Olympic Gold Medallist, Three Time World Champion and World Record Holder

South Africa’s Olympic swimming hero is a living testament to the power of passionate self-motivation and relentless diligence to make dreams come true. Once a fiercely determined little boy from Bloemfontein in the Free State, Ryk now travels the country and the world on a personal mission to inspire those he connects with to pursue their dreams and reach them! Highly sought-after on the speaker circuit, this business entrepreneur and proud South African’s area of expertise is excellence: the most exciting, versatile and relevant topic for every possible event.

Ryk Neethling is much more than a triumphant sportsman. His story is an inspiring tale of a fiercely determined boy from Bloemfontein who overcame great odds to reach Olympic glory and become the hero of a nation. After his very successful swimming career, he established the Ryk Neethling Swimming Schools (currently 6 schools) and two Players Swim Academy facilities. He now also manages Africa’s fastest runner – Anasa Jobodwana, and professional swimmers – Chad le Clos and Cameron ven den Berg. Spilling over from swimming into the fast lane of business, Ryk is Italian pool company, Myrtha’s, representative for Africa.

Intriguingly, Ryk is considered a top property and marketing magnate in South Africa, being a shareholder and the marketing director for Val de Vie Wine & Polo Estate, Guardian Development Projects and Brick Art Construction. Ryk’s vision for success beyond his swimming years saw his obvious talent for marketing honed by years of strategically learning from the mistakes other sports-stars made in their post-professional years. Keenly learning from the business-side of the competitive sports world, Ryk maximized his platform to market himself and build a powerful and popular profile – an iconic brand that reflects Ryk’s strong values, integrity and pursuit of excellence.

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