Personal information | |
---|---|
Birth name | Sarah Louise Catherwood |
Born | Christchurch, New Zealand | 23 May 1980
Height | 177 cm (5 ft 10 in) [1] |
Sport | |
Country | New Zealand |
Sport | Swimming |
Sarah Louise Catherwood (for a time known as Sarah Jackson, born 23 May 1980) is an Olympic swimmer from New Zealand.
Catherwood started swimming aged eight and was a teen swimming sensation; as of 2011, one of her national age 13 records still stood. [2] She was a member of Christchurch's AquaGym Swim Club alongside Anna Simcic. [3]
Catherwood was one of the 14 swimmers who represented New Zealand at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, United States, and she competed at one event. [4] Aged 16, she was the youngest New Zealand swimmer in Atlanta. [5] Catherwood was in a team with Anna Wilson, Dionne Bainbridge, and Alison Fitch to compete in the 4 × 200 metre freestyle relay. [4] They came fifth in their heat and did not qualify for the final; [6] their overall placement was 11th out of 21 teams. [7] Catherwood is New Zealand Olympian number 698. [1]
Catherwood retired after competing at the 2004 FINA World short course swimming championships in Indianapolis, USA. [2] She improved her personal best time in 100 metres freestyle by over half a second at those championships. [8]
In 2011 at age 30, Catherwood decided to try a comeback, with Olympic team mate Paul Kent as her trainer. At the time, she was based in Palmerston North. [2] She later pursued her swimming career as a member of Roskill Magic, a swimming club in the Auckland suburb of Mount Roskill. [4]
Catherwood was born in 1980 in Christchurch, New Zealand. [5] She moved to Palmerston North in 2008 to study a veterinary degree at Massey University. [2] After that, she moved to Auckland. [9] Outside of swimming, Catherwood's passion is horses. [2]