Shane Gould

Olympic medalist
Shane Gould
Medal record
Women’s swimming
Competitor for Australia
Gold	1972 Munich	200 m individual medley
Gold	1972 Munich	200 m freestyle
Gold	1972 Munich	400 m freestyle
Silver	1972 Munich	800 m freestyle
Bronze	1972 Munich	100 m freestyle

Shane Elizabeth Gould, MBE (born 23 November 1956) is an Australian former swimmer who won three gold medals, a silver and bronze in 1972 Summer Olympics. It was the greatest performance by an Australian at a single Olympics.

Biography

Shane Gould was born in Sydney, Australia, on the first day of competition of the 1956 Melbourne Olympics. She moved to Fiji with her family at the age of 18 months. By the age of six, she was a competent swimmer. She attended primary school at St. Peters Lutheran College, Brisbane, where a sporting house is named after her, and secondary school at Turramurra High School, Sydney. She was trained by leading coaches Forbes and Ursula Carlile and their assistant Tom Green.

At the 1972 Summer Olympics, in Munich, Gould won three gold medals, setting a world record in each race. She also won a bronze and a silver medal.

At the age of 16, she retired from swimming.

She is the only person, male or female, to hold every world freestyle record from 100 m to 1500 m simultaneously, and the first female swimmer ever to win three Olympic gold medals in world record time.

She was awarded Australian of the Year in 1972.

She was one of the bearers of the Olympic Torch at the opening ceremony of the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. She carried the Olympic Torch at the stadium, as one of the runners for the final segment, before the lighting of the Olympic Flame.

She now divides her time between Launceston, Tasmania and Sydney, and still swims, in Masters competitions.

She has four children from her first marriage, and two grandchildren. She married Milton Nelms in 2007.

Other achievements

• 1971 Best Sportswoman in the World
• 1971 ABC Sportswoman of the Year
• 1972 ABC Sportswoman of the Year
• 1972 Australian of the Year
• 1981 Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE)
• 1994 Olympic Order
• 1995 Legend of Australian Sport
• 2000 Australian Sports Medal
• 2001 Centenary Medal

See also

• List of multiple Olympic medalists at a single Games
• World record progression 200m medley

External links

• Official website
• Shane Gould at the Internet Movie Database

Records
Preceded by Dawn Fraser	Women's 100 metres Freestyle World Record Holder (Long Course) 30 April 1971 – 13 July 1973	Succeeded by Kornelia Ender
Preceded by Debbie Meyer	Women's 200 metres Freestyle World Record Holder (Long Course) 1 May 1971 – 4 August 1972	Succeeded by Shirley Babashoff
Preceded by Shirley Babashoff	Women's 200 metres Freestyle World Record Holder (Long Course) 1 September 1972 – 2 August 1974	Succeeded by Kornelia Ender
Preceded by Karen Moras	Women's 400 metres Freestyle World Record Holder (Long Course) 30 April 1971 – 22 August 1973	Succeeded by Keena Rothhammer
Preceded by Ann Simmons	Women's 800 metres Freestyle World Record Holder (Long Course) 3 December 1971 – 6 August 1972	Succeeded by Jo Harshbarger
Preceded by Debbie Meyer	Women's 1500 metres Freestyle World Record Holder (Long Course) 12 December 1971 – 25 August 1973	Succeeded by Jo Harshbarger
Preceded by Claudia Kolb	Women's 200 metres Individual Medley World Record Holder (Long Course) 28 August 1972 – 13 April 1973	Succeeded by Kornelia Ender
Awards
Preceded by Evonne Goolagong	Australian of the Year Award 1972	Succeeded by Patrick White