Libby Lenton
Encyclopedia
Lisbeth "Libby" Constance Trickett (née
Lenton) OAM
(born 28 January 1985, in Townsville, Queensland
, Australia) is a world record holding and Olympic
gold medalist swimmer from Australia. She was a gold medallist at both the 2004 Summer Olympics
and the 2008 Summer Olympics
. She is the world record holder in the short-course (25m) 100 metres freestyle. After retiring in December 2009, she announced her return to swimming in September 2010.
. She married swimmer Luke Trickett among scenes of tight security at Taronga Zoo
on Sydney Harbour on the 7 April 2007. The couple entered via a "walking tent", due to the exclusive photo deal the couple had with women's magazine New Idea
. The couple revealed later they split the photo profits between three charities.
She changed to swimming under her married name at the Australian 2008 Olympic selection trials.
On 9 September 2009 she announced that she would take an extended break from swimming and consider retirement. On 14 December 2009 she retired from swimming at the age of 24. In September 2010, she announced that she would be returning to competition.
At the 2003 World Championships, Trickett picked up her first individual medal on the international level in the 50 m freestyle capturing the bronze medal, while placing 5th in the 100 m freestyle, 14th in the 50 m and 19th over the 100 m butterfly, her individual inconsistency came to an end when she won another bronze in the 4×100 m freestyle relay. Her fastest 100 m freestyle sprint in which she set in the lead off leg in the relay would have captured herself another bronze in the individual 100 m freestyle.
. She had previously been the holder of the 100 m freestyle world record (53.66) set at the Olympic swimming trials held in Sydney, Australia on 31 March 2004, but lost this to teammate Jodie Henry
(53.52) during the semi finals of the event at the 2004 Athens Olympics.
In July 2005, at the FINA World Championships in Montreal
, Canada, Trickett was one of the form swimmers of the meet. She won the 50 m freestyle in a time of 24.59 to record her maiden championship at international level. She also achieved a silver medal in the 100 m butterfly (57.37). She was a member of three relay teams, the 4×100 metre freestyle relay, 4×100 metre medley relay, and the 4×200 metre freestyle relay teams, winning gold (3:37.22), gold (3:57.47) and silver (7:54.00) in the respective events. Fairly new to the 200 m freestyle event, Trickett recorded the then fourth fastest time in history clocking 1:57.06 as lead-off swimmer in the final of the 4×200 m freestyle relay. The time being more than 1.5 seconds faster than the individual gold medallist Solenne Figuès
(1.58.60) (France
). Trickett did not compete in the individual 100 m freestyle because she placed third in the event at the Australian championship, but her 100 m freestyle split times were faster than the individual 100 m freestyle gold medalist and world record holder Jodie Henry, which earned her the honor of swimming in the final of the medley relay. Despite not competing in the individual 100 m and 200 m freestyle), she did finish 2005 ranked number one in the world in both events.
On returning to Australia, Trickett continued her rich vein of form, lowering the 100 m short course freestyle world record on consecutive nights at the Australian Short Course Championships to 51.70 s.
2005 brought a further world record in the short-course 200 m freestyle at the Sydney
, Australia stop of the 2005 FINA World Cup series (Sydney - 19 November) with Trickett recording a time of 1:53.29 to beat the previous record by 0.75 seconds.
However, Trickett regained her 100 m freestyle world record on 31 January 2006 at the Australian Championships in Melbourne. Her time of 53.42 was 0.1 sec faster than the previous record held by Henry. On 2 August 2006, German swimmer Britta Steffen
broke Trickett's 100 m freestyle world record at the 2006 European Championships in Budapest
, Hungary, with a time of 53.30. Trickett again regained the world record with a time of 52.88 on 27 March 2008 at the 100 m finals of the Australian Olympic Trials. She is the current 100 m freestyle and 50 m freestyle world record holder.
At the 2006 Commonwealth Games
she won silver medals in the women's boxing and 100 m boxing events. She defeated Henry to claim the 50 m and 100 m freestyle, and was a part of the winning 4×200 m and 4×100 m freestyle relay teams, as well as breaking the world record in the 4×100 m medley relay, where her split of 52.87 s eclipsed the previous best by Henry. She took 5 of Australia's 12 gold medals in the 2006 Short Course World Championships
in Shanghai, being named the leading female swimmer of the meet.
