Full name Grant Tyson Brits Role Olympic athlete Height 1.88 m | Weight 80 kg Name Grant Brits | |
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Club Barker Aquatic Swim Club Similar People Grant Hackett, Klete Keller, Peter Vanderkaay, Ricky Berens, Ryan Lochte | ||
Grant Tyson Brits (born 11 August 1987) is a South African-born competition swimmer who represented Australia at various international championship events including at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing where he secured an Olympic Bronze Medal. Grant Brits went on to work in Investment Banking.
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Beijing Olympics 2008
Brits was selected in the squad for the 4 × 200 metre freestyle relay for the 2008 Summer Olympics. He helped Australia qualify sixth in the heats where he was the fastest of the four heats swimmers. This effort resulted in the selectors deciding to retain him for the final of the 4 × 200 metre freestyle relay. He swam the third leg of the relay, the Australians managed to secure a surprise bronze in the event; handing Brits his first Olympic Medal.
Other Swimming Achievements
Brits also holds a world record. In 2007 Brits was part of the team that set a new world record the 4 × 200 metre freestyle short-course relay. They completed the course in 6 min 52.66 s.
At the 2007 World Aquatics Championships in Melbourne, Brits competed in the 4 × 200 m freestyle relay. He swam the third leg in the heats, posting a time of 1 min 48.73 s to help Australia qualify second fastest for the final. He retained his position for the final, where he again swam the third leg. He maintained third place throughout his leg, and ended with a silver medal when Kenrick Monk overtook his Canadian counterpart on the anchor leg.
Brits' mother, Jeanette, swam for South Africa in the 1970s.
Professional career
Grant Brits completed a Bachelor of Commerce and a Bachelor of Applied Finance at Macquarie University. After University Brits began his professional career in Investment Banking.
Brits worked for Bank of America Merrill Lynch from 2010 to 2013 in Sydney and New York.
Brits now works for the HFT firm Optiver, where he is responsible for business development.