Hayley Gloria Palmer is an Olympian and National Record holding swimmer from New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

. She swam for NZ at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games

New Zealand at the 2008 Summer Olympics

New Zealand took part in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. The country sent 182 competitors, making this its largest ever delegation to the Olympic Games. It was also one of the most successful, equalling New Zealand's combined medal tally from the previous two games...

.

Early life

Palmer was born in Cheltenham, England

Cheltenham

Cheltenham , also known as Cheltenham Spa, is a large spa town and borough in Gloucestershire, on the edge of the Cotswolds in the South-West region of England. It is the home of the flagship race of British steeplechase horse racing, the Gold Cup, the main event of the Cheltenham Festival held...

. However, both her parents are New Zealand nationals and they returned to New Zealand for two years when Palmer was young, before moving back to Cheltenham when she was 3. In Cheltenham, Palmer attended St Edwards School, and grammar school at the High School for Girls

High School for Girls

The High School for Girls is a grammar school on Denmark Road, Gloucester. It is one of only three girls' grammar schools in Gloucestershire, and consistently ranks in league tables as one of the best schools in England and one of the Top 50 Selective Schools in the UK.-Admission:As a grammar...

, where she currently holds every school record in swimming. Palmer began swimming in England, before her return to New Zealand in 2007.

Her international debut for New Zealand was at the 2008 Short Course Worlds

2008 FINA Short Course World Championships

The 9th FINA Swimming World Championships were held at the Manchester Evening News Arena, in Manchester, England April 9 – April 13 2008....

 in Manchester

Manchester

Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...

 in April 2008.

Her coach for the majority of her swimming career in England was Graham Brookhouse

Graham Brookhouse

Graham Raymond Brookhouse was born on 19 June 1962 and was brought up in Birmingham, England and competed for the modern pentathlon in the Seoul Olympics.- Seoul Olympics :...

. During her early teenage years she was a member of the Gloucester City Swimming Club

Gloucester City Swimming Club

Gloucester City Swimming Club is a swimming club based in Gloucester, United Kingdom, which was founded in 1910. Its home pool is GL1. It is one of the most successful clubs in the United Kingdom....

. She currently swims for North Shore Swimming in Auckland

Auckland

The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...

, and is coached by Randy Reese at Clearwater Aquatics in Florida.

Palmer is a Latter-day Saint.

She competed for New Zealand at the 2008 Summer Olympics

2008 Summer Olympics

The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...

 in the Women's 4x200m freestyle relay.

In the 2009 13th Fina World Swimming Championships she made the Semi-Finals of the 100m Freestyle and placed 11th.

At the 2010 Commonwealth Games

2010 Commonwealth Games

The 2010 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XIX Commonwealth Games, were held in Delhi, India, from 3 to 14 October 2010. A total of 6,081 athletes from 71 Commonwealth nations and dependencies competed in 21 sports and 272 events, making it the largest Commonwealth Games till date...

 in Delhi

Delhi

Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...

, Palmer won 2 bronze medals, in the 50m Freestyle and 4x100m Freestyle Relay.

Swimming records

Palmer currently holds the following New Zealand Records:

• Women's Long Course 50m Freestyle (25.01)
• Women's Long Course 100m Freestyle (53.91)
• Women's Short Course 50m Freestyle (24.39)
• Women's Short Course 100m Freestyle (53.57)
• Women's Short Course 100m Individual Medley (1:01.24)