Tracey Wickham
Tracey Lee Wickham OBE (born November 24, 1962 in Rosebud , Victoria ) is a former Australian swimmer .
Wickham's main disciplines were the middle distance 400 and 800 meter freestyle . At the 1978 Commonwealth Games in Edmonton , she won the gold medal on both courses. In the same year she set a new world record on both routes . That year she became world champion in both disciplines and again set a world record in the 400-meter final, which was the championship record until 2007.
Like many other Australian athletes, she did not take part in the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow , which were boycotted by many Western countries for political reasons, even though the Australian Olympic Committee had decided against a boycott.
She took part in the 1982 Commonwealth Games in Brisbane and took the athletes' oath at the opening ceremony. She defended her two titles over 400 and 800 meters. Shortly afterwards she announced her resignation. Her two world records set in 1978 were only broken in 1987.
In 1978 she was awarded the Order of the British Empire . In 1992 she was inducted into the hall of fame of international swimming . In 2000 she received the Australian Sports Medal . In 2005 she was awarded the Order of Australia Medal for her contribution to Australian swimming .
Web links
- Tracey Wickham in the International Swimming Hall of Fame (English)
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Wickham, Tracey |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Wickham, Tracey Lee (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Australian swimmer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | November 24, 1962 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Rosebud |