Three-time Olympic medalist Samantha Riley has quietly split from her Ironman husband after 22 years of marriage – as she returned to her Gold Coast home with a mystery man.
Close friends of the couple have confirmed to Chron Australia that Riley, 50, and Champion Iron Man husband Tim Fydler, 48, are now living apart but are raising their three sons together in Palm Beach on the Gold Coast.
Both Riley and Fydler were recently photographed without their wedding bands, with a close friend of both saying their split has been “some time”.
“But they remain friendly with their boys,” the friend added.
Swimming queen Sam Riley no longer wears her wedding ring after splitting from ex-Ironman Tim Fydler
Tim Fydler recently enjoyed a day jet skiing on the Gold Coast
The sporty glamor couple made headlines in 2001 when they wed after a whirlwind romance.
Riley, then 29, had achieved international fame as one of Australia’s top breaststroke swimmers. He took part in the Olympic Games in Barcelona in 1992 and in Atlanta in 1996 and won two bronze and one silver. She also won gold twice at the 1994 World Championships in Rome.
Fydler is a Queensland Ironman Champion whose brother is Olympic Relay Gold Medalist Chris Fydler.
Riley and Fydler married at a star-studded event in 2001 and relocated from Brisbane to the Gold Coast, where they founded a successful chain of swim schools and operated several Snap Fitness gyms.
Riley remains one of Australia’s most celebrated swimmers and dominated the breaststroke in the 1990s
Fydler is a former Queensland Ironman champion who now runs a number of Snap Fitness gyms
Riley was spotted returning home after a trip with a mystery friend (above)
The couple also invested wisely in real estate, selling their lavish waterfront home in Burleigh Waters for $1.85 million in 2018 and snapping up a sprawling mansion in Palm Beach for $2.6 million.
They also own a beachfront condo on Palm Beach’s desirable Jefferson Lane.
Despite being one of Australian sport’s most famous couples, Riley and Fydler are notoriously cautious and have only given a handful of interviews over the past 20 years.
But a friend close to the couple told Chron Australia that the couple’s breakup is well known in their inner circle but the pair remain on friendly terms.
Both Riley and Fydler have both been contacted for comment.
The couple have three sons, including 20-year-old aspiring rugby union star Isaac Fydler, who looks just like his Olympian mother.
Eldest son Isaac Fydler, a budding rugby star, looks just like his mother
Sam Riley recently spotted Burleigh Heads while hanging out with friends
A friend of Riley and Fydler’s (above at the couple’s Gold Coast home) tells Chron Australia the couple’s split is well known to their inner circle, but the pair remain on friendly terms.
Despite the split, Riley continues to be on good terms with her husband
Riley achieved international fame as one of Australia’s top breaststroke swimmers and competed at the 1992 Barcelona and 1996 Atlanta Olympics
Most recently, after a long court battle, Riley spoke publicly with prominent swim coach Alex Brown about a former swim school operation in Capalaba, southeast of Brisbane.
The Summer Swim facility, trading as Capalaba Swim Stars, went bankrupt just four months after selling Ms Riley to Brown in September 2014.
Mr Brown claimed in court that Ms Riley agreed to train the new owner and staff for six months after the company changed hands.
Mr. Brown initiated a $1.5 million lawsuit alleging lost sales. However, the case was finally dropped in 2019 and Riley awarded a $90,000 counterclaim.
At that time, the ex-Olympian spoke about the ordeal and the emotional and financial burden that she and Fydler had with it.
“Everyone deserves their day in court, but it was just a nightmare,” Riley told the Courier Mail.
“He (Brown) has been losing case after case, but he keeps filing these ridiculous applications that have taken a huge toll on us financially and emotionally. It’s like there’s no stopping him.”
Riley was recently spotted returning home after a trip with a man