Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Full name | Julie Maree McDonald | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
National team | Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Born | Queensland | 14 March 1970|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 1.74 m (5 ft 9 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Weight | 66 kg (146 lb) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sport | Swimming | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Strokes | Freestyle | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
|
Julie Maree McDonald OAM (born 14 March 1970) is an Australian former long-distance freestyle swimmer of the 1980s and 1990s, who won a bronze medal in the 800-metre freestyle, swimming at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul. [1] She was often considered to be an outspoken and controversial swimmer, who switched to distance freestyle after starting as backstroker.
Her first international achievement was her debut at the 1986 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh, where she claimed a silver in the 800-metre freestyle, and the following year, she claimed gold and silver in the 800- and 400-metre freestyle events at the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships, setting a Commonwealth 800-metre freestyle record of 8 minutes 23.18 seconds, and defeating world record-holder Janet Evans of the United States. McDonald came to the 1988 Seoul Olympics as one of the fancied competitors in the 800m freestyle, and claimed the bronze medal, behind Janet Evans and East Germany's Astrid Strauss.
McDonald was the subject of controversy at the 1990 Commonwealth Games in Auckland when she apparently showed disdain at the selection of fellow distance swimmer, the flame-haired Janelle Elford. McDonald was quoted as saying "I thought a typical Aussie had blonde hair, blue eyes and a tan . . . I feel snubbed and unrecognized. After all I've got an Olympic bronze and hold the Commonwealth record." She later claimed to have been misquoted. McDonald proceeded to win gold and silver medals in the 800- and 400-metre freestyle events, finishing one position ahead of Elford in both cases. She also claimed a gold in the 4×200-metre freestyle relay alongside Elford.
The Queensland swimmer finally got her recognition, when she was named as the Australian swimming captain for the 1991 World Championships in Perth. After failing to qualify for either the 400- or 800-metre freestyle final at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, she retired, but made a comeback in 1995 in an unsuccessful attempt to qualify for the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta.
Julie McDonald is the sister of former Seven newsreader, Darren McDonald.
In June 2006 Julie received a Queens Birthday Award, an OAM for her services to Swimming, The Olympic Movement and Charities.
Janet Beth Evans is an American former competition swimmer who specialized in distance freestyle events. Evans was a world champion and world record-holder, and won a total of four gold medals at the 1988 and the 1992 Olympics.
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 older sister of Florent Manaudou who is also an Olympic gold medalist 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 won 10 long-course world championship gold medals.
Hayley Jane Lewis, OAM, is an Australian former competitive swimmer best known for winning five gold medals and one bronze medal at the 1990 Commonwealth Games as a 15-year-old.
Vladimir Valeryevich Salnikov is a Russian former freestyle swimmer who set 12 world records in the 400, 800 and 1,500 metre events. Nicknamed the "Tsar of the Pool", "Monster of the Waves" and "Leningrad Express", he was the first person to swim under fifteen minutes in the 1500 m freestyle and also the first person to swim under eight minutes in the 800 m freestyle. He was named the Male World Swimmer of the Year in 1979 and 1982 by Swimming World.
Duncan John D'Arcy Armstrong is an Australian former competitive swimmer, Olympic champion, and former world record-holder. Armstrong is best remembered for winning a gold and silver medal at the 1988 Summer Olympics.
Graham Ross White, OAM is an Australian former middle-long-distance freestyle swimmer of the 1960s and 1970s, who won a silver medal in the 4x200-metre freestyle relay at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City.
Tracey Lee Wickham is an Australian former middle distance swimmer. Wickham was the World Champion for the 400 m and 800 m freestyle in 1978, and won gold in both events at the 1978 and 1982 Commonwealth Games. She is a former world record holder for the 400 m, 800 m and 1500 m freestyle. Despite her success in the pool, Wickham has battled hardship and personal tragedy throughout her life.
Karen Lynne Moras, also known by her married name Karen Stephenson, is an Australian distance freestyle swimmer of the 1960s and 1970s who won a bronze medal in the 400-metre freestyle at the 1968 Summer Olympics. Although she set multiple world records she peaked between Olympics and was unable to capture gold at Olympic level.
