'I’ve never met a nicer guy': Australian swimmers pay tribute to Kenneth To

April 10, 2019 By BLOGDAELLI

Less than a week ago, James Magnussen was speaking to Kenneth To about his life in Hong Kong, the training camp in the US and his dreams of finally being able to swim at an Olympic Games.

Nobody could deny the 26-year-old deserved that honour. Few swimmers had applied themselves with more energy and optimism than To, who moved to Australia with his family when he was a toddler and represented the Dolphins with pride at Youth Olympics, short-course titles and world championships.

The Olympics would evade him and as of January 2017, he moved to the land of his birth in a bid to compete for Hong Kong in the Tokyo 2020 pool. All seemed on course until the tragic news out of Florida that To had died in hospital after falling ill during a warm-up. The cause remains a mystery.

“I was speaking to him last week. That was one of the spooky things. I hadn’t spoken to him for about six months but I was talking to him last week, finding out what it was like over there training in America. That was one of the reasons I couldn’t believe it … I was literally talking to him five days ago,” Magnussen told the Herald.

“He was feeling good and everything was tracking nicely for Tokyo. That’s one of the things that has me so upset, someone as talented as him should have been to four Olympics. This was going to be his first one next year. It’s just heartbreaking.”

To’s sudden death has stunned and saddened swimmers across the world but the many close friends he retained in Australia, where he swam for Trinity Grammar in Sydney under coach Matthew Brown, have been especially hard hit.

He was a gifted athlete who set multiple records, especially in the short-course pool where he still holds the national marks for the 100m and 200m individual medley. But times and numbers were only a small part of his story, with To being remembered as a young man that was ‘universally loved’ and couldn’t conjure a nasty word even if he tried.

“Some of my competitors, I like to keep at arm’s length. Kenny was never one of those. We were close because he was just such a nice guy … I’ve never met a nicer guy in my life, to be honest,” said Magnussen, who competed against To from the age of 13 before the pair became friends.

“Even if someone had wronged him, you couldn’t even coax him into say a single thing bad about another person. I’ve never heard him say a bad word about anyone, which is why it’s rocked swimming so much.

“He was universally loved, there wasn’t a person on a team or that swam with him growing up in Sydney that didn’t like him.”

Compared to the hulking sprinters that tend to dominate the shorter distances, To was diminutive. He may have been just 170cm but Magnussen rated him as one of the best talents in the sport. Beating him was never easy and there were many occasions with the London silver medallist came out second best.

He didn’t have an enemy in the world. And his personality bridged countries and age groups.

Matt Abood

“I always used to say to my coach and the other guys that I raced that he was pound-for-pound the best swimmer in the world. The guy was 60kg ringing wet. Most guys are up around the 90-100kg mark.

“He punched well above his weight. He was super unlucky not to make more Australian teams, in any other area he would have been on every team in that 4x100m freestyle relay.

“He was fast all year round and put in huge efforts, no matter the meet. The guy just never gave up.”

Freestyle sprinter Matt Abood, who was a roommate of To with the Dolphins for three years, said To’s death was a "massive loss" that had flattened the swimming community.

“He was one of the nicest guys in the sport and you’ve seen people from all over the world send their condolences and reflecting on all the wonderful times they had with him. It’s a testament to his character and the effect he had on people … he was always so happy even in the face of adversity,” Abood said.

“He had significant injuries and missed some opportunities to go to an Olympics. But the way he handled that was second to none. He brought energy and laughter and positivity to any situation.

“He didn’t have an enemy in the world. And his personality bridged countries and age groups. Young kids at Trinity Grammar here in Sydney just idolised the guy. Rightly so. He was one of the best role models the sport could ever had. He was so humble and always wanting to give back.”

Abood said To managed to the live the Olympic ideals of fair play, friendship and respect even if he was never able to make it onto the grand stage. That, he said, is how he should be celebrated.

“What he’s done and how he conducted himself far outweighs being an Olympian. In a way, he embodied all of those Olympic ideals without having been there himself.

“He was so young as well … it didn’t feel like he was that young because he was mature beyond his years. He was just such a wise head. He had plenty of good experiences, that’s for sure.

“I’m really glad he was chasing his dreams in Hong Kong and in Florida and I can take some comfort in that. But none of this makes any sense.”

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