an injury free career up to this point, and I think that has a lot to do with good technique and being taught good technique at a young age."
Being from a sprint-oriented program has also allowed Townsend to build up his volume and intensity throughout his career.
"Right now even when I am 28 years old, I am probably training more now than when I was 18, 19 years old. I think that has a lot to do with the reason why I have had such a long swimming career, because I wasn't doing high yardage as a 13, 14 year old."
Now a sponsored athlete by A3 Performance, Townsend enjoys his life in Tucson.
"I get to train with some of the best swimmers in the world here at the U of A. We have a good, healthy post-grad group as well as a phenomenal college team."
In addition to training, Townsend is also coaching at Tucson Ford.
"I will finish my practice with U of A and then jump out of the water and straight on to the deck for two hours of Ford Practice."
As Townsend has progressed in his swimming career, his level of responsibility has definitely grown.
"There is a responsibility with it, but it's a huge honor," said Townsend. "I'm just grateful for the opportunities that have come my way, and you know it's not easy, especially as a swimmer, to get a sponsor. It's not a sport where you get a lot of face time on television. For a company to want to sponsor an athlete like that, it really says something about that athlete, and, like I said, it's a huge honor."
Still improving in the pool, Townsend recently won the 200 IM at the Arena Grand Prix in Mesa ahead of Ryan Lochte. What can we expect from Townsend moving forward?
"I definitely think Rio 2016 is in the cards. That's the long term goal" said Townsend. "Short term goals, I plan to race in the World Cup series, and race the 200 free more, shooting for that short course world record."
Rio 2016 would be Townsend's fourth Olympic Games. In a sport like swimming, there are bound to be disappointments and frustrations. The reason why Townsend has made it this far is the mindset of "hard work and never give up. Every season has ups and downs. It's learning to persevere through those ups and downs. It's learning to swim when the odds are not really in your favor."
Townsend has been active and extremely competitive in the sport for a long time now. In a sport so demanding, one may wonder how a swimmer stays so motivated and determined, but for Townsend, it's easy.
"I love swimming, I love training, and I love racing people, so I will do that for as long as I can. You only have one swimming career and you are only young once. I am going to try to do it for as long as I can and if I am still successful at it, I am going to keep doing it."
Natural born swimmer
Pietermaritzburg’s Olympic gold medallist is looking to increase his haul in Beijing.
https://witness.co.za/archive/2008/04/24/natural-born-swimmer-20150430/
American-based South African Olympic gold medallist Darian Townsend is at a crossroads in his swimming career. His second Olympic Games are a few months away and he has to prove to the world that he is a professional swimmer. It isn’t an easy job. “Unless you’re Michael Phelps, who is the best swimmer in the world, you don’t get publicity,” says Townsend (23). Getting publicity means sponsorship deals, which a professional sportsperson depends on to turn a passion into a career.
We are sitting beside the pool at Townsend’s parents’ house in Montrose in which he took his first strokes as a natural born swimmer. “Coming from a swimming family, I took to the water at 18 months,” he says, smiling at his parents Ted and Rita. They both finished first in their age groups in this year’s Midmar Mile and their daughter Cheryl is on a scholarship swimming in the United States.
Townsend was born on August 28, 1984, in Pinetown and moved with his family to Pietermaritzburg shortly afterwards. He went to Northern Park Primary, Merchiston and then Maritzburg College, getting his matric certificate in 2002. Throughout his school days, though, the one thing that kept him motivated and in high spirits was swimming.
“I joined my mum’s swimming classes in this very pool,” he says. “But my parents soon realised that I needed to start training professionally and so when I was seven I joined the Pietermaritzburg Seals Swimming Club as a club night swimmer.” He then moved on to Wayne Riddin’s swim squad, beginning his career for the Seals.
In 2003, Townsend decided to take a gap year and trained with French coach Fred Vernoux. “I went to France to do further training and then swam for South Africa at the 2003 Barcelona World Championships. It was the first time that the four swimmers who won gold at the Athens Olympics in 2004 [Townsend, Roeland Schoeman, Ryk Neethling and Lyndon Ferns] swam together, which was a great experience.”
He returned to South Africa, where he trained under Graham Hill in Pinetown. “It was a very good experience because I was able to cross train with cycling, which I really enjoyed.” Hill, the coach of Terrence Parkin who won silver at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, encouraged cross training with cycling and so Townsend went about on a bicycle for 60 kilometres a day at the height of his training for Athens 2004. That’s how he found himself tackling the gruelling Amashovashova cycle race from Pietermaritzburg to Durban.
