| OLYMPIC SILVER MEDALLIST BROOKE HANSON HANGS UP HER SPEEDOS |
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Media Release
Tuesday November 20, 2007
OLYMPIC SILVER MEDALLIST BROOKE HANSON HANGS UP HER SPEEDOS
Athens Olympic Games 100 metre breaststroke silver medallist Brooke Hanson has announced her retirement from swimming.
The 29-year-old had an international career that spanned 13 years and included three long course FINA World Championships, three Commonwealth Games’ and the Olympic appearance in 2004 where she also won a gold for swimming the breaststroke leg in the heats for Australia’s triumphant medley relay squad.
Overall Hanson amassed an international medal tally of 22 – 12 gold, 7 silver and 3 bronze, including a record breaking six gold medals at the 2004 FINA World Short Course Championships in Indianapolis where she was named swimmer of the meet.
The energetic sprinter, who was electrocuted in a freak accident in June, made the announcement in Sydney today, saying she had been considering quitting the sport for several months before arriving at a decision in the last few days.
“I had plenty of time out of the water after the electrocution and it gave me time to think things through,” Hanson told a media conference.
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“I didn’t think I could commit myself like I have in the past and while my swimming career has been a wonderful journey, I am ready to move on to another phase in my life.
“I have often wondered how some of my friends have retired because I love swimming so much but now, as of today, my heart has told me how they did it and that is why I’m hanging up my Speedos.
“I love swimming and the whole sport and I didn’t want to end up hating it.”
Born in Sydney, Hanson began swimming at the Killarney Heights pool run by legendary swimming figure Terry Gathercole before joining Manly Swimming club and later the Warringah Aquatic Club under coach Graeme ‘Grub’ Carroll.
It was under Carroll’s tutelage that Hanson finished fourth in the 200m breaststroke at the 1994 Commonwealth Games in Vancouver, BC, Canada on her international debut as a 16-year-old.
Following the completion of high school at Manly’s Mackellar Girls High and after narrowly missing selection for the 1996 Olympics, Hanson moved south to Melbourne to join the Nunawading club and train under Leigh Nugent. She went on to be coached by Mark Thompson, Jim Fowlie and Amanda Isaac. Hanson won her first international medal – a bronze in the 200m breaststroke - at the World Short Course Championships in Athens in 2000 but was again shut out of Olympic selection after placing fourth in both the 100 and 200m breaststroke at the Olympic Trials.
The next four years saw Hanson’s determination and commitment rewarded and her dream – Olympic selection fulfilled.
The realisation that her life’s work in the sport had finally led her to the Olympics, she says, was her proudest achievement.
“When I hit the wall at the 2004 Olympic Trials and realised that I was going to be an Olympian, something I had dreamed of since the age of six, it was the reward for years of hard work and perseverance through the good and bad times,” Hanson said.
“I had been acting like an Olympian and I was going to be one. It was probably the best moment for me in my whole career.”
It was later in 2004 that Hanson found her greatest international successes, culminating in the gold and silver medals in Athens and the six gold – five of which were in individual events, a feat never before achieved at a major international meet – at the World Short Course Championships.
Hanson also joined all-time greats Mark Spitz, Kristin Otto, Ian Thorpe and Michael Phelps as the only swimmers to win six gold medals at a major international swim meet.
Hanson’s last major international competition was the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne where she won silver in the 200m individual medley.
Amongst Hanson’s other notable achievements is holding the short course 100 and 200m individual medley Commonwealth records and for her part in Australia’s world record breaking short course medley relay team in 2004.
She also won seven Australian long course titles and an Australian women’s record 18 National short course titles.
Swimming Australia CEO Mr Glenn Tasker praised Hanson for her attitude, achievements and contribution to the sport.
“Brooke has been a shining example of the Australian 'never give up' attitude to sport and her drive to become an Olympian kept her focussed on a career that was punctuated by injury,” Mr Tasker said.
“She overcame all of these setbacks to not only become an Olympian but to win silver and gold in Athens.
“She showed that was no fluke by following it up a month later when she won six gold at the World Short Course Championships in Indianapolis.
“Brooke has been a well respected member of the Australian Swim Team and a great ambassador for our sport.”
