OAM OAM may refer to:
*Oamaru Aerodrome, New Zealand
* Object access method
*Observatorio Astronómico de Mallorca, an observatory in Spain
*U.S. Office of Alternative Medicine, whose duties have been taken over by the National Center for Complementary ...
(born 5 June 1992) is an Australian
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 ...
and television personality. She has appeared at four Olympic Games between
2008
File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing ...
and
2021
File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October 2021 coup in Sudan; Crowd shortly after t ...
; and won three Olympic gold medals, five world championship gold medals and seven Commonwealth Games gold medals. She specialises in the backstroke, but has also won medals in the freestyle and individual medley.
Career
At the age of 14, Seebohm won the 100 m backstroke at the 2007 Australian Championships, the selection meet for the
2007 World Aquatics Championships
The 2007 World Aquatics Championships, or the XII FINA World Championships, were held in Melbourne, Australia from 17 March to 1 April 2007. The competition took place at three locations in central Melbourne: the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic ...
. At the World Championships in
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a me ...
, Seebohm won a gold medal in the 4 × 100 m medley relay. She also placed fourth in the final of the 100 m backstroke and 14th in the 50 m backstroke.
Seebohm also won gold in both the 100 m backstroke and 4 × 100 m medley relay at the 2007 Junior
Pan Pacific Swimming Championships
The Pan Pacific Swimming Championships is a long course swimming event first held in 1985.
On 22 March 2008, Seebohm broke the world record in the 50 m backstroke in the semi-finals of the 2008 Australian Championships, with a time of 27.95s, taking five hundredths of a second off
Hayley McGregory
Hayley McGregory (born January 13, 1986) is an English-born American competition swimmer. She is a former world-record holder in the 50 and 100-meter backstroke (long course), and is the first woman to break a world record held by Natalie Cough ...
's world record of 28.00 set only 15 days earlier on 7 March 2008. A day later, this record was beaten again, this time by Australian Sophie Edington in a time of 27.67 seconds in the final of the same event. Seebohm decided not to swim in the final of this event as it is not an Olympic event and instead decided to focus on the semi-final of the 100 m backstroke. Her decision paid off when she became the first Australian woman to break the one-minute barrier in the event, her 59.78 making her the fifth-fastest of all-time. She then lowered the record to 59.58 s in the final, winning the Australian championship and gaining selection for the Olympic Games in Beijing.
At the 2008 Summer Olympics, Seebohm placed ninth overall in the
100 m backstroke
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. ...
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus ( legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
, Seebohm won the bronze medal in the 100 m backstroke with a time of 58.88. She also won silver in the 4 × 100 m medley relay, and placed 7th in the 50 m backstroke and 15th in the 200 m IM.
At the 2009 Australian Short Course Championships, Seebohm broke the world record in the 100 m IM in 58.54.
At the
2010 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships
The eleventh edition of the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships, also known as the 2010 Mutual of Omaha Pan Pacific Swimming Championships, a long course (50 m) event, was held in Irvine, California, United States, from August 18–22.
Me ...
, on the first night she defeated Olympic champion
Natalie Coughlin
Natalie Anne Coughlin Hall (born August 23, 1982) is an American former competition swimmer and twelve-time Olympic medalist. While attending the University of California, Berkeley, she became the first woman ever to swim the 100-meter backstro ...
in the 100 m backstroke, taking gold in championship record time, as well as taking silver in the 50 m butterfly. On the second night, she took silver in the 100 m freestyle in her first attempt at the event at international level. On night 3 she took another silver in the 4 × 100 m freestyle relay. Final night saw her take the gold in the 200 m individual medley, topping world champion and record holder
Ariana Kukors
Ariana Kukors (born June 1, 1989) is an American former competition swimmer and former world record holder in the 200-meter individual medley (long course). Ariana now works in private coaching related to athletic performance. Kukors has won a ...
. Later on in the night she broke the 100 m backstroke championship record in the lead off leg of the 4 × 100 m medley relay, Australia finished with silver. Later on in the year she collected 8 medals at the
2010 Commonwealth Games
The 2010 Commonwealth Games (Hindi: 2010 राष्ट्रमण्डल खेल), officially known as the XIX Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Delhi 2010, was an international multi-sport event that was held in Delhi, India, f ...
Seebohm was tracked by the BBC as part of their series World Olympic Dreams, which followed her as she prepared for London 2012.
At the 2012 London Olympics, Seebohm set a new Olympic record in a 100m backstroke qualifier and was heavily backed to win the gold in the final of the event but fell just short and gained a silver medal.
At the
2013 Australian Swimming Championships
The 2013 Australian Swimming Championships were held from 26 April until 3 May 2013 at the South Australia Aquatic and Leisure Centre in Adelaide, South Australia. They doubled up as the national trials for the 2013 World Aquatics Championships.
...
she won gold in the 50 m and 100 m backstroke and silver in 200 m individual medley and bronze in the 200 m backstroke events, qualifying for the
2013 World Aquatics Championships
The 15th FINA World Championships ( ca, Campionat Mundial de Natació de 2013, es, Campeonato Mundial de Natación de 2013) were held from 20 July to 4 August in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.Bronte Campbell, Emma McKeon and
Brittany Elmslie
Brittany Joyce Elmslie, (born 19 June 1994) is a former Australian competitive swimmer. She represented Australia at the 2012 and 2016 Summer Olympics in swimming, and won a gold medal in the 4 × 100 m freestyle relay at both Games.
