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| Human Interest | |
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Further Personal Information | |
| Residence | Perth, WA, AUS |
| Higher education | Sports Science - Edith Cowan University: Perth, WA, AUS |
General Interest | |
| Hobbies | Going to the beach, going out with friends, cooking, sleeping. (Swimming Australia, 16 Jun 2010) |
| Injuries | He took the year off in 2013 to recover from a shoulder injury. He had surgery in April 2014 that put a slight doubt over his participation at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. (westcoastsentinal.com.au, 07 May 2013; abc.net.au, 06 Apr 2014) He has undergone five hip operations since 2003, the most recent on his right hip in January 2010, a year after undergoing the same operation on his left. (smh.com.au, 13 Mar 2010; london2012.olympics.com.au, 16 Jul 2012) He had to pull out of the 2009 World Championships due to a virus. (Fox Sports, 04 Jun 2010) He has had ongoing inflammation and tendinitis in both shoulders. (NOC 14 May 2008) He also had problems with his wisdom teeth in the lead-up to the 2007 World Championships in Melbourne. (Swim News, 15 Dec 2007) |
| Superstitions / Rituals / Beliefs | He has lucky underwear. (swimming.org.au, 04 Nov 2011) |
| Memorable sporting achievement | Winning three medals at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. (olympics.com.au, 26 Mar 2012) |
Sport Specific Information | |
| Why this sport? | He took up swimming to help with his asthma. |
General Interest | |
| Hero / Idol | Swimmers Alexander Popov and Todd Pearson, and tennis player Roger Federer. (AOC, 21 Apr 2004; Swimming Australia, 16 Jun 2010) |
Sport Specific Information | |
| When and where did you begin this sport? | He began swimming at age eight in Perth, Australia. |
International Debut | |
| Year | 2004 |
| Competing for | Australia |
| Location | Athens |
Further Personal Information | |
| Occupation | Athlete, Business Owner |
| Languages | English |
General Interest | |
| Nicknames | Sullo, Mad Dog (olympics.com.au, 26 Mar 2012) |
| Sporting philosophy / motto | "Pain is weakness leaving the body." (Swimming Australia, 16 Jun 2010) |
| Other information | RETIREMENT He retired from competitive swimming in July 2014 to focus on his career as a restaurant owner. (elitesports.com.au, 01 Jul 2014) STILNOX SIX AND RETHINK He was one of the athletes dubbed the 'Stilnox Six' who admitted to using the prescription drug Stilnox prior to the 2012 Olympic Games in London during a team bonding session. He had previously told his teammates he would not perform for Australia again. "I remember them asking me [if he would return] that night, and I said I am not going to trials and at that point I wasn't. I was quite content trying to run a business. But the last month there was a big shift away from the restaurant. I left it to the manager. I am surprised how far I have come, it's a pleasant surprise." (abc.net.au, 06 Apr 2014) MASTERCHEF AND LOVE OF FOOD He won the first season of reality TV show Celebrity MasterChef Australia in 2010 and donated the 50,000 Australian dollars winnings to Royal Life Saving. In 2011 he released his cook book, Eamon's Kitchen. He co-owns Louis Baxter's, a cafe in Perth, Western Australia, named after each of the owner's dogs. He also runs cooking classes for the NSW Institute of Sport, helping young kids living out of home for the first time to cook healthy food. In 2013 he teamed up with restaurateur Sean McCann to build Bib and Tucker at Leighton Beach in North Fremantle, Western Australia. (penguin.com.au, 29 Aug 2011; dailytelegraph.com.au, 16 Jul 2012; louisbaxters.com.au, 16 Jul 2012; london2012.olympics.com.au, 16 Jul 2012; oneperth.com.au, 25 Mar 2013) TATTOOS He has 'good fortune' tattooed in Japanese kanji on his wrist. He has the reiki symbol for 'strength and protection' tattooed on his right hip. He also has a Buddhist unalom symbol under his right arm and the Olympic rings tattooed on his left chest. (olympics.com.au, 26 Mar 2012) |
| Awards and honours | He was inducted into the Australian Path of Champions in 2014. The Path of Champions recognises the achievements of Australia’s top athletes. (swimswam.com, 21 Oct 2014) |