Lyndon Ferns was born in Pietersburg on 24/09/1983 as one of a set of twins.
He started swimming at the age of 8 in Groblersdal, where he was chosen for the Northern Transvaal team since his first year of competitive swimming.
Lyndon went on to receive 2 gold medals at his first SA championships – he has participated in the National Championships since then and has received medals each year.
Lyndon also enjoyed playing rugby and cricket and participated in athletics in primary school. In standard 5 / grade 7, he was elected primary school Head Boy, captain for the provincial rugby and swimming team.
Rugby soon became Lyndon’s favourite sport. And after his father’s death in 1997, swimming took a back seat – although Lyndon continued to receive provincial colours.
At the age of 16, Lyndon decided to focus solely on swimming.
Under Douggie Eager’s leadership Lyndon won his first national championships and in 2002 and the age of 18 was elected for the SA team. After a few SA age-related records, he went on tour with the SA team and participated in the World Cup in Berlin and Stockholm.
Later that year at the Commonwealth Games in Manchester England was part of the team to first win an international medal. It is there that the seed was planted for the 2004 Olympic Games.
At the end of 2002, he relocated to Tucson, Arizona in the USA to train under Rick Demont. It is there that his swimming really gained direction.
After just one year practising the new strength and conditioning program under Coach Rick, he improved the SA and African record in the 100m freestyle and became the first man from Africa and the 11 person in the world to complete the 100m freestyle in under 49sec.
During the four years that he swam for the University of Arizona, he received 24 All-American honours (top 8 in the USA college system)and improved the NCCAA and US open records while swimming for the University of Arizona.
In 2004, he was chosen for his first Olympic games at the age of 20 and qualified for the 4x100m freestyle relay as well as the 50m freestyle.
On the 19 of August 2004 he was part of the relay team that won Olympic Gold and in the process improved the world and Olympic record. He was part of the first team from SA to achieve this.
He withdrew from the SA team participating in the world championships due to a wrist operation in 2005.
In 2006, he was once again part of the 4x100m relay team which won gold at the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, Australia and with this they improved the Commonwealth record.
During the same year, he improved the SA and Africa record in the 100m butterfly event and finished as the world champion in Short Course 50m butterfly. Early in 2007, at the World Champs in Melbourne, Lyndon was part of the 4 X 100 free style medley again – he was very successful in this event and a personal highlight was his individual final win in the 100m butterfly, where he finished in the top and bettered his own SA record.
At the Olympic trials in 2008, he qualified for the 100m, 100m freestyle, 4x100m freestyle relay and the 4x100m medley. Later that year at the Beijing Olympics he was part of both 4x100 relays that set up African records and achieved a place in the finals.
He also reached the final in the 100m free style and with his sixth finishing place he broke the South African, All African and a personal record.
Later in 2008, he medalled 3 times at the World Cup legs in Berlin, Moscow and Stockholm.
Lyndon recently moved back to SA after living in the USA for the last 6 years while completing a financial degree in Accounting at the University of Arizona, whose Business School rates amongst the top in the United States.
He believes he is in the best form he has ever been in and the continuous records he keeps smashing proves this.
He is currently preparing for the 2009 World Championships which is to be held in Rome in July 2009, where he will be defending his titles in the 100m freestyle and 100m butterfly. After that he plans to swim in SA for the next 3-7 years, qualify for the 2012 Olympic Games and promote swimming in SA by bringing all he’s learned internationally back to SA.
Lyndon’s big dream is to come home from the London Olympics with an individual Gold Medal.
At this stage he holds SA records in 100m freestyle, 100m butterfly, 4x100m freestyle relay and 4x100m relay.
Accomplishments: Best times and rankings
Short course yards:
50m freestyle: 19.22
100m freestyle: 42.34 – 3 place NCAA’s 2005
100m butterfly: 45.89 – NCAA champion 2006
Short course meters:
50m freestyle: 21.28 – ranked 2 in the world 2006
100m freestyle: 46.70
50m butterfly: 22.84 – ranked 1 in the world 2006
100m butterfly: 51.04 – ranked 4 in the world 2006 – SA / African record
Long course meters:
50m freestyle: 22.22
100m freestyle: 48.00 – SA / African record
100m butterfly: 51.90 – SA record
Year by year:
2002:
Ø SA National Champion in the 100m butterfly
Ø Finalist at first ever international competition, world cup leg in Stockholm, Sweden.
Ø All Africa Champion in 100m freestyle, 4x100m freestyle relay and 4x100m medley relay. 3 place 100m butterfly
Ø Silver medal Commonwealth Games, SA / African record
2003:
Ø World Championship finalist, setting SA/African record in 4x100m freestyle relay
Ø SA/African record in 100m freestyle – becoming the first man out of Africa to complete the race in sub 49 seconds at 48.99.
2004:
Ø National Champion in 100m butterfly
Ø Part of 4x100m freestyle relay to win Olympic Gold medal and set World/Olympic record.
Ø Named SA team and performance of the year 2004
2006:
Ø National champion in 100m butterfly
Ø Part of SA 4x100m freestyle relay to win Commonwealth gold medal and set new Commonwealth record.
Ø Set new SA/African record in 100m butterfly
Ø Highest world ranked LC swimmer from SA - 4.
Ø Set fastest time in the world in SC 50m butterfly with new SA/African record
2007:
Ø World championship finalist in 100m butterfly, 50m butterfly, 4x100m freestyle relay and 4x100m medley relay.
Ø Part of SA 4x100m medley relay that sets new SA/African record
Ø Set new SA/African record in 100m butterfly
2008:
Ø National Champion in 100m freestyle and 100m butterfly
Ø Qualify for the 2008 Olympic Games in 5 events
Ø Part of SA 4x100m freestyle relay that sets new SA/African record
Ø Part of SA 4x100m medley relay that sets new SA/African record
Ø 6 place and first individual final at Olympic Games with new SA/African record in 100m freestyle
Ø 3 medals at World Cup circuit in Berlin, Stockholm and Moscow.
2009
Ø National Champion for the 2 consecutive year in the 100m freestyle
Ø Fastest SA time in the 100m butterfly
Ø Qualify for World Championships in 3 individual events.
Ranked in the top 10 in the world since 2003.