It only hit Townsend when he reached the final of the men’s 4×100 metre freestyle relay with Schoeman, Neethling and Ferns at the Athens Olympics in August 2004 that he was about to be part of something special. “It was such a happy moment for all of us,” he said, his Olympic gold medal slightly worn from all the people who have oozed over it.
“The Olympics came when I was 19, which is very young,” he says. “This had good and bad repercussions.
“The good would be that you can never lose your Olympic gold from your name,” he says. “The bad part of it, however, is that I was still growing and having this medal puts a lot of pressure on you. Everyone who competes against you says, ‘show me what you’ve got that makes you so special’.”
After breaking the world record and getting gold, Townsend began making a name for himself in American waters, but it didn’t start off very easily.
In 2005, Townsend got a full scholarship to Florida University where he began studying sociology. Being away from his family for such a long period was not an easy transition and the first two years were tough. “I didn’t get on with the head coach and I didn’t find his programme very helpful, which showed in races,” he says. “But it took me a while to realise this. At first I thought I wasn’t good enough.”
The coach believed in long-distance swimming training and pushed his swimmers throughout the year without a break. “He used fear as a tactic, which for me just didn’t work.”
But although he was struggling, Townsend wasn’t out of the equation yet. In March 2005 at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), his Florida team won gold and broke the record in their 4×200 metre freestyle relay. “That competition is actually much more difficult than the Olympics,” Townsend says. “One thousand two hundred universities take part and it is hard just qualifying.”
But Townsend was fed up at Florida and when Arizona University head coach Frank Busch offered him a place there in 2006, he was on the first plane out of Florida. “All the four relay guys from Athens were at Arizona, so you can imagine the feeling of being there,” he says. “We could talk and hang out with each other, which I really enjoyed.”
The coaching was also a relief. “They are so much more relaxed there and develop you as a person rather than a swimming machine.”
Townsend said he had never really taken much interest in his diet, but Schoeman influenced him a lot. “He taught me how to cook and, more importantly, how to cook leaving fatty foods out. We eat a lot of pasta and low-fat meats,” he says.
In 2006 Townsend was selected for the South African team to compete at the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, but it was the following year in which he truly came into his own as a swimmer. At 22, he got gold in the 200 yard freestyle finals at the NCAA and his relay team broke the record his team at Florida had set the year before, also winning gold. This year he again got gold at the NCAA in the 200 yard individual medley race.
“I have really enjoyed swimming for Arizona,” he says. “I have been able to travel all over the country and see the different cultures in the United States. But, as one of the conditions of my scholarship, I can’t be part of the team next year and have to focus on completing my degree, so I will have to find another team to swim for.”
In his time off, Townsend spends time with his girlfriend Ashley, who is a cheerleader for the Arizona University football team. “We enjoy relaxing together, watching movies, playing pool — you know, the normal stuff,” he says. “But I can’t sit in the house doing nothing all day. I have to get out and do something active at least once a day.”
Townsend has just finished a successful competition in Durban at the South African National Championships, which were also Olympic qualifiers. Townsend qualified in the 200 metre individual medley and in so doing broke the South African record in a time of 2:01,05.
Back in the U.S., Townsend will be returning to a stringent training schedule ahead of the Chinese Olympic Games. He trains four to five hours a day, with a one-and-a-half hour workout in the pool, a dry land workout and another two hours in the pool in the afternoon. “I have a couple of meets in California and Arizona before the Olympics, which will help to improve my times,” he says. “I am currently fifth in the six-man squad for the South African relay team and so need to up my time to make it into the four-man team — we will have a time trial just before the finals in China. Luckily, I’ll be peaking at the right time again.”
Townsend says he can’t wait to be back at the Olympic Village set-up. “Having all the great athletes from around the world in one place at one time is amazing,” he says, “Just walking around the food court is awesome, because you bump into people you once idolised.”
But the Olympics are about more than just doing well for South Africa. Townsend needs to win gold to be recognised by sponsors. “I am expecting to drop a few seconds off my time,” he says. “Swimming is not seen as a glamorous sport and sponsorships don’t come easy.”
Townsend says he will peak as a swimmer in a few years’ time. “Give me a few years and I will be swimming the times,” he says. “Luckily, I have my parents in the background, who are always helping me out financially, because at the moment there is no one else.”
For Townsend, the 2008 Olympics could not have come at a better time. “I love being a swimmer. Some people work hard in the office and I work hard in the pool,” he says. “I love testing my body as a swimmer – it just makes me feel special.”
