Dawn
Fraser, AUS, Swimmer
At
the 1956 Melbourne Olympics she became an Australian national hero winning
the 100m freestyle gold medal in world record time, as well as taking
gold in the 100m freestyle relay and silver in the 400m freestyle. She
also won the 100m freestyle gold at the Rome Olympics in 1960. After winning
four gold medals at the 1962 Commonwealth Games in Perth, Fraser finished
her international swimming career at the Tokyo Olympics in 1964, by winning
a gold medal in the 100m Freestyle at the age of 27.
In 1984, Fraser returned to public life as an independent member
of the New South Wales parliament.
She has since maintained an active role in the sporting and wider
community as a member of the Cerebral Palsy Sports Association, a patron
of the Wheelchair Sports Association of Victoria and president of the
Australian Sports Hall of Fame, while continuing to support sporting clubs
across the country. Fraser
is Australia’s greatest Olympian. In 1996, she was voted the person who best symbolizes Australia
and in 1999, was named one of Australia’s National Living Treasures. Fraser
won two more gold medals at the 1958 Commonwealth Games in Cardiff, Wales.
