Elka Graham

Last updated

Elka Graham
Personal information
Full nameElka Graham
National teamAustralia
Born (1981-10-20) 20 October 1981 (age 41)
Sydney
Height1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)
Weight67 kg (148 lb)
Sport
Sport Swimming
Strokes Freestyle
Medal record
Women's swimming
Representing Australia
Olympic Games
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2000 Sydney 4×200 m free
World Championships (LC)
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2003 Barcelona 4×200 m free
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 2003 Barcelona 4×100 m free
SC Worlds
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2002 Moscow 4×100 m free
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 2002 Moscow 4×200 m free
Pan Pacific Championships
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2002 Yokohama 200 m freestyle
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2002 Yokohama 4×200 m free
Commonwealth Games
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2002 Manchester 4×200 m free
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 2002 Manchester 200 m freestyle

Elka Graham (born 20 October 1981), now known by her married name Elka Whalan, [1] is an Australian former competition swimmer who swam in the 2000 Sydney Olympics and 2004 Athens Olympics. Graham specialised in the 200-metre and 400-metre freestyle events, also swimming the 800-metre freestyle. She represented Australia at numerous international meets, including the Pan Pacific Championships, World Swimming Championships in 2001 and 2003, and the 2002 Commonwealth Games.

Contents

She was a member of Australia's 4×200-metre freestyle relay team that finished first at the 2001 World Championships in Fukuoka, only to be disqualified when she and the rest of the relay team jumped into the pool to celebrate before all the other teams in the final had finished. [2]

In 2007, she claimed that she was offered performance-enhancing drugs from another member of the Australian swimming team before the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, but refused to name the person. [3]

Graham retired from swimming in May 2006 and is now involved in the media, modelling and corporate speaking. She is married to athlete Thomas Whalan and has four kids. [4] [5]

See also

Related Research Articles

Jennifer Beth Thompson is an American former competition swimmer and anesthesiologist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inge de Bruijn</span> Dutch former competitive swimmer

Inge de Bruijn is a Dutch former competitive swimmer. She is a four-time Olympic champion and a former world record-holder.

Alice Mary Tait,, née Alice Mary Mills, is an Australian former sprint freestyle, butterfly and individual medley swimmer who represented Australia at the 2004 Athens Olympics and the 2008 Beijing Olympics winning two relay gold medals and a bronze.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Libby Trickett</span> Australian swimmer (born 1985)

Lisbeth Constance Trickett, is an Australian retired competitive swimmer. She was a gold medallist at the 2004 Summer Olympics, the 2008 Summer Olympics, and the 2012 Summer Olympics. She was the world record holder in the short-course (25m) 100-metre freestyle.

Petria Ann Thomas, is an Australian swimmer and Olympic gold medallist and a winner of 15 national titles. She was born in Lismore, New South Wales, and grew up in the nearby town of Mullumbimby.

Jodie Clare Henry, OAM is an Australian former competitive swimmer, Olympic gold medallist and former world-record holder.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laure Manaudou</span> French swimmer

Laure Manaudou is a retired French Olympic, world and European champion swimmer. She has held the world record in freestyle events between 200 and 1500 meter. She is the daughter of a French father and a Dutch mother, and she is the older sister of Florent Manaudou who is also an Olympic gold medalist swimmer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grant Hackett</span> Australian swimmer

Grant George Hackett OAM is an Australian swimmer, most famous for winning the men's 1500 metres freestyle race at both the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney and the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. This achievement has led him to be regarded as one of the greatest distance swimmers in history. He also collected a gold medal in Sydney for swimming in the heats of the 4 × 200 m freestyle relay. He was well regarded for his versatility, and has held the long course world records in the 200 m, 800 m, and 1500 m freestyle events. He dominated the 1500 m event for a decade, being undefeated in the event in finals from 1996 until the 2007 World Aquatics Championships. In total, he has won 10 long-course world championship gold medals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Giaan Rooney</span> Australian swimmer and television personality

Giaan Leigh Rooney, OAM is an Australian former competitive swimmer and television personality. As a member of the Australian team in women's 4×100-metre medley relay, she won an Olympic gold medal and broke a world record at the 2004 Summer Olympics. Rooney is currently an Australian television presenter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leisel Jones</span> Australian swimmer

Leisel Marie Jones, OAM is an Australian former competition swimmer and Olympic gold medallist. A participant in the 2000 Summer Olympics – at just 15 years old – and 2004 Summer Olympics, she was part of gold-medal-winning Australian team in the women's 4×100-metre medley relay at the Athens Games in 2004 and a gold medallist for 100-metre breaststroke in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Klim</span> Australian swimmer

