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.
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.”