Helen Jennifer Denman (born 4 September 1976) is an Australian
breaststroke swimmer of the 1990s, who won a silver medal in the 4×100-metre medley relay at the
1996 Summer Olympics
The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...
.
Olympic results
She won an individual silver medal in the 100-metre breaststroke at the 1998 World Aquatics Championships
The 8th FINA World Championships or the 1998 World Aquatics Championships were held from 8 to 17 January 1998 in Perth, Western Australia. The championships features competition in all five of FINA's disciplines: Swimming, Diving, Water Polo ...
.
Denman qualified for her first international team at the Australian Championships in 1996, after winning the 100-metre breaststroke.
At the 1996 Summer Olympics
The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...
in Atlanta, Denman placed 11th in the 100-metre breaststroke, but fellow Australian Samantha Riley
Samantha Linette Pearl Riley (born 13 November 1972) is an Australian breaststroke swimmer of Aboriginal descent who competed for Australia in the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona and the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, winning three medals ...
won the bronze medal. This meant that Denman swum the breaststroke leg in the heats of the 4×100-metre medley relay, before being replaced by Riley in the team that trailed the United States team home in the final.
Competing in front of a partisan home crowd at the 1998 World Championships in Perth, Denman set a personal best in winning silver in the 100-metre breaststroke, pushing American Kristy Kowal
Kristina Ann Kowal (born October 9, 1978) is an American former competition swimmer, Olympic medalist, and former world record-holder. Kowal represented the United States at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, winning the silver medal in the ...
to within an arm's length. She also combined with Meredith Smith, Petria Thomas and Susie O'Neill in the final of the 4×100-metre medley relay to claim silver behind the Americans.
At the 1998 Commonwealth Games
The 1998 Commonwealth Games ''( Malay: Sukan Komanwel 1998)'', officially known as the XVI Commonwealth Games ''(Malay: Sukan Komanwel ke-16)'', was a multi-sport event held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. This edition is marked by several unpreceden ...
in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Denman claimed gold in the 100 m breaststroke and the 4×100-metre medley relay. In 1999 she was omitted from the Australian national team, and in 2000 she made an unsuccessful attempt to qualify for 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.
See also
* List of Olympic medalists in swimming (women)
This is the complete list of women's Olympic medalists in swimming.
Current program
50 metre freestyle
100 metre freestyle
200 metre freestyle
400 metre freestyle
800 metre freestyle
1500 metre freestyle
100 metre backstroke
2 ...
* List of Commonwealth Games medallists in swimming (women)
This is a list of women's Commonwealth Games medallists in swimming from 1930 to 2022.
Current program
50 metre freestyle
100 metre freestyle
200 metre freestyle
400 metre freestyle
800 metre freestyle
50 metre backstroke
100 metre ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Denman, Helen
1976 births
Australian female breaststroke swimmers
Living people
Olympic swimmers for Australia
Swimmers from Perth, Western Australia
Swimmers at the 1996 Summer Olympics
Olympic silver medalists for Australia
Commonwealth Games gold medallists for Australia
World Aquatics Championships medalists in swimming
Medalists at the 1996 Summer Olympics
Olympic silver medalists in swimming
Commonwealth Games medallists in swimming
Universiade medalists in swimming
Swimmers at the 1998 Commonwealth Games
Universiade silver medalists for Australia
Medalists at the 1995 Summer Universiade
20th-century Australian women
Medallists at the 1998 Commonwealth Games
Sportswomen from Western Australia