D'CRUZ Marieke < Back  
Sport Swimming
CGA Australia   
Gender Women
Born 09 Feb 1986 in Adelaide, AUS
Height1.85 m
Weight 72 kg
Human Interest
Further Personal Information
Residence Melbourne, VIC, AUS
Sport Specific Information
Club / Team Melbourne Vicentre: Melbourne, VIC, AUS
Name of coach Ian Pope
Further Personal Information
Occupation Customer Service
General Interest
Nicknames Riekes. (Threats to the US Swim Team, 28 Apr 2004)
Other information GROWING PAINS
Made her Olympic debut at 18, in 2004 in the 100m backstroke, but then things went pear-shaped. She developed a hip injury and failed to make the Australian team for the next two years. "I was burnt out, I hated training and I put a lot of pressure on myself," she recalled. "I thought I was running out of time because there were Libby [Trickett] and Alice [Mills] doing all these great things. Alice had broken into the team at 15 and she was tiny at that time and I was very used to beating her, and I used to smash Libby as well. "I had all of my eggs in one basket, being a swimmer, and I didn't have any balance in my life." The balance was also out in her body. She was a natural late developer. She went through an enormous growth spurt in her mid-teens - "I went about three years growing 11cm to 12cm a year." (The Australian, 21 Mar 2009)

OLYMPIC BERTH
In qualifying for her first Olympic games in 2004, she broke the Australian 17-18 years 100m backstroke with a personal best, in a stroke she had only been concentrating on for less than 12 months. (Australian Swimming, 28 Apr 2004)

THE CATWALK
She was scouted by a modelling agency when she was 15 years old. (The Sunday Mail, Queensland, 28 Apr 2004)
Hobbies Enjoys watching crime shows, Medium, Futarama and The Simpons. (swimmingaustralia.com.au, 14 Jul 2010)
Sport Specific Information
Coach from what year? 2006
Further Personal Information
Languages English
Sport Specific Information
Coach from which country? Australia
Further Personal Information
Higher education International Studies
General Interest
Memorable sporting achievement Setting her first world record - in the 50m butterfly at the 2008 Short Course World Cup in Berlin, Germany. (Swimming Australia, 14 Jul 2010)
Sport Specific Information
Why this sport? She realised that synchronised swimming was not for her, so switched to swimming.
General Interest
Most influential person in career Her family. (swimmingaustralia.com.au, 14 Jul 2010)
Sport Specific Information
When and where did you begin this sport? She started swimming at age nine.
International Debut
Year 2004
Competing for Australia
Tournament Olympic Games
Location Athens
General Interest
Sporting philosophy / motto "First work smart, then work hard, then work long." (Swimming Australia, 14 Jul 2010)