Alex Croak
Encyclopedia
Alexandra Croak (known as Alex) (born 9 July 1984) is an Australia
n diver
and gymnast
who is a dual Olympic representative. She represented Australia as a gymnast at the 2000 Summer Olympics
in Sydney and after a strong performance at the 2008 Australian national Diving Championships, she was selected for Australia's diving team for the 2008 Summer Olympics
in Beijing
. She is the first Australian athlete to win gold medals at the Commonwealth games in two different disciplines (diving and gymnastics).
Croak was born on 9 July 1984 in Sydney. Her parents were both enthusiastic sports people who encouraged their children to compete. Her sisters Emma and Rebecca were both swimmers who competed at national level. Croak on the other hand showed an aptitude for gymnastics. At the 2000 Olympics, she was part of the Australian women's team which placed 7th in the team competition. Two years later at the Manchester
Commonwealth Games
, she was part of the Australian team which won gold and she also won an individual silver medal in the vault
.
In 2003, she switched to diving and developed quickly enough to be selected for diving team at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne. There she won a silver medal with Melissa Wu
in the 10-meter synchronized platform. Later that same year, she and Wu again won silver at the Grand Prix meeting in Rome
.
Croak qualified to compete in the 10 m springboard at the Beijing Olympics. She qualified into the semifinals in fourth place but had a poor dive her first dive in the semis and did not make the final.
She finished second behind Melissa Wu in the 10 m springboard at the 2009 Australian Diving Championships and was named on the team to compete in Rome in July.
Croak is currently competing at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, in the 10m Platform and 10m Platform Synchronised events. Her Gold medal result with partner Melissa Wu in the 10m synchro has made Croak the first Australian athlete to achieve Commonwealth Gold in two different sports.
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 diver
Diving
Diving is the sport of jumping or falling into water from a platform or springboard, sometimes while performing acrobatics. Diving is an internationally-recognized sport that is part of the Olympic Games. In addition, unstructured and non-competitive diving is a recreational pastime.Diving is one...
and gymnast
Gymnast
Gymnasts are people who participate in the sports of either artistic gymnastics, trampolining, or rhythmic gymnastics.See gymnasium for the origin of the word gymnast from gymnastikos.-Female artistic:Australia...
who is a dual Olympic representative. She represented Australia as a gymnast at the 2000 Summer Olympics
2000 Summer Olympics
The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
in Sydney and after a strong performance at the 2008 Australian national Diving Championships, she was selected for Australia's diving team 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...
. She is the first Australian athlete to win gold medals at the Commonwealth games in two different disciplines (diving and gymnastics).
Croak was born on 9 July 1984 in Sydney. Her parents were both enthusiastic sports people who encouraged their children to compete. Her sisters Emma and Rebecca were both swimmers who competed at national level. Croak on the other hand showed an aptitude for gymnastics. At the 2000 Olympics, she was part of the Australian women's team which placed 7th in the team competition. Two years later at the 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...
Commonwealth Games
Commonwealth Games
The Commonwealth Games is an international, multi-sport event involving athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930 and takes place every four years....
, she was part of the Australian team which won gold and she also won an individual silver medal in the vault
Vault (gymnastics)
The vault is an artistic gymnastics apparatus, as well as the skill performed using that apparatus. Vaulting is also the action of performing a vault. Both male and female gymnasts perform the vault...
.
In 2003, she switched to diving and developed quickly enough to be selected for diving team at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne. There she won a silver medal with Melissa Wu
Melissa Wu (diver)
Melissa Paige Wu is an Australian diver who has won silver medals at the 2007 World Aquatics Championships, the 2006 Commonwealth Games and the Beijing 2008 Olympics. Her father is of Chinese descent.Wu began diving only in 2003...
in the 10-meter synchronized platform. Later that same year, she and Wu again won silver at the Grand Prix meeting in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
.
Croak qualified to compete in the 10 m springboard at the Beijing Olympics. She qualified into the semifinals in fourth place but had a poor dive her first dive in the semis and did not make the final.
She finished second behind Melissa Wu in the 10 m springboard at the 2009 Australian Diving Championships and was named on the team to compete in Rome in July.
Croak is currently competing at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, in the 10m Platform and 10m Platform Synchronised events. Her Gold medal result with partner Melissa Wu in the 10m synchro has made Croak the first Australian athlete to achieve Commonwealth Gold in two different sports.