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| Human Interest | |
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Further Personal Information | |
| Residence | Brisbane, QLD, AUS |
| Higher education | Psychology - Queensland University of Technology: Brisbane, QLD, AUS |
General Interest | |
| Injuries | She had surgery on her right shoulder in August 2013 but the injury, combined with back complaints, continued to cause her problems into early 2015. (sunshinecoastdaily.com.au, 24 May 2015; Twitter profile, 02 Aug 2013; swimvortex.com, 01 Feb 2015) In 2006 a specialist respiratory consultant discovered that she was operating on just 50% of her lung capacity and adjusted her asthma medication. (hansonsportsmedia.com, 02 Dec 2007) |
Sport Specific Information | |
| Why this sport? | She started swimming to help with her asthma condition. |
General Interest | |
| Hero / Idol | Australian swimmer Susie O'Neill. (swimming.org.au, 01 May 2011) |
| Awards and honours | She was inducted into the Australian Path of Champions in 2014. The Path of Champions recognises the achievements of Australia’s top athletes. (swimswam.com, 21 Oct 2014) She was named Swimming Australia's Open Water Swimmer of the Year in 2010 and 2012. (Swimming Australia, 24 Nov 2012) |
Sport Specific Information | |
| When and where did you begin this sport? | She began swimming seriously at age six. |
International Debut | |
| Year | 2004 |
| Competing for | Australia |
| Tournament | World Short Course Championships |
| Location | United States |
Further Personal Information | |
| Languages | English |
General Interest | |
| Nicknames | Mel (corporate.olympics.com.au, 21 Aug 2011) |
| Sporting philosophy / motto | "Anyone can stand tall on the high peaks but it's those who survive the valleys between who will come out on top". (swimming.org.au, 01 May 2011) |
| Other information | RETIREMENT She officially retired from swimming in October 2016. "I am so grateful to everyone who has played a part in my journey and words can't even begin to describe how blessed I feel to have led the life I have." (Instagram profile, 07 Nov 2016) COMMITTEE MEMBER She has served on the executive committee of the Australian Swimmers Association. (australianswimmers.com.au, 05 Jun 2015) FROM POOL TO OPEN WATER She had to consider other competitors in her race plan when she first began open water swimming. She enjoys the tactical and mental side of the sport. “I love the unpredictability of it, and that it's not just a physical race – but also a mental one.” (au.lifestyle.yahoo.com, 06 Jul 2012) FURTHER EDUCATION In 2015 she completed a graduate diploma in primary education at Griffith University in Australia. (LinkedIn profile, 11 Jan 2016) |
| Most influential person in career | Her mother. (swimming.org.au, 01 Sep 2013) |