Shane Gould (born November 23 1956) is an Australian swimmer who won 3 gold medals, a silver and bronze in 1972 Olympics then retired at age 16.

She is the only person, male or female, to hold every world freestyle record from 100m to 1500m simultaneously, and the only swimmer ever to win three Olympic Gold Medals in world record time.

Born in Sydney, Australia, Shane moved to Fiji with her family at the age of 18 months. By the age of six she was a competent swimmer.

Her father’s job with Pan American Airlines involved many moves, and Shane attended nine different schools in Fiji, Australia and the USA. The Gould family settled in Sydney in 1970 where Shane was trained by leading swim coaches Forbes and Ursula Carlile and their assistant Tom Green.

Her career was short but dramatic. She burst onto the scene as a 13 year old. Four years and 11 world records later, she retired.

Other Achievements:

  • 1971 Best Sportswoman in the World
  • 1971 ABC Sportswoman of the Year
  • 1972 ABC Sportswoman of the Year
  • 1972 Australian of the Year
  • 1981 Member Order of the British Empire
  • 1994 Olympic Order
  • 1995 Legend of Australian Sport