Michelle Jan Ford is an Australian former long-distance freestyle and butterfly swimmer of the 1970s and 1980s, who won a gold medal in the 800-metre freestyle, bronze in the 200-metre butterfly, and 4th in the 400-metres freestyle at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow. She was the only non-Soviet bloc female swimmer to win an individual gold medal at the 1980 games. She also set two world records in her career, and was the first Australian woman to win individual Olympic medals in two distinct specialised strokes.
Sarah Lucy Hardcastle, also known by her married name Sarah Thomas, is a British former competitive swimmer who represented Great Britain in the Olympics, world championships and European championships, and swam for England in the Commonwealth Games. She specialised in the 400- and 800-metre freestyle, and also competed in medley races. Hardcastle won multiple major championship medals over the course of her career, including individual silver and bronze medals at the 1984 Summer Olympics at the age of 15 and two individual gold medals at the 1986 Commonwealth Games. She retired from the sport in 1986 but returned in 1993, winning gold at the World Short Course Championships for the 800-metre freestyle in 1995 and reaching the final of the same event at the 1996 Summer Olympics.
Kylie Jayne Palmer, OAM, is an Australian distance freestyle swimmer.
Bronte Amelia Arnold Barratt, is an Australian retired competitive swimmer and Olympic gold medallist.
Dame Rebecca Adlington is an English former competitive swimmer who specialised in freestyle events in international competition. She won two gold medals at the 2008 Summer Olympics in the 400-metre freestyle and 800-metre freestyle, breaking the 19-year-old world record of Janet Evans in the 800-metre final. Adlington was Britain's first Olympic swimming champion since 1988, and the first British swimmer to win two Olympic gold medals since 1908. After winning her first World Championship gold over 800 metres in 2011, along with silver in the 400 metres at the same meet, she won bronze medals in both the women's 400-metre and 800-metre freestyle events in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. Adlington is one of the few people to have won Olympic Games, World Championships, European championships and Commonwealth Games gold medals.
Ryan Andrew Cochrane is a retired Canadian competitive swimmer who specialised in freestyle distance events. Cochrane is an Olympic silver and bronze medallist as well as a triple gold medallist from the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships. He is also a four-time Commonwealth Games champion in the 400-metre and 1,500-metre having won both medals in 2010 and 2014. He holds six world championship medals from the 800-metre and 1500-metre, this also makes Cochrane Canada's all-time leading medallist for a swimmer at the World Aquatics Championships. Cochrane also won gold medals in the 400 and 1,500 m freestyle at the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto, as well as a bronze in the 4 x 200 m freestyle at the 2015 Games. From the year 2008 - 2015, Cochrane was named the Canadian male swimmer of the year - winning the award 8 times in a row.
Jazmin Roxy "Jazz" Carlin is a former British competitive swimmer, who previously represented Wales and the Great Britain swimming team. She competed primarily in endurance freestyle events, and was based at the University of Bath. She won gold for Wales at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, double gold for Great Britain in the 400 metres and 800 metres freestyle at both the 2014 European Championships and the 2015 European Championships before winning two silver medals for Great Britain in the same events behind Katie Ledecky at the 2016 Summer Olympics.
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.
Blair Catherine Evans is an Australian middle distance freestyle swimmer.
Ariarne Elizabeth Titmus is an Australian swimmer. She is the reigning Olympic champion in the women's 400-metre freestyle, having won the event at the 2020 Summer Olympics and the 2024 Summer Olympics and the world record holder in the long course 200-metre freestyle and 400-metre freestyle events. In 2019 and 2020, she competed representing the Cali Condors in the International Swimming League.
Summer Ann McIntosh is a Canadian competitive swimmer. She is a three-time Olympic champion, four-time World Aquatics champion, and two-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist. Noted for her strength in medley and butterfly events, she is the current world record holder in the 400 metre individual medley, and also holds the Olympic and textile records in the 200 metre butterfly event, and the Olympic record in the 200 metre individual medley.
2. [1]