Susie O'Neill

Susie O'Neill
AM
Personal information
Full nameSusan O'Neill
National team Australia
Born (1973-08-02) 2 August 1973 (age 50)
Mackay, Queensland, Australia
Height1.71 m (5 ft 7 in)
Weight63 kg (139 lb)
Sport
SportSwimming
StrokesButterfly, freestyle
ClubCommercial Swimming Club
Medal record
Women's swimming
Representing  Australia
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
Olympic Games 2 4 2
World Championships (LC) 1 2 4
World Championships (SC) 3 7 1
Pan Pacific Championships 7 15 3
Commonwealth Games 11 5 0
Total 24 33 10
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place Atlanta 1996 200 m butterfly
Gold medal – first place Sydney 2000 200 m freestyle
Silver medal – second place Atlanta 1996 4×100 m medley
Silver medal – second place Sydney 2000 200 m butterfly
Silver medal – second place Sydney 2000 4×100 m medley
Silver medal – second place Sydney 2000 4×200 m freestyle
Bronze medal – third place Barcelona 1992 200 m butterfly
Bronze medal – third place Atlanta 1996 4×200 m freestyle
World Championships (LC)
Gold medal – first place 1998 Perth 200 m butterfly
Silver medal – second place 1991 Perth 4×100 m medley
Silver medal – second place 1998 Perth 4×100 m medley
Bronze medal – third place 1994 Rome 100 m butterfly
Bronze medal – third place 1994 Rome 200 m butterfly
Bronze medal – third place 1998 Perth 4×100 m freestyle
Bronze medal – third place 1998 Perth 4×200 m freestyle
World Championships (SC)
Gold medal – first place 1993 Palma 100 m butterfly
Gold medal – first place 1995 Rio 200 m butterfly
Gold medal – first place 1995 Rio 4×100 m medley
Silver medal – second place 1993 Palma 200 m freestyle
Silver medal – second place 1993 Palma 200 m butterfly
Silver medal – second place 1993 Palma 4×200 m freestyle
Silver medal – second place 1993 Palma 4×100 m medley
Silver medal – second place 1995 Rio 200 m freestyle
Silver medal – second place 1995 Rio 100 m butterfly
Silver medal – second place 1995 Rio 4×100 m freestyle
Bronze medal – third place 1995 Rio 4×100 m medley
Pan Pacific Championships
Gold medal – first place 1991 Edmonton 100 m butterfly
Gold medal – first place 1995 Atlanta 100 m butterfly
Gold medal – first place 1995 Atlanta 200 m butterfly
Gold medal – first place 1995 Atlanta 4×100 m medley
Gold medal – first place 1997 Fukuoka 200 m butterfly
Gold medal – first place 1999 Sydney 200 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 1999 Sydney 200 m butterfly
Silver medal – second place 1991 Edmonton 4×100 m medley
Silver medal – second place 1993 Kobe 100 m freestyle
Silver medal – second place 1993 Kobe 100 m butterfly
Silver medal – second place 1993 Kobe 4×100 m freestyle
Silver medal – second place 1993 Kobe 4×200 m freestyle
Silver medal – second place 1993 Kobe 4×100 m medley
Silver medal – second place 1995 Atlanta 4×100 m freestyle
Silver medal – second place 1995 Atlanta 4×200 m freestyle
Silver medal – second place 1997 Fukuoka 4×100 m freestyle
Silver medal – second place 1997 Fukuoka 4×200 m freestyle
Silver medal – second place 1997 Fukuoka 4×100 m medley
Silver medal – second place 1999 Sydney 100 m butterfly
Silver medal – second place 1999 Sydney 4×100 m freestyle
Silver medal – second place 1999 Sydney 4×200 m freestyle
Silver medal – second place 1999 Sydney 4×100 m medley
Bronze medal – third place 1991 Edmonton 100 m freestyle
Bronze medal – third place 1991 Edmonton 4×100 m freestyle
Bronze medal – third place 1991 Edmonton 4×200 m freestyle
Commonwealth Games
Gold medal – first place 1990 Auckland 4×100 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 1994 Victoria 200 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 1994 Victoria 200 m butterfly
Gold medal – first place 1994 Victoria 4×100 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 1994 Victoria 4×200 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 1998 Kuala Lumpur 200 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 1998 Kuala Lumpur 400 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 1998 Kuala Lumpur 200 m butterfly
Gold medal – first place 1998 Kuala Lumpur 4×100 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 1998 Kuala Lumpur 4×200 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place 1998 Kuala Lumpur 4×100 m medley
Silver medal – second place 1990 Auckland 100 m butterfly
Silver medal – second place 1994 Victoria 100 m butterfly
Silver medal – second place 1994 Victoria 4×100 m freestyle
Silver medal – second place 1998 Kuala Lumpur 100 m butterfly
Silver medal – second place 1998 Kuala Lumpur 100 m freestyle

