Colin Lowth (born October 5, 1977 in

Drogheda Drogheda ( , ; , meaning "bridge at the ford") is an industrial and port town in County Louth on the east coast of Ireland, north of Dublin. It is located on the Dublin–Belfast corridor on the east coast of Ireland, mostly in County Louth ...

County Louth County Louth ( ; ga, An Lú) is a coastal county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Ireland, within the province of Leinster. Louth is bordered by the counties of Meath to the south, Monaghan to the west, Armagh to the north and Down to the ...

) is a former

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

swimmer Swimming is an individual or team racing sport that requires the use of one's entire body to move through water. The sport takes place in pools or open water (e.g., in a sea or lake). Competitive swimming is one of the most popular Olympic ...

who represented

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

at the

2000 Olympic Games The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and also known as Sydney 2000 (Dharug: ''Gadigal 2000''), the Millennium Olympic Games or the Games of the New Millennium, was an international multi-sport event held from 1 ...

. His name is often spelt "Louth" also.

Swimming career

Lowth swam for Cormorant Swimming Club who are based in

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

. His head coach was Therese Beegan. He is known best as a great

butterfly Butterflies are insects in the macrolepidopteran clade Rhopalocera from the Order (biology), order Lepidoptera, which also includes moths. Adult butterflies have large, often brightly coloured wings, and conspicuous, fluttering flight. The ...

swimmer but was also a very capable

freestyle Freestyle may refer to: Brands * Reebok Freestyle, a women's athletic shoe * Ford Freestyle, an SUV automobile * Coca-Cola Freestyle, a vending machine * ICD Freestyle, a paintball marker * Abbott FreeStyle, a blood glucose monitor by Abbott La ...

swimmer. His best event was the 200m Butterfly in which he broke many Irish Records and qualified for the

in.

Records

During his swimming career he broke many Irish records in butterfly, and was known as the best 200m butterfly swimmer of his generation. His

short course In swimming, the term short course (abbreviated SC) is used to identify a pool that is in length. The term is also often included in meet names when conducted in a short course pool. "Short course" is the second type of pool configuration current ...

200m butterfly record of 2.00.33 stood for a very long time until Donal O'Neill broke it in 2003 with a time of 1.59.70. His

long course An Olympic-size swimming pool conforms to regulated dimensions that are large enough for international competition. This type of swimming pool is used in the Olympic Games, where the race course is in length, typically referred to as "long cour ...

200m Butterfly time at Junior Level has never been beaten. * Irish Junior 200m Butterfly Record (Long Course) - 2.04.01 * Irish Senior 200m Butterfly Record (Long Course) - 2.01.96

Sydney 2000 Olympics

Lowth studied business in Trinity College from 1996-2000. While in his final year in college, he quailifed for the

Sydney 2000 Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and also known as Sydney 2000 (Dharug: ''Gadigal 2000''), the Millennium Olympic Games or the Games of the New Millennium, was an international multi-sport event held from 1 ...

on the 200m Butterfly. His time of 2.03.91 was disappointing as it left him 8th and last in his heat and failed to qualify him for the semi-finals. Former Irish international swimmer Nick O' Hare was critical of Lowth's swim.BBC SPORT , NORTHERN IRELAND , Irish struggle in Sydney
/ref> Lowth retired from swimming after the Olympics.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lowth, Colin Living people 1977 births Irish male freestyle swimmers Male butterfly swimmers Olympic swimmers of Ireland Sportspeople from County Dublin Swimmers at the 2000 Summer Olympics Irish male swimmers 20th-century Irish people 21st-century Irish people