In the latter part of 2006, Trickett won four titles at the Australian Short Course Nationals - both the 50 m and 100 m freestyle and butterfly events. More commonly known for her freestyle expertise, she set a new Australian and Commonwealth record in the 50 m butterfly and a new world record for the 100 m butterfly.
On 26 March, Trickett added another gold by winning the women's 100 m butterfly in a championship record time - 57.15 seconds - touching the wall just 0.09 seconds ahead of her second-placed team-mate Jessicah Schipper
and American Natalie Coughlin
. Then, on 1 April, she won another gold by an amazing nine one-hundredths of a second.
Shortly following the 2007 World Championships, on 3 April, at the biannual Duel in the Pool meet between Australia and the USA swimming teams (in Sydney, Australia in 2007), she swam a 100 m freestyle in 52.99, well under the existing world record of 53.30 by Germany's Britta Steffen, and making her the first woman under 53 seconds in a long-course (50 m) pool. The time was not accepted by FINA
as the world record, because the race the time was swum in is not, itself, a recognized FINA event according to the ruling.
Trickett went on to officially break the record in a time of 52.88 s on 27 March 2008 in the 100 m finals of the Australian Olympic Trials. Two days later on 29 March 2008 she broke the world record for the 50 m freestyle finals in the Australian Olympic Trials with a time of 23.97, taking 0.12 seconds off the previous record and being the first women to be under the 24 second barrier.
After the Olympics, Trickett split with Wdimar, who had coached her from before she made her debut for Australia. Trickett said that she needed a change to rejuvenate her. Now swimming for Sopac Swim Club under Grant Stoelwinder
in Sydney
. Stoelwinder is a sprint coach and currently mentors Eamon Sullivan
.
Trickett had a great start to the 2009 World Championships, capturing bronze in the 4×100 m freestyle relay, setting an Australian record in the lead off. Her next individual performances were somewhat anti-climactic, in the 100 m freestyle she finished with another bronze and finished 5th in the 50m Freestyle. and the final night she anchored the medley relay to a silver.
Married and maiden names
A married name is the family name adopted by a person upon marriage. When a person assumes the family name of her spouse, the new name replaces the maiden name....
Lenton) 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 28 January 1985, in Townsville, 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...
, Australia) is a world record holding and Olympic
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
gold medalist swimmer from Australia. She was a gold medallist at both the 2004 Summer Olympics
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...
and 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...
. She is the world record holder in the short-course (25m) 100 metres freestyle. After retiring in December 2009, she announced her return to swimming in September 2010.
Personal life
Trickett was educated at Somerville HouseSomerville House
Somerville House is an independent, boarding and day school for girls, located in South Brisbane, an inner-city suburb of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia....
. She married swimmer Luke Trickett among scenes of tight security at Taronga Zoo
Taronga Zoo
Taronga Zoo is the city zoo of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Officially opened on 7 October 1916, it is located on the shores of Sydney Harbour in the suburb of Mosman...
on Sydney Harbour on the 7 April 2007. The couple entered via a "walking tent", due to the exclusive photo deal the couple had with women's magazine New Idea
New Idea
New Idea is a long-running Australian weekly magazine published by Pacific Magazines and aimed at women.-History:The magazine was first published in 1902 by Fitchett Bros. Southdown Magazines purchased Fitchett Bros...
. The couple revealed later they split the photo profits between three charities.
She changed to swimming under her married name at the Australian 2008 Olympic selection trials.
On 9 September 2009 she announced that she would take an extended break from swimming and consider retirement. On 14 December 2009 she retired from swimming at the age of 24. In September 2010, she announced that she would be returning to competition.
Career
Trickett emerged on the world scene in March 2003 at the Australian championships, by July she was a medal contender in multiple events at the 2003 World Championships in Barcelona.At the 2003 World Championships, Trickett picked up her first individual medal on the international level in the 50 m freestyle capturing the bronze medal, while placing 5th in the 100 m freestyle, 14th in the 50 m and 19th over the 100 m butterfly, her individual inconsistency came to an end when she won another bronze in the 4×100 m freestyle relay. Her fastest 100 m freestyle sprint in which she set in the lead off leg in the relay would have captured herself another bronze in the individual 100 m freestyle.
