Swimmer Bronte Campbell engaged to Benfield Lainchbury, shows off unique ring

Bronte Campbell has quietly announced her engagement to long-time boyfriend Benfield Lainchbury, 35, in a series of heartfelt Instagram photos shared on Friday.

Australia’s golden girl of swimming, 30, shared a carousel of cute couple photos, with the standout being the second image of Bronte showing off a stunning east-west set emerald cut diamond on a gold band on her ring finger. 

Another photo captured the moment after the proposal, when the couple were enjoying a golden sunset on a boat in Venice, Italy. 

Bronte and Benfield took the selfie with matching grins, with her left hand and it’s new adornment, resting on his bicep. 

The happy couple holidayed in Europe after the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, where Bronte brought home a gold medal in the women’s 4 x 100m relay final for Australia.  That makes her a four-time Olympic gold medallist, but it’s the now the diamond that she brought home from Europe that has everyone talking. 

‘What a week celebrating all that’s happened and all the exciting things to come. Love you @ieldbenf. Easiest yes of my life,’ Bronte captioned the post. 

The other two photos show her in a yellow sundress planting a kiss on her boyfriend’s cheek and a beautiful garden table setting for a meal the couple enjoyed on their travels. 

Bronte Campbell has quietly announced her engagement to long-time boyfriend Benfield Lainchbury in a series of photos from their recent European holiday. Both pictured 

The four-time Olympic gold medallist shared a photo showing off the stunning east-west set emerald cut diamond on a gold band

The happy couple holidayed in Europe after the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, where Benfield proposed to Bronte during a golden hour boat ride in Venice, Italy

The couple’s engagement news was met with an outpouring of love from friends, family, and fellow athletes. 

‘YEAHHHHH THE POST WE ALL WANTED,’  fellow Olympic swimmer Lani Pallister commented, punctuating her sentence with a crying emoji. 

Swimmer Shayna Jack added: ‘Congratulations to you both.’

‘Congrats mate,’ Bondi brewery owner Paul Parks commented. ‘Was the ring gold silver or bronze?’ 

The blushing bride-to-be has now share intimate moments from her proposal

‘Never know what to do with my hands’ she captioned the snap as she showed off her new diamond after winning her fourth gold medal in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games

TV presenter Roz Kelly wrote: ‘Congratulations, so happy for you,’ with a red love heart. 

Motivational speaker Turia Pitt also shared her excitement, exclaiming, ‘OMG!!! CONGRATULATIONS!!!!’ 

Notably absent from the public congratulations was Bronte’s older sister and fellow Olympic swimmer, Cate Campbell.

However, given their close relationship, it’s likely the sisters have already celebrated together in private. 

Notably absent from the public congratulations was Bronte’s older sister and fellow Olympic swimmer, Cate Campbell

Bronte and her fiance have known each other since childhood and Benfield has been by the swimmer’s side since they began dating in 2016. 

He played a pivotal part in the swimmer’s decision to return to the pool after an 18-month break following the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.

Clocking up on average 19,000 strokes a week in the water was physically and mentally damaging — and her paltry $30,000 a year as a fulltime athlete didn’t help either. 

After Bronte landed a role as a  senior consultant at leading accounting and professional services firm Ernst & Young just over two years ago, she felt her pool days were finally over.

But after 18 months away from the sport — which allowed a ‘broken’ Bronte to rest her severe shoulder, neck, back and hip injuries — the lure of a fourth Games has proven to be irresistible.

With the support of her partner, she began swimming again and heading down the rigorous path that has now resulted in her fourth gold medal. 

Bronte and her fiance have known each other since childhood and Benfield has been by the swimmer’s side since they began dating in 2016

Bronte moved from Canberra from Brisbane and began training out of the Australian Institute of Sport under new coach Shannon Rollason.

Impressive results have followed, notably winning the Women’s 100m freestyle at January’s South Australian State Open Championships and the Women’s 50m freestyle at the NSW State Championships in March.

Thorough stretching via yoga and rehabilitating her injuries has been critical, as has the growing influence of Rollason.

Impressive results have followed, notably winning the Women’s 100m freestyle at January’s South Australian State Open Championships and the Women’s 50m freestyle at the NSW State Championships in March.

Thorough stretching via yoga and rehabilitating her injuries has been critical, as has the growing influence of Rollason.

With the Australian Swimming trials ahead of the Paris Olympics starting in Brisbane on June 10, Campbell couldn’t have timed her run better.

‘The decision to come back….when you look at all the consequences that go with that: moving, the impact on my relationship, the impact on finances, the impact on my job…it was huge,’ she said.

As a dual Olympic gold-medal winner and former world champion, Campbell had achieved more than most ever will in her racing goggles.

She also won’t rule out a tilt at the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028, where she will be 34.

‘Will I still want to do it by the time LA comes around – that’s the question,’ she told News Corp.

‘That’s what I asked myself after Tokyo, do I still really want to do this? The answer being yes meant that I came back to it.

‘I might be at a slightly different phase in my life by then, [with marriage and children] so we will see.’