Sarah Ryan
Encyclopedia
Sarah Michelle Ryan OAM
(born 20 February 1977) is a former Australia
n sprint freestyle swimmer
, who won relay medals at three consecutive Olympics from the 1996 Atlanta Olympics
to the 2004 Athens Olympics
, but who was perhaps best known in Australia for her colourful long fingernails.
, South Australia
, Ryan attended the Catholic Mount Carmel College
, before moving to the Australian Institute of Sport
, Canberra
in 1993 after being awarded a scholarship. She gained selection for Australia the following year at the 1994 Commonwealth Games
in Victoria, British Columbia
in Canada
.
In 1996, in Atlanta, she came sixth in the 100 m freestyle, and was a member of the 4x100 m medley relay along with Susie O'Neill, Samantha Riley
and Nicole Stevenson which claimed silver behind the United States
. At the 1998 Commonwealth Games
in Kuala Lumpur
, Malaysia, she was a part of the team which won the 4x100 m freestyle relay only days after the death of her father.
In 2000, in Sydney, Ryan failed to qualify for the finals of either the 50 m or 100 m freestyle. She was a member of the 4x100 m freestyle relay which placed sixth and collected a silver for swimming in the heats of the 4x100 m medley relay, being replaced by O'Neill in the final, again second to the Americans.
In 2001, possibly her most savoured moment came at the FINA World Championships in Fukuoka
, Japan
, when she anchored the 4x100 m medley relay team with Dyana Calub
, Leisel Jones
and Petria Thomas
to a long-awaited win over the United States
. It was the first time that Australia had defeated the Americans at either Olympic or World level in the event. 2002 broke another drought, with Ryan being part of a 4x100 m freestyle team alongside Jodie Henry
, Alice Mills
and Thomas which defeated the Americans for the first time since 1956.
In 2003, Ryan retired and commenced a job as a breakfast radio presenter, as well as an occasional swimming analyst on SBS
' Toyota World Sports and Channel Nine
's Wide World of Sports. However, with Australia's young sprinting talent on the rise, she made a comeback to qualify for the 4x100 m freestyle relay team for the Athens Olympics. Ryan swam in the heats, but was replaced in the final by Thomas, who combined with Henry, Mills and Libby Lenton
to claim gold in a world record time of 3min 35.94s. Ryan retired after the games.
In 2006, to support Multiple Sclerosis
research, Ryan teamed up with 2003 Australian Idol
winner and award-winning recording artist Guy Sebastian
in 7 Network's It Takes Two, in which famous accomplished Australians from their different fields, and not known to be singers, performed duets with professional vocalists to support their chosen charity. Ryan and Sebastian were the last team to be eliminated, making them the runners-up in the competition.
As of May 2009 Sarah Ryan started working for the YMCA of Sydney at Mount Annan Leisure Centre as a Learn-to-swim teacher and swim coach.
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 20 February 1977) 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 sprint 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 won relay medals at three consecutive Olympics from the 1996 Atlanta 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....
to the 2004 Athens 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...
, but who was perhaps best known in Australia for her colourful long fingernails.
Career
Coming from AdelaideAdelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
, South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
, Ryan attended the Catholic Mount Carmel College
Mount Carmel College
Mount Carmel College is a Catholic secondary school located in Rosewater, South Australia. Established in 1927 by the Marist Brothers, it was an all boys school until December 1966...
, before moving to 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...
, Canberra
Canberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
in 1993 after being awarded a scholarship. She gained selection for Australia the following year 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, British Columbia
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...
in 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...
.
In 1996, in Atlanta, she came sixth in the 100 m freestyle, and was a member of the 4x100 m medley relay along with Susie O'Neill, 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...
and Nicole Stevenson which claimed silver behind the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. At 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, she was a part of the team which won the 4x100 m freestyle relay only days after the death of her father.
In 2000, in Sydney, Ryan failed to qualify for the finals of either the 50 m or 100 m freestyle. She was a member of the 4x100 m freestyle relay which placed sixth and collected a silver for swimming in the heats of the 4x100 m medley relay, being replaced by O'Neill in the final, again second to the Americans.
