Alexandra "Alex" Croak (born 9 July 1984) is an Australian diver and

gymnast Gymnastics is a type of sport that includes physical exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, dedication and endurance. The movements involved in gymnastics contribute to the development of the arms, legs, sh ...

who is a dual Olympic representative. She represented Australia as a gymnast at the

2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and also known as Sydney 2000 ( Dharug: ''Gadigal 2000''), the Millennium Olympic Games or the Games of the New Millennium, was an international multi-sport event held from ...

in Sydney and after a strong performance at the 2008 Australian national Diving Championships, she was selected for Australia's diving team for the 2008 Summer Olympics in

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

. She is the first Australian athlete to win gold medals at the Commonwealth games in two different disciplines (diving and gymnastics). She was also an Australian Institute of Sport gymnastics and diving scholarship holder. Croak's parents were both enthusiastic sports people who encouraged their children to compete. Her sisters Emma and Rebecca were both swimmers who competed at national level. Croak on the other hand showed an aptitude for gymnastics. At the 2000 Olympics, she was part of the Australian women's team which placed 7th in the team competition. Two years later at the

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

Commonwealth Games The Commonwealth Games, often referred to as the Friendly Games or simply the Comm Games, are a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930, and, with the exce ...

, she was part of the Australian team which won gold and she also won an individual silver medal in the

vault Vault may refer to: * Jumping, the act of propelling oneself upwards Architecture * Vault (architecture), an arched form above an enclosed space * Bank vault, a reinforced room or compartment where valuables are stored * Burial vault (enclosure ...

. In 2003, she switched to diving and developed quickly enough to be selected for diving team at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne. There she won a silver medal with Melissa Wu in the 10-meter synchronized platform. Later that same year, she and Wu again won silver at the Grand Prix meeting in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

. Croak qualified to compete in the 10 m platform at the Beijing Olympics. She qualified into the semifinals in fourth place but had a poor first dive and did not make the final. She finished second behind Melissa Wu in the 10 m platform at the 2009 Australian Diving Championships and was named on the team to compete in Rome in July. Croak competed at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, in the 10 m platform and 10 m synchronised platform. Her gold medal with Melissa Wu in the synchro event has made Croak the first Australian athlete to win Commonwealth gold medals in two different sports.

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Croak, Alex 1984 births Living people Australian female divers Australian female artistic gymnasts Olympic gymnasts of Australia Gymnasts at the 2000 Summer Olympics Olympic divers of Australia Divers at the 2008 Summer Olympics Commonwealth Games gold medallists for Australia Gymnasts at the 2002 Commonwealth Games Divers at the 2006 Commonwealth Games Divers at the 2010 Commonwealth Games Commonwealth Games silver medallists for Australia Commonwealth Games bronze medallists for Australia Australian Institute of Sport divers Australian Institute of Sport gymnasts World Aquatics Championships medalists in diving Commonwealth Games medallists in diving Commonwealth Games medallists in gymnastics People from Coffs Harbour Sportswomen from New South Wales 20th-century Australian women 21st-century Australian women