Kyle Lee, an Australian open-water swimmer, was born on February 23, 2002. He finished sixth in the 25-kilometer open water swim and eighth in the 5-kilometer open water swim at the 2022 World Aquatics Championships.
Kyle placed second in the 4×1500 meter open water team relay during the 2022 Marathon Swim World Series. He is the winner of the 2022 Rottnest Channel Swim. He’s also eligible for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
UWA Student Athlete Kyle Lee secures ticket to Paris
The University of Western Australia commerce student Kyle Lee was part of the Australian swimming team at the 21st World Aquatics Championships in Doha, Qatar from February 2 to 18. This young and promising swimmer has been steadily improving his performances leading up to the 2024 World Aquatics Championships.
Kyle Lee advanced his career by winning two events at the 2023 Australian Open Water Championships and claiming the 5km title at the 2023 World Aquatics Championships.
At the Doha event, Kyle Lee put forth an outstanding effort in the 10km open water race, finishing in a time of 1:48:31.20 to place ninth. By securing a top ten position, Kyle earned one of the four spots on the Australian team that will compete in the 10km open water swim at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Throughout the race, Kyle maintained his position among the lead pack and moved his way through the field, executing his race plan flawlessly. This also marked a historic achievement for the Australian open water swimming team, as the nation qualified for the maximum four quota spots for the Paris Olympics.
Kyle Lee’s Early Life and little help from his Institute to his career
Kyle Lee was born on February 23, 2002, in the country of Zimbabwe. When he was a young child, his family moved to Australind, which is in Western Australia. He went to high school at Bunbury Catholic College. After finishing high school, Kyle moved to the city of Perth.
He enrolled at the University of Western Australia to study for a bachelor’s degree in commerce. In Perth, Kyle trains with the North Coast Swimming Club under the coaching of Ian Mills.
The Western Australian Institute of Sport provides support to help Kyle manage this. As part of his typical weekly training, Kyle swims approximately 60 to 70 kilometers in the pool.
At age 6, Kyle started swimming with a club team called Golden West Dolphins. He did this to help him make friends and become part of his new local community. As Kyle got older, he joined the North Coast Swim Club.
Kyle Lee Early Career
In February 2020, when Kyle Lee was 17 years old, he took part in the 19.7-kilometer Rottnest Channel Swim event. He finished third in this long-distance open water race, with a time of 4 hours, 25 minutes and 30 seconds. In January 2022, Kyle won the 3.6-kilometer Busselton Jetty Swim.
At the Australian Open Water Swimming Championships that year, he placed second in the 5-kilometer event and third in the 10-kilometer race. The next month, in February 2022, Kyle achieved his first major title by winning the Rottnest Channel Swim again. He finished over 10 seconds ahead of the second-place swimmer with a time of 4 hours, 5 minutes and 19 seconds.
His 2022 Year
In February 2022, Kyle was selected to represent Australia in the 5-kilometer open water swim at the 2022 World Aquatics Championships. At this event in Budapest, Hungary on June 27th, Kyle finished eighth in the 5km race with a time of 54:28.2 – just 6.2 seconds behind the seventh-place finisher from Hungary. Three days later, he placed fifth in the grueling 25-kilometer open water marathon, finishing 27 seconds after the gold medalist from Italy in a time of 5:02:48.5.
At the second stop of the 2022 FINA Marathon Swim World Series in Paris, France on July 9th, Kyle started with a 28th place finish in the 10km race in 1:52:49.37. The next day, he won a silver medal as part of Australia’s 4×1500 meter relay team that finished second behind Italy’s time of 1:08:03.35.
Also Read: Australian Swimmer Nicholas Sloman qualified for the Paris Olympics 2024
This silver medal marked Kyle’s first medal at a world-level senior swimming competition. In August 2022, he was named to Australia’s open water roster for the Duel in the Pool event against the United States in Sydney. At this competition with the open water races held at Bondi Beach, Kyle anchored Australia’s 4×800 meter relay team to a first-place finish.
In the 2022 World Series in November at the final stop in Eilat, Israel, Kyle won another silver in the 4x1500m relay. He swam the third leg in 16:13.80 as Australia finished second in 1:06:36.60. On the second day, Kyle improved on his 28th place 10km result from Paris by finishing 15th in a time of 1:46:59.80.
Road to Paris
At the second stop of the 2022 FINA Marathon Swim World Series in Paris, France on July 9th, Kyle Lee started with a 28th place finish in the 10km open water race, completing it in 1:52:49.37. The following day, he won a silver medal as part of Australia’s 4×1500 meter relay team. They finished second behind the Italian team’s time of 1:08:03.35. This silver medal marked Kyle’s first medal won at a senior-level world competition.
On August 10th, 2022, Kyle was selected to Australia’s open water swimming roster for the Duel in the Pool event against the United States in Sydney later that month. At this competition where the open water races took place at Bondi Beach, Kyle anchored and helped Australia’s 4×800 meter relay team finish in first place.
Continuing the 2022 World Series at the final stop in Eilat, Israel in November, Kyle won another silver medal in the 4x1500m relay. He swam the third leg in 16:13.80 as Australia finished second in a total time of 1:06:36.60. On the second day of competition, Kyle improved on his 28th place result from Paris by finishing 15th in the 10km race with a time of 1:46:59.80.
In January 2023 at the Australian Open Water Championships, Kyle won the 5km event, finishing just 0.06 seconds ahead of the second-place swimmer Nicholas Sloman in a time of 55:20.90. The next month in mid-February, he successfully defended his title at the 28th Busselton Jetty Swim, winning again in a new event record time of 38:48.6. On March 24th, Kyle was named to Swimming Australia’s roster for the 2023 World Aquatics Championships in the 5km open water event. At the 2023 Australian Swimming Trials in June, he placed fifth in the 800-meter freestyle race with a time of 8:00.32.
