Darian Townsend

Darian Roy Townsend (born 28 August 1984) was a competition swimmer who swam for the University of Arizona and a 2004 Athens Olympic gold medalist in the 4x100 meter freestyle relay who competed for South Africa. He became a U.S. citizen during the summer of 2014 and has subsequently represented the United States in international events. After retiring from elite competition, he later worked as a swimming coach in the Tucson area.

He was born in Pinetown, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, on 28 August 1984, and attended Merchiston Preparatory School and Maritzburg College, where he matriculated in 2002. He participated at a high level in water polo. In high school, he swam for the Seals Pietermaritzburg, where he was coached by Wayne Riddin and Graham Hill. During his high school years, he won eight school championships, each in record times. He captured first place in the U16 School Championships in the 200 free with a time of 1:49.00, the 200 IM with a time of 2:00.00 and in the 100 back with a time of 56.4 seconds. He received first-place finishes in the U17 School Championships in the 200 IM, 100 breast, and the 50 fly.