Susan O'Neill, AM (born 2 August 1973) is an Australian former competitive swimmer from Brisbane, Queensland, nicknamed "Madame Butterfly". She achieved eight Olympic Games medals during her swimming career.

Early life

Susan (Susie) O'Neill was born on 2 August 1973 in Mackay, Queensland, to Trish and John O'Neill. She has two siblings, a brother and a sister. Her family moved to Brisbane and she was educated at Lourdes Hill College (LHC) in Hawthorne. Whilst at LHC, O'Neill excelled in sport, setting school records in 50 m and 100 m butterfly, freestyle, and backstroke. She was also LHC cross country champion and set records for the 13 years 800 m in 1986 and for the 15 years 400 m in 1988 for athletics. All these records still stood as of 2011.

Swimming career

O'Neill won the 200m butterfly at the 1996 Summer Olympics and the 200m freestyle at the 2000 Summer Olympics. She has won 35 Australian titles, 8 Olympic medals including 2 gold, and 24 gold medals in major international competitions. Only Emma McKeon, Ian Thorpe and Leisel Jones have won more Olympic medals for Australia.

At her international debut at the 1990 Commonwealth Games, she won two medals (gold and silver), and continued to add to her medals cache at every international competition until her final Olympics. In front of a home crowd at the 2000 Olympic Games Trials she broke the 19-year standing world record of another "Madame Butterfly", Mary T. Meagher, in the 200m butterfly, but was beaten in an upset at the 2000 Olympic Games by American Misty Hyman.

She trained under Bernie Wakefield until 1994, then Scott Volkers at the Commercial Swimming Club in Brisbane.

Post swimming career

O'Neill is an ambassador for the Fred Hollows Foundation.

She provided commentary at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. She was the Oceania athletes' representative on the International Olympic Committee from 2000 to 2005. When she resigned her membership she was replaced by Barbara Kendall.

On 10 March 2007 during the 12th FINA World Championship, O'Neill was honoured by the dedication of the temporary swimming pool in the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne named after her for the duration of the competition.

O'Neill is a co-host on Nova 106.9's breakfast radio show Ash, Luttsy & Susie.

On 14 February 2018, O'Neill released a single entitled "My Heart Goes Boom".

In May 2019, O'Neill was announced as Australia's joint Deputy Chef de Mission for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, with fellow Olympians, Evelyn Halls and Kim Brennan.

Honours and awards

Personal life

O'Neill married Cliff Fairley, who works as an ophthalmologist, in 1998. They have two children.

Philanthropy

O'Neill and her husband, Cliff Fairley, help generously to raise awareness for the Fred Hollows Foundation, and are one of its most distinguished ambassadors. The Fred Hollows Foundation is an international nonprofit organisation that educates surgeons on how to cure avoidable blindness within underserved communities and countries.

See also


This page was last updated at 2023-11-16 12:21 UTC. Update now. View original page.

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