Darian Townsend Adapts to Life’s New Challenges
Thursday, March 7, 2019
https://www.usaswimming.org/news/2019/03/07/darian-townsend-adapts-to-life-s-new-challenges
During his competitive swimming days, Darian Townsend never shied away from a challenge.
His hard work and dedication resulted in Olympic gold as well as several other international medals for both his birth country, South Africa, and his newly adopted country, the United States.
But even with all of those accolades, nothing prepared him for his current challenge: fatherhood.
“My life outside of the pool has changed dramatically and for the good,” he said. “I got married to my wife, Claire, in April 2017, and we now have a 3-month-old baby girl named Ella. Being a Dad is amazing, but at the same time challenging me in ways I am still getting used to.”
In addition to his new roles as husband and father, Townsend remains involved with the sport he’s loved since he was a young boy to lead the YMCA Westside Silver Fins Swim and Dive Team in Goodyear, Ariz., as the head coach.
He oversees the day-to-day operations of the swim club as well as coaches the elite swimmers.
He said while his time since retiring from professional swimming in early 2017 has been good, it’s taken him a while to get used to not always being in the mindset of a competitive swimmer.
“I find myself still thinking about when my next practice is and having my body ready for that practice,” he said. “When you've done something for 28 years, I guess it's hard to change the way you think.”
Townsend said his decision to retire was based on several things. For one, he had reached the point where he was tired all the time and needed a long break from the day-to-day schedule he had been following for years.
Finances were also a big part of his decision, as he and Claire wanted to buy a house and start a family so getting a full-time job was a necessity.
And then, with that full-time job, training as much as he would need to remain competitive at the highest level became tough, so something ultimately had to give – but he hasn’t given up swimming altogether.
“I am still competing on the Masters circuit, although not as much as I'd like,” he said. “Swimming is still my favorite form of exercise, and I try to get in the water as often as possible. I feel staying in touch with the water keeps me more in touch with the sport and helps me to be a better coach for my swimmers.”
Townsend’s introduction to swimming came from both of his parents having been swimmers growing up. They both still compete in open water events in South Africa and love the sport – so it was inevitable that he would also love the sport growing up around a swimming pool and joining his first club at age 7.
For him, swimming was the one sport where he felt he had total control of himself. He enjoyed playing team sports, but when he was swimming, he said he felt he could control his destiny.
It was that feeling that kept him coming back to the pool every day.
“When I got a little older, I realized what I could do with the sport,” he said. “I realized I could travel, get an education, make money and meet friends, and so I became obsessed with becoming the best swimmer I could.
“There were times when I took the sport maybe too seriously, but I was lucky to have a family that helped me through those times and kept me grounded.”
His first real memories of the Olympics were the 1996 Atlanta Games when he watched on TV from South Africa and was amazed at how fast the swimmers were.
Darian Townsend named head coach &CEO of Phoenix Swim Club
September 14th, 2021
https://swimswam.com/darian-townsend-named-new-head-coach-ceo-of-phoenix-swim-club/
Olympic gold medalist Darian Townsend has been named the new head coach and CEO of the Phoenix Swim Club, the team announced Tuesday.
Townsend, who will assume his new role on October 4, previously served as the head coach and president of the Westside Silver Fins since 2017, and was also named an assistant coach at Ottawa University in Surprise, Arizona (OUAZ) in November 2019.
In September 2020, he was promoted to head coach at OUAZ, keeping his role with the Silver Fins at the same time.
In April, Garrett McCaffrey stepped down as head coach of Phoenix Swim Club after nearly a decade with the team. McCaffrey went on to join Seattle U as an assistant coach.
Townsend represented South Africa at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, swimming the third leg on the gold medal-winning men’s 4×100 freestyle relay team that broke the world record in a time of 3:13.17. The quartet also included Roland Schoeman, Lyndon Ferns and Ryk Neethling.
Townsend would go on to swim for South Africa at the Olympic Games in 2008 and 2012 as well, and also broke the world record in the short course meter 200 IM in 2009 (1:51.55).
After earning U.S. citizenship in 2014, Townsend represented the United States at multiple international meets, including the 2014 SC World Championships and the 2015 Pan American Games, winning a pair of relay medals in the latter.
Also the owner of several Masters world records, the now-37-year-old won one gold and three silver medals at the 2017 Masters World Championships in Budapest, Hungary.
As a collegiate swimmer, Townsend swam at both the University of Florida and the University of Arizona, winning a total of two individual and five relay NCAA titles, plus one team championship with the Wildcats in 2008.
The KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa native graduated from the University of Arizona in 2010 with a bachelors in Sociology.
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