Lara Shiree Davenport OAM

Order of Australia

The Order of Australia is an order of chivalry established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, "for the purpose of according recognition to Australian citizens and other persons for achievement or for meritorious service"...

 (born 1983) is an Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

n freestyle swimmer

Freestyle swimming

Freestyle is an unregulated swimming style used in swimming competitions according to the rules of FINA. The front crawl stroke is almost universally used during a freestyle race, as this style is generally the fastest...

 who specialises in the 200 m event.

At the 2007 World Aquatics Championships

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...

 in Melbourne

Melbourne

Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...

, Davenport competed in the 4 × 200 m freestyle relay. She swam the third leg in the heats, setting the second fastest split among all swimmers, in 1 min 58.51 s to help Australia qualify fastest for the final. As a result, she gained selection in the finals team at the expense of Bronte Barratt

Bronte Barratt

Bronte Amelia Arnold Barratt OAM is a competitive swimmer from Australia. At the World Short Course Championships held in Shanghai in 2006, Barratt won the gold medal in women's 4x200m freestyle relay and an individual silver medal in the 400m freestyle.In 2007, she broke the oldest record in...

 and Linda Mackenzie

Linda Mackenzie

Linda June Mackenzie OAM is an Australian freestyle swimmer. She tends to prefer the longer 200m/400m/800m events and has won the Australian 400m national title five years in a row...

, who were Australia's representatives in the individual event. She swam the third leg in the final, but could only manage 1 min 59.28 s as Australia came fourth.

At the 2008 Australian Swimming Championships

2008 Australian Swimming Championships

The 2008 Telstra Australian Swimming Championships were held at the Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia from 22–29 March 2008...

 she qualified for 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 Beijing

Beijing

Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...

 as a member of the 4 × 200 m freestyle relay squads by coming fourth in the individual event.

She swam the heats of the relay, and collected gold when the first-choice quartet won the final in a world record time. Davenport is studying psychology at Bond University

Bond University

Bond University is a private university located in Robina, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. It is also the first private university established in Australia...

.