Draft:Marcus van Rooyen

Marcus van Rooyen

Age :(born 16 April 2009)

Weight : 80.3 kgs

Height : 184.7cm

is an Australian junior competitive swimmer from Western Australia who specializes in breaststroke and individual medley events. He has represented Western Australia at national school sport championships and national age championships, and was ranked first in Australia for his age group in the 200 m breaststroke and both the 100 m and 200 m individual medley at age 12. Van Rooyen currently swims for Busselton Swimming Club and is coached by Andrew Sexton and his father, Martin van Rooyen (who coaches his school club).

Early Life and Education

Marcus van Rooyen was born on 16 April 2009 in Manjimup, a regional town in the South West of Western Australia. He began his schooling at Kearnan College in Manjimup before relocating north to Bunbury, where he now attends Grace Christian School.

Club Career

Van Rooyen began swimming competitively with Bridgetown Swimming Club, then moved to Bunbury Swimming Club, and eventually joined Busselton Swimming Club, where he currently trains under the guidance of Andrew Sexton and his father, Martin van Rooyen. He has steadily developed across each club, setting numerous personal bests and club records, and transitioning from a breaststroke specialist to a nationally ranked all-rounder.

Competitive Career

National Rankings (Age 12) At age 12, van Rooyen was ranked first in Australia for his age group in:

200 m breaststroke 100 m individual medley (IM) 200 m individual medley (IM) 2023 – School Sport Australia Championships (Sydney) Van Rooyen represented Western Australia as part of the School Sport WA team in the Boys 14 years division:

7th – 200 m breaststroke (2:46.26) 10th – 100 m breaststroke final (1:16.71) Also competed in the 50 m breaststroke and 200 m IM 2024 – WA Country Championships At the Swimming WA Country Championships (HBF Stadium, Perth), van Rooyen was named the fastest male swimmer in the 200 m breaststroke across all WA country regions.

2024 – Australian Age Championships (Gold Coast) Competing for Busselton SC, he finished:

9th in Australia – 200 m breaststroke (Boys 14) 13th – 100 m breaststroke 2025 – Australian Age Nationals Van Rooyen competed at the 2025 Australian Age National Championships, continuing his presence among the country's leading junior swimmers (specific results to be updated if available).

Coaching

Marcus is coached by Andrew Sexton at Busselton Swimming Club, while also receiving coaching support from his father, Martin van Rooyen, who is originally from South Africa and currently coaches the swim team at Grace Christian School in Bunbury.

Personal Bests (as of 2025)

50 m breaststroke 30.8

100 m breaststroke 1:07.0

200 m breaststroke 2:28.0

50 m freestyle 24.4

100 m freestyle 54.2

200 m freestyle 2:08

200 m individual 2:11

50 backstroke 28.6

100 backstroke 1:01.1

200 backstroke 2:15.4

50 butterfly 28.8

100 butterfly 1:05.2

400 individual medley 4:50.2

Achievements and Recognition

🥇 #1-ranked Australian swimmer (age 12) in 200 m BR, 100 m IM, 200 m IM 🏆 School Sport WA representative – 2023 Nationals (Sydney) 🥇 Fastest male 200 m breaststroker – 2024 WA Country Championships 🥉 Top-10 national finisher – 2024 Australian Age Championships 🏊 Competed at 2025 Australian Age Nationals 🏅 Won a total of 196 medals across his swimming career to date 🔁 Progressed through Bridgetown, Bunbury, and Busselton clubs