Full name Susan O'Neill National team Australia Height 1.71 m | Weight 63 kg (139 lb) Spouse Cliff Fairley (m. 1998) | |
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Children Alix Fairley, William Fairley Books Choose to Win: Achieving Your Goals, Fulfilling Your Dreams Olympic medals Swimming at the 2000 Summer Olympics – Women's 200 metre butterfly Similar | ||
2000 susie o neill world record 2 05 81 women s 200m fly may 17 2000
Susan O'Neill, OAM (born 2 August 1973) is an Australian former competitive swimmer from Brisbane, Queensland, nicknamed "Madame Butterfly". She achieved eight Olympic Games medals during her swimming career.
Contents
- 2000 susie o neill world record 2 05 81 women s 200m fly may 17 2000
- Early life
- Swimming career
- Post swimming career
- Honours and awards
- Personal life
- References
Early life
Susan (Susie) O'Neill was born on 2 August 1973 in Mackay, Queensland to mother, Trish and father, John. She has two siblings, a brother and a sister. Her family moved to Brisbane and she was educated at Lourdes Hill College (LHC) in Hawthorne. Whilst at LHC, O'Neill excelled in sport, setting school records in 50 m and 100 m butterfly, freestyle, and backstroke. She was also LHC cross country champion and set records for the 13 years 800 m in 1986 and for the 15 years 400 m in 1988 for athletics. All these records still stood as of 2011.
Swimming career
O'Neill won the 200 m butterfly at the 1996 Summer Olympics and the 200 m freestyle at the 2000 Summer Olympics. She won 35 Australian titles and with eight Olympics medals, among Australians, only Ian Thorpe and Leisel Jones have more.
After winning a gold and a silver medal in her first attendance at a competition at the 1990 Commonwealth Games, O'Neill never failed to win a medal at any international meet she attended, right up until her final Olympics in front of a home crowd in Australia. At the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games Trials, she broke the 19-year-old world record of another "Madame Butterfly", Mary T. Meagher, in the 200m butterfly, but was beaten at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games by American Misty Hyman, in an upset.
She trained under Bernie Wakefield until 1994, then Scott Volkers at the Commercial Swimming Club in Brisbane.
Post swimming career
O'Neill is an ambassador for the Fred Hollows Foundation. She is also ambassador for companies such as SAAB and Kellogg's, and has her own line of swimsuits that is sold in Target stores throughout Australia.
She commentated at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. She was the Oceania athletes' representative on the International Olympic Committee from 2000 to 2005, when she resigned her membership (and was replaced by Barbara Kendall).
On 10 March 2007, O'Neill was honoured by having the temporary swimming pool in the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne named after her for the duration of the 12th FINA World Championships, the site of the swimming events.
O'Neill makes regular appearances on Nova 106.9's breakfast radio show Ash, Kip & Luttsy.
Honours and awards
Personal life
Susie O'Neill married Cliff Fairley, who works as an ophthalmologist, in 1998. They have two children, a daughter Alix and a son William.