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Robert Abernethy Athlete

Robert James Abernethy (born 1971) was an Australian swimmer specialising in freestyle sprint events. He is best known for winning the bronze medal at the inaugural 1993 FINA Short Course World Championships in Palma de Mallorca, Spain. He also competed for his native country at the 1995 Summer Universiade in Fukuoka, Japan. Amongst many achievements over his swimming career representing Carlile, the University of Arizona and Australia, Abernethy was the first Australian to break the 22 seconds barrier for 50m freestyle short course (25 m), won a NCAA title and was instrumental in establishing the Australian Swimmers’ Association. Abernethy was appointed as the Operations Manager of the Hyundai A-League for the Football Federation of Australia. Since retiring from swimming he worked for the who’s who of sporting organisations including Victorian Swimming, SOCOG, 2001 Goodwill Games, 2002 Salt Lake City Olympic Committee, 2002 Commonwealth Games and the Australian Rugby Union. On 23 June 2000, he was awarded the Australian Sports Medal.