In 2001, possibly her most savoured moment came at the FINA World Championships in Fukuoka
Fukuoka, Fukuoka
is the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture and is situated on the northern shore of the island of Kyushu in Japan.Voted number 14 in a 2010 poll of the World's Most Livable Cities, Fukuoka is praised for its green spaces in a metropolitan setting. It is the most populous city in Kyushu, followed by...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, when she anchored the 4x100 m medley relay team with Dyana Calub
Dyana Calub
Dyana Calub was an Australian backstroke swimmer of the 2000s, who won the silver medal in the 4 × 100 m medley relay at the 2000 Sydney Olympics....
, Leisel Jones
Leisel Jones
Leisel Marie Jones OAM is an Australian Olympic gold medalist swimmer. A participant in the 2000 Summer Olympics – at just 15 years old – and 2004 Summer Olympics, she was part of gold medal winning Australian team in the women's 4 × 100 metre medley relay at the Athens Games in 2004 and a gold...
and Petria Thomas
Petria Thomas
Petria Ann Thomas OAM is an Australian swimmer and Olympic gold medallist and a winner of 15 national titles. She was born in Lismore, New South Wales and grew up in the nearby town of Mullumbimby....
to a long-awaited win over the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It was the first time that Australia had defeated the Americans at either Olympic or World level in the event. 2002 broke another drought, with Ryan being part of a 4x100 m freestyle team alongside 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....
, Alice Mills
Alice Mills
Alice Mary Mills OAM is an Australian sprint freestyle, butterfly and individual medley swimmer who represented Australia at the 2004 Athens Olympics, winning two relay gold medals....
and Thomas which defeated the Americans for the first time since 1956.
In 2003, Ryan retired and commenced a job as a breakfast radio presenter, as well as an occasional swimming analyst on SBS
Special Broadcasting Service
The Special Broadcasting Service is a hybrid-funded Australian public broadcasting radio and television network. The stated purpose of SBS is "to provide multilingual and multicultural radio and television services that inform, educate and entertain all Australians and, in doing so, reflect...
' Toyota World Sports and Channel Nine
Nine Network
The Nine Network , is an Australian television network with headquarters based in Willoughby, a suburb located on the North Shore of Sydney. For 50 years since television's inception in Australia, between 1956 and 2006, it was the most watched television network in Australia...
's Wide World of Sports. However, with Australia's young sprinting talent on the rise, she made a comeback to qualify for the 4x100 m freestyle relay team for the Athens Olympics. Ryan swam in the heats, but was replaced in the final by Thomas, who combined with Henry, Mills and Libby Lenton
Libby Lenton
Lisbeth "Libby" Constance Trickett OAM 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 100 metres freestyle...
to claim gold in a world record time of 3min 35.94s. Ryan retired after the games.
In 2006, to support Multiple Sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis is an inflammatory disease in which the fatty myelin sheaths around the axons of the brain and spinal cord are damaged, leading to demyelination and scarring as well as a broad spectrum of signs and symptoms...
research, Ryan teamed up with 2003 Australian Idol
Australian Idol
Australian Idol is a Logie Award-winning Australian singing competition, which began its first season on July 2003 and ended its run in November 2009. As part of the Idol franchise, Australian Idol originated from the reality program Pop Idol, which was created by British entertainment executive...
winner and award-winning recording artist Guy Sebastian
Guy Sebastian
Guy Theodore Sebastian is an Australian pop, R&B, and soul singer-songwriter who was the first winner of Australian Idol in 2003. He is currently a judge on the Australian version of The X Factor. Sebastian has released six top ten platinum/multi platinum albums, including a number-one and...
in 7 Network's It Takes Two, in which famous accomplished Australians from their different fields, and not known to be singers, performed duets with professional vocalists to support their chosen charity. Ryan and Sebastian were the last team to be eliminated, making them the runners-up in the competition.
As of May 2009 Sarah Ryan started working for the YMCA of Sydney at Mount Annan Leisure Centre as a Learn-to-swim teacher and swim coach.