Hanson is married to former Nunawading club mate and freestyle sprinter Jared Clarke. She will now take some time out to consider her future away from the pool but said she was interested in pursuing a career in television that has already seen her work in both the sport and lifestyle genre’s. |
BROOKE HANSON – INTERNATIONAL CAREER RESULTS
AUSTRALIAN TEAM REPRESENTATIVE HONOURS AND RESULTS
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LOCATION |
YEAR |
RESULTS |
Olympic Games |
Athens , Greece |
2004 |
1 st 4x100m medley (heat swim); 2 nd 100m breast; 8 th 200m breast |
World Champs |
Fukuoka , Japan |
2001 |
5 th 50m breast |
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Barcelona , Spain |
2003 |
2 nd 50m breast, 6 th 100m breast |
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Montreal , Canada |
2005 |
1 st 4x100m medley (heat swim); 3 rd 50m breast, 5 th 100m breast, 6 th 200m IM |
Commonwealth Games |
Victoria , Canada |
1994 |
4 th 200m breast |
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Manchester , England |
2002 |
2 nd 100m breast; 4 th 200m breast |
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Melbourne , Australia |
2006 |
2 nd 200m IM; 4 th 200m breast |
World Short Course |
Athens , Greece |
2000 |
3 rd 200m breast |
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Moscow , Russia |
2002 |
4 th 4x100m medley relay; 5 th 50m breast; 6 th 100, 200m breast |
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Indianapolis , USA |
2004 |
1 st 50m, 100m, 200m breast, 100m IM, 200m IM, 4x100m medley |
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Shanghai , China |
2006 |
1 st 100m IM, 4x100m medley (heat swim); 2 nd 50m breast; 5 th 100m breast; 14 th 200m IM |
Pan Pacific Champs |
Atlanta , USA |
1995 |
- |
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Yokohama , Japan |
2002 |
5 th 100m breast; 7 th 200m breast |
Goodwill Games |
Brisbane , Australia |
2001 |
1 st 50m, 100m breast; 3 rd 200m breast |
Duel in the Pool |
Indianapolis , USA |
2003 |
2 nd 100m, 200m breast |
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Irvine , USA |
2005 |
4 th 100m, 200m breast; 5 th 200m IM |
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| Thursday June 28, 2007 |
On the afternoon of Sunday, June 17 my sister Jade and I both suffered electric shocks at the Pool and Spa Show in Melbourne and I am relieved and satisfied to hear today’s findings of the investigation which has been carried out by Energy Safe Victoria.
Energy Safe Victoria also explained to me that because I was the person in the water that I copped the full brunt of the shock.
I am also pleased that my sister Jade, who suffered muscle spasms and headaches for a week, has had no lasting ill-effects from her shock and can pursue her water polo career
It was a relief to hear that Energy Safe found there was absolutely nothing wrong with the Endless Spa which I had swum in several times before.
Endless Spas have been major supporters of mine since before I made the 2004 Olympic Team and they have continued to support me through what has been a trying time for all of us.
In fact the support I have received from around Australia and the world has been quite overwhelming.
I am so thankful to the people who have sent me their best wishes.
My house looks like a florist with flowers arriving from my sponsors Endless Spas and GNC; Channel 9 Sydney and Melbourne and the team at What’s Good For You, the Nunawading Swimming Club, the Currumbin Beach Vikings SLSC, Bunning’s Warehouse, and of course the dozen cup cakes I received from Crabapple Bakery (who made my wedding cake).
The hundreds of get well cards, emails, phone calls and text messages from family, friends and supporters, members of the media, everyone in the Swimming Australia community and most importantly the public support has been overwhelming.
I want to thank everyone for giving me the space to get over what has been a very difficult time.
I spent the first week after the shock sleeping 18 to 20 hours a day and having massages to help aid my recovery from the muscle spasms and muscular fatigue.
I began swimming lightly on Monday but did not realise the full extent of my injuries suffered from the fall from the spa until then.
I sustained injuries to my left shoulder and neck, leaving the muscles and joints severely inflamed, requiring regular physiotherapy, massage, acupuncture and daily icing.
I’m putting all my energy into the rehabilitation of my injuries so I can prepare for my return to racing at the Telstra Australian Short Course Championships in Melbourne in August.
But my main priority now is to get my health back to 100 percent.
Once again thank you all for your support.
Yours in swimming
Brooke Hanson
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| May 2007 - Silver Logie for Best Lifestyle Program -
What's Good For You |
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| HANSON IN THE ZONE – October 2004 |
The disappointment
of missing Olympic Games selection
in 1996 by a mere 0.11sec and missing
selection again in 2000 by 0.80sec
did not deter Brooke Hanson from going
after her dream to be an Olympian.
In 2004, Brooke made her first
Olympic Games team to Athens and
went on to win a silver medal in
the 100m Breaststroke and was a
member of the gold medal winning
medley relay team.
Brooke then returned from Athens
to compete at the World Short Course
Trials in Brisbane and flew from
Brisbane to Indianapolis to compete
at the Championships.
At the
2004 FINA World Short Course Championships,
Brooke entered illustrious company
as one of five people to ever win
six ”
The others need no introduction:
Kristen Otto, Mark Spitz, Ian Thorpe
and Michael Phelps!
“To be mentioned in the same
sentence as Kristen and those three
guys is something very hard to believe,”
Hanson said. “It is surreal
because of what they have achieved
in the sport. I don’t think
it would have been possible to have
a better meet. Six races, six gold
medals, pb’s, Commonwealth
Records, a World Record in the relay
and then the female swimmer of the
meet. I’m speechless.”
Hanson leapfrogged
Otto, Spitz, Thorpe and Phelps by
becoming the
first swimmer in the history of
the sport to win five individual
gold medals at the one major meet.
That includes Olympic Games, World
Championships, Commonwealth Games,
Pan Pacific Championships and World
Short Course Championships.
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The
200m breaststroke win added
to her victories in the 50m
and 100m breaststroke, the
100m and 200m individual medley
and the 4x100m medley relay.
The
women’s breaststroke
events were tough as Hanson
defeated the Olympic Champion
in both the 100m breaststroke
(Hi Qui) and the 200m breaststroke
(Amanda Beard) and the world
record holder in the 50m breaststroke
(Jade Edmistone).
The
26-year-old was also named
Female Swimmer of the Meet.
“That
is the first time I have ever
won a Female Swimmer of the
Meet Award,” Hanson
said. “Even at State
or National level I have never
won that so to do it at a
World Championships tops off
what has been a dream.”
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