Eight-Time Olympic Medalist Cate Campbell announces Engagement to Longtime Boyfriend Adam Kerr

Four-time Australian Olympian Cate Campbell announced her engagement to her boyfriend, Adam Kerr, on Sunday, July 20th.

“ A complete and wonderful surprise 💍💕

Last Saturday while watching the sun rise at our new local beach, Adam turned and said: “Cate, I have a question for you.” I thought maybe he was going to ask what kind of plants to put in our gardens, what kind of dog we should get, or what we should make for dinner. Instead, he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. Of course, I said ‘yes’…(and cried a lot).

Simply the perfect way to start the next chapter of our lives.

#engagement #sunrise #proposal”

Campbell and Kerr have had an on-and-off relationship for six years. The couple temporarily split in 2018 when Campbell moved for her swimming career.

The four-time Olympic gold medalist said in an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald back in 2023 that Kerr (a geotechnical engineer and geologist) “didn’t know who I was and he maintains he never Googled me – he wasn’t star-struck!”

Campbell later mentions that the time apart was the “biggest heartbreak.”

When Campbell came back to Brisbane, the two recoupled.

Campbell first qualified for the Olympics at 16 years old, where she represented Australia in Beijing. She would qualify for three more editions of the Olympiad in 2012, 2016, and 2021.

In Beijing, Campbell would secure her first Olympic medals, a pair of bronze medals in the 50 free and as a part of the 4×100 free relay. Four years later, Campbell struck gold as a part of the 4×100 free relay in London.

At the 2013 World Championships, Campbell won the 100 free in by over five tenths, logging 52.34 after leading-off the 4×100 relay in 52.33 on night one. Known for her relay prowess, Campbell is the only swimmer in history to split under 51 seconds from a swing.

In 2015, at the Australian Short Course Championships, Campbell swam 50.91 in the 100 free to become the first woman under 51 seconds. She collected bronze in the 100 free and gold in the 4×100 free relay at the Worlds in Kazan a few months prior.

At the Rio 2016 Games, she claimed gold in the 4×100 free relay and silver as a member of the 4×100 medley relay. She was 5th in the 100 free (53.24) after scorching a world record time of 52.06 at the Australian Trials.

Rounding out her Olympic career in Tokyo, Campbell brought home her largest medal haul of her Olympic career. She walked away with a pair of golds in the 4×100 free and 4×100 medley relays, as well as an individual bronze in the 100 free.

Throughout her storied career, Campbell has earned 39 international medals (24 gold, 8 silver, 7 bronze). She still holds the world record in the 100 freestyle (SCM) at 50.25, a time she set at the Australian Championships in 2017, and still holds the Australian record in the 50 free (LCM) at 23.78 from 2018. She is also a former world record holder in the 100 free (LCM).

After missing out on qualifying for her 5th Olympic Games last June, Campbell retired from competitive swimming.