Joshua John Watson (born 31 July 1977) is an Australian backstroke

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 won a silver medal in the 4×100-metre medley relay at the

2000 Summer 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 ...

in Sydney. Training at the

Kingscliff Kingscliff is a coastal town just south of Tweed Heads in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, Australia, and is a beach community offering a variety of holiday accommodations. Together with the villages of Chinderah and Fingal, it i ...

club near the

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

border, and coached by Greg Salter, Watson became Australian champion in the 50-metre backstroke in 1996. However, as it was not an Olympic event, he did not gain national selection until 1997, when he competed at the

1997 FINA Short Course World Championships The 3rd FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m) were an international swimming meet organized by FINA. It was held at the Scandinavium in Gothenburg, Sweden April 17−20, 1997; and featured 501 swimmers from 71 nations. Competing nations The 7 ...

in Gothenburg, Sweden. In 1998, he made his international long-course debut at the

1998 Commonwealth Games The 1998 Commonwealth Games ''(Malay: Sukan Komanwel 1998)'', officially known as the XVI Commonwealth Games ''(Malay: Sukan Komanwel ke-16)'', was a multi-sport event held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. This edition is marked by several unprecedent ...

, where he won a silver medal in the 100-metre backstroke and a gold medal in the medley relay. Josh was Australia's first male Backstroke World Champion when he won the 200m Backstroke at the 1999 FINA Short Course World Championships in Hong Kong. He also won bronze in the 100-metre backstroke at the

1999 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships The eighth edition of the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships, a long course (50 m) event, was held in 1999 at the Sydney International Aquatic Centre in Sydney, Australia, from 22–29 August. Only two swimmers per country could comp ...

in Sydney. At the

in Sydney, Watson swam the backstroke leg in the heats of the 4×100-metre medley relay, before being replaced by

Matt Welsh Matthew James Welsh (born 18 November 1976) is an Australian swimmer who is the former world champion in the backstroke and butterfly. He took two golds in 50-meter butterfly and 50-meter backstroke, during one hour, at the World Championship ...

in the team that trailed the United States team home in the final. Watson was also a finalist in the 100-metre backstroke, where he was narrowly beaten into fourth place."Where Are They Now? Five members of the Sydney 2000 Aussie Swim Team Trip Down Memory Lane,"
''Swimming World'', 25 September 2020. Watson continued to be selected in the same role (except for a self-imposed break in 2002) until the

2004 Summer Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics ( el, Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 2004, ), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad ( el, Αγώνες της 28ης Ολυμπιάδας, ) and also known as Athens 2004 ( el, Αθήνα 2004), ...

in Athens, when he failed to qualify for the semifinals of the 100-metrebackstroke. This enabled him to collect a gold medal in the 4×100-metre medley relay at the

2001 World Aquatics Championships right The 2001 World Aquatics Championships or the 9th FINA World Swimming Championships were held in Fukuoka, Japan between 16 July and 29 July 2001. The opening and closing ceremonies, as well as the swimming and synchronised swimming events, ...

in Fukuoka, Japan. Watson now lives in

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

with his wife Tess.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Watson, Josh 1977 births Living people Australian male backstroke swimmers Swimmers at the 2000 Summer Olympics Swimmers at the 2004 Summer Olympics Olympic swimmers of Australia Olympic silver medalists for Australia Sportspeople from Newcastle, New South Wales Commonwealth Games silver medallists for Australia Commonwealth Games gold medallists for Australia Medalists at the FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m) Medalists at the 2000 Summer Olympics Olympic silver medalists in swimming Commonwealth Games medallists in swimming Swimmers at the 1998 Commonwealth Games Sportsmen from New South Wales Australian emigrants to the United States Medallists at the 1998 Commonwealth Games

See also

References