Jodie Henry

Jodie Henry (born 17th November 1983), Australian swimmer, is a triple Olympic gold medallist, three time gold medallist at the Commonwealth Games and the current women's world record holder for the 100 metre freestyle.

Biography

Henry was born in Brisbane, Queensland, and like many Australians grew up swimming, but began swimming competitively at the relatively late age of 14. She has a youthful, easygoing manner but was not very self assured when younger. When her coach told her she had a chance of making the Olympics if she worked hard, she avoided training for the next two weeks. After being dropped by her mother at the swimming centre, she would go and feed the ducks at a nearby pond. Just before being picked her up she would wet her hair so as to look as if she had been swimming.

Her coach once thought she had given up swimming after disappearing for an entire winter, only to turn up with the warmer weather. She is still known to miss early morning training sessions, describing herself as definitely "not a morning person", especially on Monday. Before the Sydney Olympic trials it took almost an hour to persuade her to come out of the bathroom due to pre races nerves, "I was so nervous I threw up". She was delighted when she didn't make the team.

She now has more confidence in her and takes a more relaxed attitude toward swimming, "It's not a life and death situation, so why get yourself all stressed out?"

She is a friend and training partner of Alice Mills.

2002 Commonwealth Games

In 2002 at the Manchester Commonwealth Games, Henry won the women's 100 metre freestyle as well as being a member of the team who won both the 4x100m freestyle relay and the 4x100m medley relay.

2004 Summer Olympics

In Athens, Henry anchored the Australian Women's 4 x 100 metre Freestyle Relay team that won the gold medal in world record time. She then competed in the individual 100 metre Freestyle, breaking the previous world record time of 53.77 seconds with a time of 53.52 seconds. She then went on to win the gold medal for the event, the first Australian to do so since Dawn Fraser 40 years earlier. In her final race at Athens she swam the last leg (freestyle) of the 4 x 100 metre Medley Relay, again helping the Australian team win gold in world record time, leaving her with 3 gold medals and 3 world records.

• Women's 4 x 100 metre Freestyle Relay
  • 1st- Australia (Alice Mills, Lisbeth Lenton, Petria Thomas, Jodie Henry) 3:35.94 -World Record
• Women's 100 metre Freestyle
  • Semi-final 2: 1st- 53.52 -World Record
  • Final: 1st- 53.84
• Women's 4 x 100 metre Medley Relay
  • 1st- Australia (Giaan Rooney, Leisel Jones, Petria Thomas, Jodie Henry) 3:57.32 -World Record

Returning from Athens, Henry found herself a celebrity, well received by the Australian media and public for her youthful, unassuming manner and large smile.

other honors

On November 29, 2004, Henry was named the Australian Swimmer of the Year, becoming just the third woman in 15 years to take the honor, joining Susie O'Neill and Hayley Lewis, the only other two women to win the award since it was first given in 1990. Henry also snapped Ian Thorpe's 5-year stranglehold on the award, though Thorpe shared it with Grant Hackett in 2003. Henry just beat out teammate Petria Thomas to take the honor. Jodie was also named Female Sprint Freestyler and her win with Thomas, Giaan Rooney, and Leisel Jones in the 4x100 Medley Relay in Athens was named the Golden Moment of the Year.[1]

Quotes

• "I used to get really really nervous when I was younger. At the last Olympic trials I was so nervous I threw up."
• "I just look at swimming as though it is just a sport. It's not life, you're not going to die if you don't do well in it"
• "I don't want to take swimming too seriously to a point where it is the only thing I want to do well at because then you get so much more nervous because it is the only thing you've got"

External links

• Swimmer Profile at Swimming.org
• Queensland Academy of Sport
• Unofficial Fan Site at .ceneus.gallery