Gould, Shane (1956-…), a champion Australian swimmer, became the first swimmer in the history of the sport to hold every freestyle world record from 100 meters to 1,500 meters at the same time. From April 1971 to January 1972, she set records in the 100-meter, 200-meter, 400-meter, 800-meter, and 1,500-meter freestyle races, as well as the 200-meter individual medley.
At the age of 15, Gould won five medals for Australia at the 1972 Summer Olympic Games in Munich, Germany. She won gold medals for the 200-meter and 400-meter freestyle and the 200-meter individual medley, setting a world record in each event. She also won a silver medal in the 800-meter freestyle and a bronze medal in the 100-meter freestyle. She was the first swimmer to win medals in five individual events in a single Olympics. In 1972, Gould became the youngest person to be named Australian of the Year.
Shane Elizabeth Gould was born on Nov. 23, 1956, in Sydney. She began swimming at the age of three. Gould retired from competitive swimming at the age of 16. She married at the age of 18 and lived on a farm in southwestern Australia. In her 40’s, Gould returned to competitive swimming, taking part in Masters races and setting age-group records in freestyle events. She set several Masters records in freestyle events. During the early 2000’s, Gould studied filmmaking and earned two degrees from the University of Tasmania, Master of Environmental Management in 2010 and Master of Contemporary Art in 2012. She wrote an autobiography, Tumble Turns (1999). In 2018, the Australian government made Gould a Member of the Order of Australia, an award for service to the country or humanity.
