Rebecca Brown (swimmer)
Encyclopedia
Rebecca Brown (born 8 May 1977 in Brisbane
, Queensland
) is a former Australia
n breaststroke
swimmer
.
Brown gained national exposure in March 1994 when, at 16 years of age, she broke Anita Nall
's 200 metre breaststroke world record by 0.59 seconds in Brisbane. In the aftermath of that swim, she was feted as Australia’s newest teen swimming sensation.
However, at the 1994 Commonwealth Games
in Victoria
, Canada
she loss out to Samantha Riley
in both the 100 and 200 metre breaststroke events.
Failing to qualify for the 1996 Summer Olympics
in Atlanta
, Georgia
and the 1998 Commonwealth Games
in Kuala Lumpur
, Malaysia, Brown announced her retirement from competitive swimming.
However, the chance to swim at a home Olympic Games was too good an opportunity pass up. So, Brown made a pact with her then fiancé, now husband, medley swimmer Zane King that they would put everything into making the team for Sydney
. For Brown, this meant moving to Melbourne
to link up with her former coach, Michael Piper leaving the Australian Institute of Sport
-based King behind.
She was in good form leading up to the Olympics trails taking the gold in the 200 metre breaststroke at the 2000 FINA Short Course World Championships
as well as 4th in the 100 metre breaststroke and 5th in the 50 metre breaststroke.
In May 2000, she secured her place in the Olympic squad with a 2:28.98-minute second place in the 200 metre breakststroke trail final. At the Olympics itself she failed to make to the final, finishing 7th in her semi-final and 14th overall in a time of 2:29.90 mins.
At the conclusion of the Games, she announced her retirement and in November 2005, she gave birth to her first child, India Rose King.
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
) is a former 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 breaststroke
Breaststroke
The breaststroke is a swimming style in which the swimmer is on his or her chest and the torso does not rotate. It is the most popular recreational style due to its stability and the ability to keep the head out of the water a large portion of the time. In most swimming classes, beginners learn...
swimmer
Swimming (sport)
Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
.
Brown gained national exposure in March 1994 when, at 16 years of age, she broke Anita Nall
Anita Nall
Nadia Anita Nall , more familiarly known as Anita Nall and now Anita Nall-Richesson since her marriage to Luke Richesson in 2002, is a U.S. Olympic medalist in competitive swimming...
's 200 metre breaststroke world record by 0.59 seconds in Brisbane. In the aftermath of that swim, she was feted as Australia’s newest teen swimming sensation.
However, at the 1994 Commonwealth Games
1994 Commonwealth Games
The 1994 Commonwealth Games were held in Victoria, in the province of British Columbia in Canada, from 18 August to 28 August 1994.The XV Commonwealth Games marked South Africa's return to the Commonwealth Games following the apartheid era, and over 30 years since the country last competed in the...
in Victoria
Victoria, British Columbia
Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia, Canada and is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of about 78,000 within the metropolitan area of Greater Victoria, which has a population of 360,063, the 15th most populous Canadian...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
she loss out to Samantha Riley
Samantha Riley
Samantha Linette Riley is an Australian breaststroke swimmer of Aboriginal descent of the 1990s who competed for Australia in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics and the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, winning three medals...
in both the 100 and 200 metre breaststroke events.
Failing to qualify for the 1996 Summer Olympics
1996 Summer Olympics
The 1996 Summer Olympics of Atlanta, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States....
in Atlanta
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
and the 1998 Commonwealth Games
1998 Commonwealth Games
The 1998 XVI Commonwealth Games were held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from 11 September to 21 September 1998 making it the first Asian country to act as host and the last Commonwealth Games for the 20th century. A record 70 nations supplied 3638 athletes...
in Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...
, Malaysia, Brown announced her retirement from competitive swimming.
However, the chance to swim at a home Olympic Games was too good an opportunity pass up. So, Brown made a pact with her then fiancé, now husband, medley swimmer Zane King that they would put everything into making the team for Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
. For Brown, this meant moving to 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...
to link up with her former coach, Michael Piper leaving the Australian Institute of Sport
Australian Institute of Sport
The Australian Institute of Sport is a sports training institution in Australia with world class facilities and support services. The Institute's headquarters is situated in Canberra, the capital city of Australia. The 66.0 hectare site campus is in the northern suburb of Bruce, but some of the...
-based King behind.
She was in good form leading up to the Olympics trails taking the gold in the 200 metre breaststroke at the 2000 FINA Short Course World Championships
2000 FINA Short Course World Championships
The 5th FINA World Swimming Championships were held at the Olympic Aquatic Centre in Athens, Greece from 16–19 March 2000. The meet resulted in 15 world records: 2 established in the heats, 4 in the semi-finals, and 9 in the finals....
as well as 4th in the 100 metre breaststroke and 5th in the 50 metre breaststroke.
In May 2000, she secured her place in the Olympic squad with a 2:28.98-minute second place in the 200 metre breakststroke trail final. At the Olympics itself she failed to make to the final, finishing 7th in her semi-final and 14th overall in a time of 2:29.90 mins.
At the conclusion of the Games, she announced her retirement and in November 2005, she gave birth to her first child, India Rose King.