Ky Hurst – Swimming – 2008, 2012
When Ky Hurst was awarded a Bond University Sporting Scholarship for 2006, he was one of the world’s greatest ironmen. Within two years, he had joined the ranks of the university’s Olympic alumni.
“Bond was the right choice for me,” says Hurst, who represented Australia in the 10km open water marathon swims at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics, finishing 11th and 20th respectively.
“Bond (was) very supportive of my ambitions and my goal to be part of the 2008 Olympic swim team and fortunately they (were) willing to be flexible with my study program and work around my individual needs.”
A member of the Surf Life Saving Australia Hall of Fame, Hurst won four Australian ironman titles and many experts consider him the greatest surf swimmer the sport has ever produced.
He is also an advocate for getting out of one’s comfort zone, hence his decision to pursue his dream of becoming an Olympian. After initially trying to qualify for the 1500m freestyle at the 2000 and 2004 Games, the introduction of the open water swim at the Beijing Olympics was the perfect event for him to proudly don the green and gold on sport’s biggest stage.
If that wasn’t a big enough transition, Hurst then went on to underpin his all-star sporting credentials by becoming a grinder for Oracle Team USA in their campaign for sailing’s America’s Cup.