Brooke Louise Hanson, OAM (born 18 March 1978) is an Australian former competitive swimmer, Olympic gold medallist, world champion, and former world record-holder.

Career

A swimmer since the age of four, Hanson was the youngest swimmer on the Australian national team at the

1994 Commonwealth Games The 1994 Commonwealth Games (French: ''XVéme Jeux du Commonwealth'') were held in Victoria, British Columbia, from 18 to 28 August 1994. Ten types of sports were featured at the Victoria Games: athletics, aquatics, badminton, boxing, cycling ...

, where she finished fourth in the 200-metre breaststroke. However, she would not qualify for another major international competition for eight years, until she qualified for the 100- and 200-metre breaststroke at the

2002 Commonwealth Games The 2002 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XVII Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Manchester 2002 were held in Manchester, England, from 25 July to 4 August, 2002. The 2002 Games were to be hosted in the United Kingdom to coin ...

. At the 2003 World Aquatics Championships, she would finish second in the 50-metre breaststroke and sixth in the 100-metre breaststroke. At the 2004 Summer Olympics, Hanson won a gold medal as part of the Australian 4×100-metre medley relay team by swimming the breaststroke leg in a preliminary heat (

Leisel Jones Leisel Marie Jones, OAM (born 30 August 1985) is an Australian former competition swimmer and Olympic gold medallist. A participant in the 2000 Summer Olympics – at just 15 years old – and 2004 Summer Olympics, she was part of gold-medal ...

swam the breaststroke leg in the final). Jones' selection was the source of much discussion, and rumours spread of conflict between the two. She also won silver in the 100-metre breaststroke, finishing 0.01s ahead of Jones. Several weeks later, Hanson competed at the

2004 FINA Short Course World Championships The 7th FINA Short Course World Championships were held at the Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States from October 7 through October 11, 2004. Results Freestyle Backstroke Breaststroke Butterfly Medley Medal table ...

in Indianapolis, Indiana. Most of the medal-winners from the recently finished Olympics chose not to attend which allowed Hanson to win six gold medals, five of which were for individual events. 2005 was a difficult year for Hanson. She was defeated by both Jade Edmistone and

in the 50- and 100-metre breaststroke at the Australian Championships. At the 2005 World Aquatics Championships in Montreal, Hanson missed the medals in both the 100-metre breaststroke and the 200-metre individual medley, but claimed bronze in the 50-metre breaststroke. She admitted after the 2006 Commonwealth Games trials that she had been close to retiring. She missed qualification for the 50- and 100-metre breaststroke events, where the three positions were claimed by Jones, Edmistone and

Tarnee White Tarnee Renee White, OAM (born 17 October 1981), also known by her married name Tarnee Southwell, is an Australian breaststroke swimmer who won a silver medal in the 4×100-metre medley relay at the 2000 Summer Olympics. Coming from the Red ...

respectively. She qualified for the 200 m breaststroke and individual medley, and claimed silver in the latter event behind young teammate Stephanie Rice. She swims with the Nunawading Swimming Club in Melbourne. In 2006, she joined the health and lifestyle program '' What's Good For You'' team and is a presenter in the second series of the show. At the 2007

Logies The Logie Awards (officially the TV Week Logie Awards; colloquially known as The Logies) is an annual gathering to celebrate Australian television, sponsored and organised by the magazine ''TV Week''. The first ceremony was held in 1959 as the ...

, she was nominated for Most Popular Female New Talent for her role in the show. On 17 June 2007, Hanson was taken to hospital after collapsing after an apparent electric shock after climbing out of a spa at a pool and spa show in Melbourne. An investigation by Energy Safe Victoria found no fault with the spa. In 2008, she auditioned unsuccessfully for ''Gladiators'' on the

Seven Network The Seven Network (commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is a major Australian commercial free-to-air television network. It is owned by Seven West Media Limited, and is one of five main free-to-air television networks in Australia ...

. Hanson's father is a public relations specialist with Swimming Australia and runs Hanson Sports Media an Australian sports media company. Hanson is married to Jared Clarke and they have three children. In July 2011, Hanson gave birth prematurely to a son, who she and Clarke named Jack. On 3 April 2012, Jack died from a cardiac arrest. He had suffered from a chronic lung disease and pulmonary hypertension.

References

External links

The Official Site of Brooke Hanson

The Nunawading Swimming Club

Jones and Hanson selection incident
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Hanson, Brooke 1978 births Living people Sportswomen from New South Wales Olympic swimmers of Australia Swimmers at the 2004 Summer Olympics Olympic gold medalists for Australia Olympic silver medalists for Australia Recipients of the Medal of the Order of Australia Commonwealth Games silver medallists for Australia World record setters in swimming Australian female medley swimmers Australian female backstroke swimmers World Aquatics Championships medalists in swimming Medalists at the FINA World Swimming Championships (25 m) Medalists at the 2004 Summer Olympics Swimmers from Sydney Olympic gold medalists in swimming Olympic silver medalists in swimming Commonwealth Games medallists in swimming Universiade medalists in swimming Swimmers at the 2002 Commonwealth Games Swimmers at the 2006 Commonwealth Games Universiade silver medalists for Australia Universiade bronze medalists for Australia Medalists at the 1999 Summer Universiade Medallists at the 2002 Commonwealth Games Medallists at the 2006 Commonwealth Games

Career

See also

References

External links