Brooke Louise Hanson, OAM (born 18 March 1978) is an Australian former competitive

swimmer Swimming is an individual or team racing sport that requires the use of one's entire body to move through water. The sport takes place in pools or open water (e.g., in a sea or lake). Competitive swimming is one of the most popular Olympic ...

, Olympic gold medallist, world champion, and former world record-holder.

Swimming 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, Canada, between 18 and 28 August 1994. Ten types of sports were featured at the Victoria Games: athletics, aquatics, badminton, box ...

, 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 an international multi-sport event for the members of the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth held in Manchester, England, ...

. At the

2003 World Aquatics Championships The 10th FINA World Aquatics Championships were held July 12–27, 2003 in Barcelona, Spain. The championships featured competition in all 5 of FINA's disciplines: Swimming, Diving, Synchronised swimming, Water Polo, and Open Water Swimming. ...

, she would finish second in the 50-metre breaststroke and sixth in the 100-metre breaststroke. At the

2004 Summer Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad (), and officially branded as Athens 2004 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 13 to 29 August 2004 in Athens, Greece. The Games saw 10,625 athletes ...

, 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. This was the only edition of the Short Course World Championships that Michael Phe ...

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 The 2005 World Aquatics Championships () or the XI FINA World Championships were held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada from July 16 to July 31, 2005. They took place in Parc Jean-Drapeau on Saint Helen's Island. Competition Medal standings :''o ...

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 The 2006 Commonwealth Games, officially the XVIII Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Melbourne 2006, were an International sport, international multi-sport event for members of the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth held in Melbourne ...

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 respectively. She qualified for the 200 m breaststroke and individual medley, and claimed silver in the latter event behind young teammate

Stephanie Rice Stephanie Louise Rice, OAM (born 17 June 1988) is an Australian former competitive swimmer. She won three gold medals at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, and was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia on 26 January 2009. On 9 April 2 ...

. She swims with the Nunawading Swimming Club in Melbourne.

Career after swimming

In 2006, she joined the health and lifestyle program ''

What's Good For You ''What's Good For You'' is a Logie Award-winning Australian health and lifestyle television program that airs on the Nine Network. It investigates myths and fables concerning health and well-being. Examples of myths investigated include "Does ch ...

'' team and was a presenter in the second series of the show. At the 2007

Logies The TV Week Logie Awards (known colloquially as The Logies) is an annual ceremony celebrating and honouring the best shows and stars in Australian television, sponsored and organised by the magazine ''TV Week''. The event is telecast live and b ...

, she was nominated for Most Popular Female New Talent for her role in the show. In 2008, she auditioned unsuccessfully for ''Gladiators'' on the

Seven Network Seven Network (stylised 7Network, and commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is an Australian commercial free-to-air Television broadcasting in Australia, television network. It is owned by Seven West Media, Seven West Media Limited, ...

Personal life

On 17 June 2007, Hanson was taken to hospital after collapsing after an apparent

electric shock An electrical injury (electric injury) or electrical shock (electric shock) is damage sustained to the skin or internal organs on direct contact with an electric current. The injury depends on the Current density, density of the current, tissu ...

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. Hanson is married to Jared Clarke and they have four children. Their son Jack died in 2012 at nine months of age due to chronic lung disease.

References

External links

The Official Site of Brooke Hanson

The Nunawading Swimming Club

Jones and Hanson selection incident
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hanson, Brooke 1978 births Living people Sportswomen from New South Wales Olympic swimmers for 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 Commonwealth Games silver medallists in swimming 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 Summer World University Games medalists in swimming Swimmers at the 2002 Commonwealth Games Swimmers at the 2006 Commonwealth Games FISU World University Games silver medalists for Australia FISU World University Games bronze medalists for Australia Medalists at the 1999 Summer Universiade Medallists at the 2002 Commonwealth Games Medallists at the 2006 Commonwealth Games 21st-century Australian sportswomen

Swimming career

Career after swimming

Personal life

See also

References

External links