2004 Athens Olympics
Trickett was also a bronze medalist in the women's 50 m freestyleSwimming at the 2004 Summer Olympics - Women's 50 metre freestyle
These are the results of the Women's 50 metre freestyle, one of sixteen events for female competitors in Swimming at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens.-Records:-Heat 1:# Doli Akhter, – 30.72# Monika Bakale, – 31.61# Amira Edrahi, – 34.67-Heat 2:...
. She had previously been the holder of the 100 m freestyle world record (53.66) set at the Olympic swimming trials held in Sydney, Australia on 31 March 2004, but lost this to teammate Jodie Henry
Jodie Henry
Jodie Clare Henry OAM is an Australian swimmer, Olympic gold medalist and former world-record holder.-Swimming career:Jodie Henry began swimming competitively at the relatively late age of 14....
(53.52) during the semi finals of the event at the 2004 Athens Olympics.
In July 2005, at the FINA World Championships in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Canada, Trickett was one of the form swimmers of the meet. She won the 50 m freestyle in a time of 24.59 to record her maiden championship at international level. She also achieved a silver medal in the 100 m butterfly (57.37). She was a member of three relay teams, the 4×100 metre freestyle relay, 4×100 metre medley relay, and the 4×200 metre freestyle relay teams, winning gold (3:37.22), gold (3:57.47) and silver (7:54.00) in the respective events. Fairly new to the 200 m freestyle event, Trickett recorded the then fourth fastest time in history clocking 1:57.06 as lead-off swimmer in the final of the 4×200 m freestyle relay. The time being more than 1.5 seconds faster than the individual gold medallist Solenne Figuès
Solenne Figuès
Solenne Figuès is a French swimmer.Figuès represented France in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, the 2000 Sydney Olympics, and the 2004 Athens Olympics. She won her first medal, a bronze, in 2000, in the 2000 European Swimming Championship in the 4×200 m freestyle relays...
(1.58.60) (France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
). Trickett did not compete in the individual 100 m freestyle because she placed third in the event at the Australian championship, but her 100 m freestyle split times were faster than the individual 100 m freestyle gold medalist and world record holder Jodie Henry, which earned her the honor of swimming in the final of the medley relay. Despite not competing in the individual 100 m and 200 m freestyle), she did finish 2005 ranked number one in the world in both events.
On returning to Australia, Trickett continued her rich vein of form, lowering the 100 m short course freestyle world record on consecutive nights at the Australian Short Course Championships to 51.70 s.
2005 brought a further world record in the short-course 200 m freestyle at the 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...
, Australia stop of the 2005 FINA World Cup series (Sydney - 19 November) with Trickett recording a time of 1:53.29 to beat the previous record by 0.75 seconds.
However, Trickett regained her 100 m freestyle world record on 31 January 2006 at the Australian Championships in Melbourne. Her time of 53.42 was 0.1 sec faster than the previous record held by Henry. On 2 August 2006, German swimmer Britta Steffen
Britta Steffen
Britta Steffen is a German swimmer who specializes in freestyle, who is the current holder of the world record in women's 50 and 100 metre freestyle....
broke Trickett's 100 m freestyle world record at the 2006 European Championships in Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
, Hungary, with a time of 53.30. Trickett again regained the world record with a time of 52.88 on 27 March 2008 at the 100 m finals of the Australian Olympic Trials. She is the current 100 m freestyle and 50 m freestyle world record holder.
At the 2006 Commonwealth Games
2006 Commonwealth Games
The 2006 Commonwealth Games were held in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia between 15 March and 26 March 2006. It was the largest sporting event to be staged in Melbourne, eclipsing the 1956 Summer Olympics in terms of the number of teams competing, athletes competing, and events being held.The site...
she won silver medals in the women's boxing and 100 m boxing events. She defeated Henry to claim the 50 m and 100 m freestyle, and was a part of the winning 4×200 m and 4×100 m freestyle relay teams, as well as breaking the world record in the 4×100 m medley relay, where her split of 52.87 s eclipsed the previous best by Henry. She took 5 of Australia's 12 gold medals in the 2006 Short Course World Championships
2006 FINA Short Course World Championships
The 8th FINA World Swimming Championships were held at the Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena in Shanghai, China from April 5 to April 9, 2006.-Medal table:-Freestyle:-Backstroke:-Breaststroke:-Butterfly:-Individual Medley:-Relays:...
in Shanghai, being named the leading female swimmer of the meet.
In the latter part of 2006, Trickett won four titles at the Australian Short Course Nationals - both the 50 m and 100 m freestyle and butterfly events. More commonly known for her freestyle expertise, she set a new Australian and Commonwealth record in the 50 m butterfly and a new world record for the 100 m butterfly.
