Career
Coming from Brisbane, Queensland, Sprenger who is coached by Michael Bohl spent the beginning of his career as the understudy of fellow Australians Ian Thorpe and Grant Hackett. The following year, he was again third behind Thorpe and Hackett, and was a part of the team alongside Thorpe, Hackett and Michael Klim which was defeated by the Americans in Athens in the 4×200-metre freestyle relay, ending Australia"s six-year reign in the event. In 2005, with Thorpe taking a year off, Sprenger assumed the number 2 middle distance swimmer role behind Hackett.
Despite being involved in a mild car accident in late May, and being prevented from performing the complete training repertoire until one week before the event, Sprenger went on to set gallant personal bests in both the 200-metre and 400-metre events at the 2005 FINA World Championships in Montreal, Canada, in July, placing fifth in the 200-metre event in a time of 1 minute 47.09 seconds.
He also collected a bronze medal as part of the 4×200-metre freestyle relay. In 2006, with Australian captain Hackett sidelined with by a shoulder operation, Sprenger appeared likely to have another opportunity to establish himself as a world-class swimmer.
However, he was plagued by a virus and was unable to compete. At the trials for the 2008 Summer Olympics Sprenger came third in the 200-metre freestyle only 0.07 of a second behind Kenrick Monk.
However, at the Olympics, Sprenger was eliminated in the semifinals and was then dropped from the relay team, competing in neither the heats nor finals.
His colleagues captured the bronze medal in his absence.