Darian Roy Townsend (born 28 August 1984) was a competition swimmer who swam for the University of Arizona and a 2004 Athens Olympic gold medalist in the 4x100 meter freestyle relay who competed for South Africa.

[1] He was born in Pinetown, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa on 28 August 1984, and attended Merchiston Preparatory School and Maritzburg College where he matriculated in 2002.

[3] At the age of 19 on August 15, 2004, Townsend was a member of the South African men's 4×100 metre freestyle relay team that won gold and broke the world record at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece.

As anchor, Ryk Neethling swam the fastest time of the South African relay team, cementing the win in a close finish.

DeMont had been a 1500 and 400-meter world record holder, a 1972 Olympian who initially won the 400-meter Olympic competition, and had excelled as a former University of Arizona swimming competitor.

[4][5] In international competition, Townsend won five medals including two golds at the All Africa games in Algiers and Maputo in 2007 and 2011 in freestyle and medley events.

[6] In August, 2024, he was inducted into the South Africa Sports Hall of Fame, along with the three other swimmers who won the gold medal in the 4x100 meter freestyle relay at the 2004 Athens Olympics.