View source for Nicholas Sprenger

{{short description|Australian swimmer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2020}}
{{Use Australian English|date=May 2011}}
{{Infobox swimmer
| name           = Nicholas Sprenger
| image          = <!-- Only free-content images are allowed for depicting living people -- see [[WP:NONFREE]]. -->
| image_size     = <!-- Only for images narrower than 220 pixels -->
| alt            =
| caption        = 
| fullname       = Nicholas Sprenger
| nicknames      = 
| national_team  = {{AUS}}
| strokes        = [[Freestyle swimming|Freestyle]]
| club           = Commercial Swim Club
| coach          = 
| collegeteam    = 
| birth_date     = {{Birth date and age|1985|5|14|df=y}}
| birth_place    = [[Brisbane, Queensland]]
| death_date     = 
| death_place    = 
| height         = {{convert|1.90|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
| weight         = {{convert|88|kg|lb|abbr=on}}
| medaltemplates = 
{{MedalSport | Men's swimming}}
{{MedalCountry | Australia}}
{{MedalCompetition | [[Swimming at the Summer Olympics|Olympic Games]]}}
{{MedalSilver | [[2004 Summer Olympics|2004 Athens]]<ref>{{cite news|url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/olympics/2004/schedules/117BySport.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040814153430/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/olympics/2004/schedules/117BySport.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=14 August 2004 |title=2004 Olympic Games swimming results |access-date=22 July 2007 | work=CNN}}</ref> | [[Swimming at the 2004 Summer Olympics – Men's 4 × 200 metre freestyle relay|4×200 m free]]}}
{{MedalCompetition | [[FINA World Aquatics Championships|World Championships (LC)]]}}
{{MedalGold | [[2003 World Aquatics Championships|2003 Barcelona]] | 4×200 m freestyle}}
{{MedalBronze | [[2005 World Aquatics Championships|2005 Montreal]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fina.org/events/WC/Montreal_2005/results/sw.php |title=Montreal 2005 Results |access-date=9 June 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070128064425/http://www.fina.org/events/WC/Montreal_2005/results/sw.php |archive-date=28 January 2007 }}</ref> | 4×200 m freestyle}}
{{MedalCompetition | [[FINA World Championships - Short Course|World Championships (SC)]]}}
{{MedalGold | [[2008 FINA Short Course World Championships|2008 Manchester]] | 4×200 m freestyle}}
{{MedalSilver | [[2004 FINA Short Course World Championships|2004 Indianapolis]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fina.org/events/SW/SWC(25m)/Indianapolis_2004/results/pdf/Results_2004_World_Short_Course_25m_Indianapolis.pdf |title=7th FINA World Championships - 25m Indianapolis 2004 |access-date=24 July 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070926041704/http://www.fina.org/events/SW/SWC(25m)/Indianapolis_2004/results/pdf/Results_2004_World_Short_Course_25m_Indianapolis.pdf |archive-date=26 September 2007 }}</ref> | 4×200 m freestyle}}
}}

'''Nicholas Sprenger''' (born 14 May 1985) is an Australian middle-distance freestyle [[swimming (sport)|swimmer]] who won a silver medal in the 4×200-metre freestyle relay at the [[2004 Summer Olympics]] in Athens.

Coming from [[Brisbane, Queensland]], Sprenger who is coached by [[Michael Bohl]] spent the beginning of his career as the understudy of fellow Australians [[Ian Thorpe]] and [[Grant Hackett]].  After finishing third in the 200-metre freestyle at the 2003 Australian Championships, Sprenger was selected to make his debut at the age of 18 at the 2003 FINA World Championships in Barcelona, Spain, where he was a part of the 4×200-metre freestyle relay team which won gold ahead of the United States team. The following year, he was again third behind Thorpe and Hackett, and was a part of the team alongside Thorpe, Hackett and [[Michael Klim]] which was defeated by the Americans in Athens in the 4×200-metre freestyle relay, ending Australia's six-year reign in the event.

In 2005, with Thorpe taking a year off, Sprenger assumed the number 2 middle-distance swimmer role behind Hackett. Despite being involved in a mild car accident in late May, and being prevented from performing the complete training repertoire until one week before the event, Sprenger went on to set gallant personal bests in both the 200-metre and 400-metre events at the 2005 FINA World Championships in Montreal, Canada, in July, placing fifth in the 200-metre event in a time of 1 minute 47.09 seconds. He also collected a bronze medal as part of the 4×200-metre freestyle relay.

In 2006, with Australian captain Hackett sidelined with by a shoulder operation, Sprenger appeared likely to have another opportunity to establish himself as a world-class swimmer. However, he was plagued by a virus and was unable to compete. His cousin [[Christian Sprenger]] is a breaststroker who broke the world record in the men's 200-metre breaststroke at the [[2009 World Aquatics Championships]] in Rome.

At the trials for the 2008 Summer Olympics Sprenger came third in the 200-metre freestyle only 0.07 of a second behind [[Kenrick Monk]]. However, the winner [[Grant Hackett]] was not seeking an individual berth in the event, so Sprenger will compete as Australia's second qualifier in the event at Beijing. He is also a member of the Australian 4×200-metre freestyle team, trying to beat the Americans. However, at the Olympics, Sprenger was eliminated in the semifinals and was then dropped from the relay team, competing in neither the heats nor finals. His colleagues captured the bronze medal in his absence.

==See also==
* [[German Australian]]
* [[List of Olympic medalists in swimming (men)]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}
{{Footer World LC Champions 4x200m Freestyle Men}}
{{Footer World SC Champions 4x200m Freestyle Men}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sprenger, Nicholas}}
[[Category:1985 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Swimmers from Brisbane]]
[[Category:Australian people of German descent]]
[[Category:Olympic swimmers for Australia]]
[[Category:Swimmers at the 2004 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Swimmers at the 2008 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Olympic silver medalists for Australia]]
[[Category:Australian male freestyle swimmers]]
[[Category:World Aquatics Championships medalists in swimming]]
[[Category:Medalists at the FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m)]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 2004 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Olympic silver medalists in swimming]]
[[Category:Sportsmen from Queensland]]
[[Category:21st-century Australian sportsmen]]