Personal ...
in the heats of the 4 × 100 m freestyle, finishing second in their heat and overall. In the final sisters
Cate
Cate is a feminine given name. It is a variant of Kate. The name comes from Latin, French, English, and Welsh origins. The name literally means either 'pure' or 'blessed', used in different context. The name Catherine is popular in Christian count ...
Alicia Coutts
Alicia Jayne Coutts, (born 14 September 1987) is an Australian competitive medley, butterfly and freestyle swimmer. She represented Australia at the 2008 Summer Olympics, 2012 Summer Olympics and the 2010 Commonwealth Games (New Delhi). Sh ...
won the silver medal, finishing 0.12 seconds behind the United States.
At the 2016 Summer Olympics, Seebohm represented Australia in both the 100 m and 200 m backstroke and won silver in the 4 × 100 m medley relay.
In June 2021, Seebohm qualified for the 2020 Summer Olympics after finishing second in the 100m backstroke event at the Australian Olympic trials in a time of 58.59. The Tokyo Olympics were Seebohm's fourth consecutive Olympic Games, making her only one of three Australian swimmers to compete at four Olympic Games. At those Olympics she won a gold medal in the 4 x 100 metre medley relay, and a bronze medal in 200 metre backstroke.
International Swimming League
In the Autumn of 2019 she was member of the inaugural
International Swimming League
The International Swimming League (ISL) is an annual professional swimming league, established in 2019. It features a team-based competition format with fast-paced race sessions. In 2019, the regular season started in October and the Final Match ...
swimming for the
Energy Standard
Energy Standard are one of the four founding European teams for the International Swimming League. The team is based in Paris, France and trains out of the Gloria Sports Arena in Belek, Turkey.
The team won each of their matches in the first s ...
International Swim Club, who won the team title in Las Vegas, Nevada, in December.
Career Best Times
World records
Long course metres
split 1:00.79 (1st leg); with
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 ...
Libby Lenton
Lisbeth Constance Trickett, OAM (; born 28 January 1985) is a retired Australian swimmer. She was a gold medallist at the 2004 Summer Olympics, the 2008 Summer Olympics, and the 2012 Summer Olympics. She was the world record holder in the shor ...
(4th leg) split 59.33 (1st leg); with Leisel Jones (2nd leg), Jessica Schipper (3rd leg), Libby Trickett (4th leg)
Short course metres
Olympic records
Long course metres
split 59.33 (backstroke leg); with
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 ...
When Seebohm was three she moved with her family from
Adelaide
Adelaide ( ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater A ...
to
Brisbane
Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...
,
Queensland
)
, nickname = Sunshine State
, image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, established_ ...
so her mother could coach swimming. Seebohm attended St Joseph's Catholic Primary School until Grade 7, and then moved on to St John Fisher College, a Catholic school for girls. Both schools are in
Bracken Ridge
Bracken Ridge is a northern suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the , Bracken Ridge had a population of 16,936 people. Geography
The suburb is located about north of the Brisbane central business district. The souther ...
. She attended St John Fisher College up until the end of 2008, where she completed grade 10, and previously attended St Margaret's Anglican Girls School. Her father
John Seebohm
John Seebohm (born 6 April 1960) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Glenelg Football Club in the South Australian National Football League.
Playing career
Regarded as a quiet achiever, Seebohm is one of only three footbal ...
was also an accomplished footballer in the
SANFL
The South Australian National Football League, or SANFL ( or ''S-A-N-F-L''), is an Australian rules football league based in the Australian state of South Australia. It is also the state's governing body for the sport.
Originally formed as th ...
, who played over 300 games for the
Glenelg Tigers
Glenelg Football Club is an Australian rules football team, which plays in the South Australian National Football League. The club is known as the "Tigers" (or the "Bays"), and their home ground is ACH Group Stadium (formerly Glenelg Oval), lo ...
Bracken Ridge
Bracken Ridge is a northern suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the , Bracken Ridge had a population of 16,936 people. Geography
The suburb is located about north of the Brisbane central business district. The souther ...
.
On 26 January 2009, Seebohm was awarded the
Medal of the Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Go ...
.
Seebohm has
endometriosis
Endometriosis is a disease of the female reproductive system in which cells similar to those in the endometrium, the layer of tissue that normally covers the inside of the uterus, grow outside the uterus. Most often this is on the ovaries, ...
and is an ambassador for the non-profit organisation Endometriosis Australia
In 2015, Seebohm began a relationship with fellow swimmer, Mitch Larkin. The couple owned a house together in Hendra, Brisbane. In July 2018, Seebohm announced their separation. In 2019, Seebohm moved on with breakfast radio host David Lutteral, however after more than a year of dating, the pair split in March 2021. Seebohm confirmed in December 2022 that she was dating Ryan Gallagher, who she met while filming ''The Challenge Australia''.
In January 2022 Seebohm appeared as a contestant in the 8th season of the Australian version of '' I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!''. Later the same year, she competed on '' The Challenge: Australia''.
See also
*
List of Olympic medalists in swimming (women)
This is the complete list of women's Olympic medalists in swimming.
Current program
50 metre freestyle
100 metre freestyle
200 metre freestyle
400 metre freestyle
800 metre freestyle
1500 metre freestyle
100 metre backstroke
20 ...
*
List of World Aquatics Championships medalists in swimming (women)
This is the complete list of women's World Aquatics Championships medalists in swimming from 1973 to 2022.
Medalists
Bold numbers in brackets denotes record number of victories in corresponding disciplines.
50 metre freestyle
*Medals:
100 ...
World record progression 4 × 100 metres medley relay
This article includes the world record progression for the 4×100 metres medley relay, and it shows the chronological history of world record times in that competitive swimming event. The 4×100 metres medley relay is a medley race in which each o ...