Michael George Klim, OAM is a Polish-born Australian swimmer, Olympic gold medallist, world champion, and former world record-holder of the 1990s and 2000s. He is known as the creator of straight arm freestyle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maritza Correia</span> Puerto Rican swimmer, Olympic silver medalist, former world record-breaker

Maritza Correia, also known by her married name Maritza McClendon, is a former Olympic swimmer from Puerto Rico who swam representing the United States. When she qualified for the U.S. Olympic team in 2004, she became the first Puerto Rican of African descent to be a member of the U.S. Olympic swimming team. She was the first female African-American swimmer for the United States to win an Olympic medal. She also became the first black American swimmer to set an American and world swimming record.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dana Vollmer</span> American swimmer

Dana Whitney Vollmer is a former American competition swimmer, five-time Olympic gold medalist, and former world record-holder. At the 2004 Summer Olympics, she won a gold medal as a member of the winning United States team in the 4×200-meter freestyle relay that set the world record in the event. Eight years later at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Vollmer set the world record on her way to the gold medal in the 100-meter butterfly, and also won golds in the 4×100-meter medley relay and 4×200-meter freestyle relay. She won three medals including a gold at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caitlin McClatchey</span> British swimmer

Caitlin McClatchey is a British former swimmer. Representing Scotland, she won two gold medals at the 2006 Commonwealth Games, in the 200 metres freestyle and 400 metres freestyle. Representing Great Britain, she won bronze medals in the 400 m freestyle at the 2005 World Championships and 2006 European Championships. She has also competed at three Olympic Games and reached the Olympic 200 m freestyle final in 2008 and 2012. She is a former British record holder in the 100 m, 200 m and 400 m Freestyle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mariana Brochado</span> Brazilian swimmer

Mariana Nery Brochado is a Brazilian freestyle swimmer. She won the bronze medal in the women's 200-metre freestyle at the Pan American Games in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. A member of Clube de Regatas do Flamengo swimming team, she also represented her native country at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece.

Pang Jiaying is a female Chinese freestyle swimmer who competed in the 2004 Summer Olympics, the 2008 Summer Olympics and the 2012 Summer Olympics. Pang is one of the best Chinese women in middle and long-distance freestyle swimming.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alicia Coutts</span> Australian swimmer

Alicia Jayne Coutts, is an Australian competitive medley, butterfly and freestyle swimmer. She represented Australia at the 2008 Summer Olympics, 2012 Summer Olympics and the 2010 Commonwealth Games. She was a Swimming Australia National Training Centre scholarship holder and was coached by John Fowlie. Her haul of five medals at the 2012 Summer Olympics matches fellow Australians Ian Thorpe and Shane Gould in one single Olympics, and trails only Emma McKeon’s seven.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bronte Campbell</span> Australian swimmer

Bronte Campbell is a Malawian-born Australian competitive swimmer, a dual Olympic gold-medal winner and world champion. Her older sister, Cate, is also a competitive swimmer, and once held world records in both the short and long course 100 metre individual freestyle events. Bronte and Cate are the first Australian siblings on the same Olympic swimming team since the 1972 Olympics and the first Australian sisters ever to compete within the same swimming event at the Olympics. Bronte Campbell won three gold medals at the 2015 World Championships, including the 50 and 100 metre freestyle events.

Brittany Joyce Elmslie, is a former Australian competitive swimmer. She represented Australia at the 2012 and 2016 Summer Olympics in swimming, and won a gold medal in the 4 × 100 m freestyle relay at both Games.

Jade Neilsen is an Australian competitive swimmer. She was selected to represent Australia at the 2012 Summer Olympics in the 4×200-metre freestyle relay event.

References

  1. "Elka Whalan". elkawhalan.com.
  2. Splitting hairs: foxsports.com.au looks at times in sport when punishment didn't fit the crime. Published by FoxSports.com.au on 15 February 2011, retrieved 1 August 2011.
  3. Swimming Australia ends Elka Graham dispute by Rebecca Williams, Herald Sun (Melbourne, Australia). Published on 31 October 2007, retrieved 1 August 2011.
  4. https://www.kidspot.com.au/lifestyle/entertainment/we-asked-elka-whalan-what-her-parenting-style-is-her-answer-was-perfect/news-story/75bced15b4be83a7b7372da3fee7e647
  5. "Elka Whalan". celebrityspeakers.com.au. Retrieved 1 December 2014.