Editing Ryk Neethling (section)

==2004 Athens Olympic gold medal==
Neethling won an [[Olympic medal|Olympic gold medal]] in the [[Swimming at the 2004 Summer Olympics – Men's 4 × 100 metre freestyle relay|4×100&nbsp;m freestyle relay]] freestyle relay at the [[2004 Summer Olympics]] in a high point of his career.  The 2004 4x100 meter Olympic gold medal South African relay team that set a winning time of 3:13.17, consisted of [[Roland Schoeman]], [[Lyndon Ferns]], [[Darian Townsend]] and Neethling.  As one of the events fastest swimmers, Schoeman's opening leg in the 4x100 meter freestyle relay, opened up a short lead that remained throughout the race defeating the second place Netherlands team at the finish by a second and defeating the United States team which took the bronze.<ref name=Olympedia/>  Making a major contribution, Neethling maintained the lead swimming the anchor position with a time of 47.99, the fastest time of all the South African relay swimmers.<ref name=Olympedia>{{cite web|url=https://www.olympedia.org/athletes/50013|title=Olympedia Biography Ryk Neethling|website=olympedia.org|access-date=20 February 2025}}</ref><ref name=UAHOF>{{cite web|url=https://arizonawildcats.com/news/2024/9/16/swimming-diving-four-former-wildcats-inducted-into-south-african-sports-hall-of-fame.aspx|title=University of Arizona Sports Hall of Fame, Four Former Wildcats Inducted into South African Sports Hall of Fame, Roland Schoeman|website=arizonawildcats.com|access-date=February 19, 2025}}</ref>  Neethling placed 4th in the individual 100&nbsp;meter freestyle at the 2004 games.<ref name=Olympedia/>

At the 2008 Olympics, he again competed in the 100-meter freestyle placing 30th, and in the 4x100 meter freestyle relay, one of his signature events, he placed seventh.<ref name=Olympedia/>

===World and S.A. records=== 
He is the former joint owner of the 4×100&nbsp;m freestyle relay world record and broke the 100m [[Medley swimming|Individual Medley]] World Record three times in 2005.  He has held the South African record in the 200&nbsp;m, 400&nbsp;m, 800&nbsp;m and 1500&nbsp;m freestyle events. He also broke three world records in the 100m individual medley.<ref name=Olympedia/>

===International competition highlights=== 
Neethling participated in the [[1998 Commonwealth Games]], winning the silver medal in the 1500&nbsp;m freestyle, but only capturing a fifth place at the [[1998 World Aquatics Championships]]. In 1999 he had a better performance at the [[Pan Pacific Swimming Championships|Pan Pacific Championships]] winning silver in the 1500&nbsp;m freestyle, and bronze in the 400&nbsp;m and 200&nbsp;m freestyle.<ref name=swimhistory/> 

After achieving a disappointing fifth place in the 1500&nbsp;m freestyle event and an eighth in the 400&nbsp;m freestyle at the [[2000 Summer Olympics]] in Sydney, he decided to quit competing in the 1500&nbsp;m event, preferring to focus on the 50&nbsp;m and 100&nbsp;m freestyle events. At the [[2002 Commonwealth Games]] he captured a bronze medal in the 100&nbsp;m freestyle and finished 4th in the 50&nbsp;m freestyle events. At the [[2006 Commonwealth Games]] he captured a silver in the 100&nbsp;m freestyle and was part of the S.A gold medal winning 4×100&nbsp;m freestyle relay team.  He won three individual gold medals at the 2006 [[FINA World Aquatics Championships]] in Shanghai.<ref name=Olympedia/><ref name=swimhistory/> 

In November 2005, he announced that he had refused a multimillion-dollar offer by [[Qatar]]'s Olympic body to switch nationalities and swim for Qatar at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.<ref name=Olympedia/><ref name=swimhistory/>