Not only did Nick D’Arcy defeat world champ Michael Phelps in the 200m butterfly, he also beat fellow swimmer Simon Cowley in a 2008 barroom brawl. On Monday, a Sydney judge mandated that the reinstated Olympic athlete shell out 180,000 Australian dollars to the accosted Commonwealth Games winner. According to the ruling, Cowley sustained ‘significant’ injuries to the eye, jaw, cheek, and nose, as a result of the rumble.
The assault occurred on the day D’Arcy was selected to compete for his country’s Olympic team. The aquatic athlete claimed he was acting in self-defense, however he was still suspended from his squad for the Beijing games, in addition to the subsequent year’s World Aquatics Championships. The 23 year old received a 14 month suspended sentence and did not serve any time behind bars.
