When Ben Armbruster secured his place on the Australian team for the Paris Olympics, his mates back at the “coldest pool in Queensland” were delighted.

Ben grew up in Stanthorpe, in Queensland’s Granite Belt, where the conditions can be bracing.

It was a tough start to a swimming career – the pool is only open six months a year and it wasn’t until he made the state squad that Ben started training year-round, which meant a 100km round trip to Warwick.

So when Ben booked his ticket to Paris by finishing second to Cameron McEvoy in the 50m freestyle with a time of 21.84 at the Australian Selection Trials in June 2024, Stanthorpe Swimming Club took to social media to congratulate the young athlete and calling his performance “inspirational”.

Ben took up swimming at the age of four and after years of long drives to training he relocated to the University of the Sunshine Coast in 2021, then followed coach Chris Mooney to Bond University on the Gold Coast, where he is studying for a bachelor of sport management.

The affable sprinter first made his mark when he reached the final of the 50m backstroke at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

A freak rib injury robbed him of the chance to compete at the 2023 World Championships but he performed strongly in World Cup events and state championships that year – and won the 50m butterfly and 50m backstroke at the Australian championships.

At the 2024 Australian Championships, he finished second in the 50m backstroke and 50m butterfly, third in the 100m butterfly and fourth in 50m freestyle.

POD POP UP STAT: At the Australian selection trials, Ben wore a swim cap emblazoned with “Armbruster”, not surprisingly, but also with the red, black and gold stripes of the German flag.  When asked, Ben said: “When I was at a World Cup last year, I met a fellow called Luca Armbruster. He’s from Germany and that’s his cap I was wearing. I think it was a bit of a good luck charm here because he’s already made it [to the Olympics]. He’s going. I wanna wear his stuff so I’ll go too.”