Ben Austin OAM was an elite Australian swimmer. Born in Wellington in 1980, he blazed in a trail of success in competitive swimming. In 2000, he qualified for the Sydney Paralympic Games where he won two silver and two bronze medals. In Sydney he achieved top five world ranking in the 100m and 50m freestyle and butterfly events.

In the 2002 Manchester Commonwealth Games, the first Commonwealth Games to fully intergrate athletes with disabilities, Ben broke four world records and won two gold medals in the 100m and 50m freestyle events. In the 2004 Athens Paralympics Games he became one of the first swimmers in his S8 category class to break the one-minute barrier for the 100m freestyle and won two gold medals in the 100m freestyle and 4x100m medley events. In recognition of his performance at the Athens Games he recieved the Medal of the Order of Australia in 2005. At the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games he won a gold medal in the Men's 4 x 100m medley.

Competing over ten years in three Paralympic Games, three Commonwealth Games and two World Championships, with each medal and record won he expanded the horizons of his ambition. Over the course of his career, Ben won 12 Paralympic medals, set 15 world records and 81 national records. As a Young Australian of the year finalist, Ben sought to faciliatate an awareness of the potential success through the Paralympic movement. An inspiration to his generation, Austin continues to demonstarte leadership to the global and local community.