| Eugene Botes | |
| Fullname: | Eugene Botes |
| Strokes: | Butterfly |
| Club: | Suburban Swim Club (U.S.) |
| Coach: | Charlie Kennedy (U.S.) |
| Collegeteam: | Pennsylvania State University (U.S.) |
| Birth Date: | 9 June 1980 |
| Birth Place: | Vanderbijlpark, South Africa |
| Height: | 1.930NaN0 |
| Weight: | 1010NaN0 |
| Show-Medals: | yes |
Eugene Botes (born 9 June 1980) is a South African former swimmer, who specialized in butterfly events.[1] He became the first swimmer to represent his country South Africa in international tournaments, while playing for the Penn State Nittany Lions in his senior season. He also holds a dual citizenship between South Africa and the United States.[2]
Botes qualified for two swimming events at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. He established a South African record and a FINA A-standard entry time of 53.20 (100 m butterfly) from the USA National Championships in College Park, Maryland.[3] [4] In the 100 m butterfly, Botes challenged seven other swimmers on the sixth heat, including top medal favorites Andriy Serdinov and Denys Sylantyev of Ukraine. He edged out Mexico's Joshua Ilika Brenner to notch a seventh spot and thirtieth overall by 0.15 of a second in 54.15.[5] [6]
Botes also teamed up with Gerhard Zandberg, Terence Parkin, and Karl Otto Thaning in the 4×100 m medley relay. Swimming the butterfly leg in heat two, Botes recorded a time of 54.57, but the South Africans rounded out the field to last place and thirteenth overall with a final time of 3:43.94.[7] [8]
Botes is also a graduate of computer science at the Pennsylvania State University in University Park, Pennsylvania. He previously trained for the Suburban Swim Club under his long-time coach and mentor Charlie Kennedy. Botes trained at Media, Pennsylvania's Hidden Hollow Swim Club where he also served as head lifeguard.[2]