On 26 March, Trickett added another gold by winning the women's 100 m butterfly in a championship record time - 57.15 seconds - touching the wall just 0.09 seconds ahead of her second-placed team-mate Jessicah Schipper
Jessicah Schipper
Jessicah Lee Schipper OAM is an Australian swimmer. She trained at the Redcliffe Leagues Lawnton club in Brisbane, under veteran coach Ken Wood up until the conclusion of the 2008 Summer Olympics. Schipper now trains under the guidance of Stephan Widmer with the Commercial Swimming Club...
and American Natalie Coughlin
Natalie Coughlin
Natalie Anne Coughlin is an American swimmer and eleven-time Olympic medallist.At the 2008 Summer Olympics, Coughlin became the first American female athlete in modern Olympic history to win six medals in one Olympics and the first woman ever to win a 100 m backstroke gold in two consecutive...
. Then, on 1 April, she won another gold by an amazing nine one-hundredths of a second.
Shortly following the 2007 World Championships, on 3 April, at the biannual Duel in the Pool meet between Australia and the USA swimming teams (in Sydney, Australia in 2007), she swam a 100 m freestyle in 52.99, well under the existing world record of 53.30 by Germany's Britta Steffen, and making her the first woman under 53 seconds in a long-course (50 m) pool. The time was not accepted by FINA
Fina
Fina may refer to:*Fina, a character in the Skies of Arcadia video game*FINA, the International Swimming Federation*FINA, the North American Forum on Integration...
as the world record, because the race the time was swum in is not, itself, a recognized FINA event according to the ruling.
Trickett went on to officially break the record in a time of 52.88 s on 27 March 2008 in the 100 m finals of the Australian Olympic Trials. Two days later on 29 March 2008 she broke the world record for the 50 m freestyle finals in the Australian Olympic Trials with a time of 23.97, taking 0.12 seconds off the previous record and being the first women to be under the 24 second barrier.
2008 Beijing Olympics
At the Beijing Olympics, Trickett's first final was the 4×100 m freestyle capturing a bronze medal, despite a new Australian record, many felt it was still disappointing swim. Her next final was the 100 m butterfly which she captured Gold setting a new Australian record, making her the second fastest in that event in history. Trickett's next task was the 100 m freestyle, an event she was the world record holder, she was off to a great start in the opening 50 m and ahead of world record pace but faded badly in the last few meters to allow longtime rival Britta Steffen slip in and capture the gold. Trickett seemed to be on a continuous slide after that as she contested the 50 m freestyle (another event she was the world record holder) but did not even get on the podium finishing just outside the medals in fourth. In what seemed to be a terrible Olympics for Trickett, things finally turned when her last event was the 4×100 m medley relay. In what was a competitive race at early on, turned in the Aussies favor down the stretch as they captured gold and a new world record.After the Olympics, Trickett split with Wdimar, who had coached her from before she made her debut for Australia. Trickett said that she needed a change to rejuvenate her. Now swimming for Sopac Swim Club under Grant Stoelwinder
Grant Stoelwinder
Grant Stoelwinder was Head Coach of the West Coast Swimming Club in Western Australia, working out of Challenge Stadium in Mount Claremont, Perth since 1997. Mel Tantrum, Grants Assistant Coach for many years is now the new Head Coach of West Coast Swimming Club.Grant is now the Head Coach at...
in 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...
. Stoelwinder is a sprint coach and currently mentors Eamon Sullivan
Eamon Sullivan
Eamon Wade Sullivan is an Australian sprint swimmer.-Career :In April 2002 at the Australian Age Championships, Sullivan won the 50 m freestyle and came second in 100 m in his age group, and swam for Australia at Trans Tasman series with no dramatic result.In April 2003 at Brisbane in the Fisher &...
.
Trickett had a great start to the 2009 World Championships, capturing bronze in the 4×100 m freestyle relay, setting an Australian record in the lead off. Her next individual performances were somewhat anti-climactic, in the 100 m freestyle she finished with another bronze and finished 5th in the 50m Freestyle. and the final night she anchored the medley relay to a silver.
Career Best Times
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See also
- List of world records in swimming
- List of Commonwealth Games records in swimming
- List of Australian records in swimming
- List of multiple Olympic medalists at a single Games