Shane Elizabeth Gould (born 23 November 1956) is an Australian former competition swimmer. She won three gold medals, a silver medal and a bronze, at the

1972 Summer Olympics The 1972 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad () and commonly known as Munich 1972 (german: München 1972), was an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from 26 August to 11 September 1972. ...

. In 2018, she won the fifth season of ''

Australian Survivor ''Australian Survivor'' is an Australian adventure reality game show based on the international ''Survivor (franchise), Survivor'' format. Following the premise of other versions of the ''Survivor'' format, the show features a group of contesta ...

,'' becoming the oldest winner of any '' Survivor'' franchise. Gould was born in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, but spent most of her childhood in

Fiji Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists ...

after she and her family moved there. At age 15, Gould competed in the 1972 Summer Olympics in

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...

West Germany West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...

, winning three gold medals. Gould was named the

Australian of the Year The Australian of the Year is a national award conferred on an Australian citizen by the National Australia Day Council, a not-for-profit Australian Governmentowned social enterprise. Similar awards are also conferred at the State and Territo ...

in 1972, and received an

MBE Mbe may refer to: * Mbé, a town in the Republic of the Congo * Mbe Mountains Community Forest, in Nigeria * Mbe language, a language of Nigeria * Mbe' language, language of Cameroon * ''mbe'', ISO 639 code for the extinct Molala language Molal ...

in 1983. In April 2018, Gould was awarded an Order of Merit by the

Australian Olympic Committee Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Aus ...

. Gould returned in the 1990s as a swimming mentor and competitor. She competed in competitive swimming again in 2003, participating in the 200m Individual Medley. In 1999, she published her autobiography ''Tumble Turns''. In 2018, she competed on ''Australian Survivor: Champions vs. Contenders'' and won'','' winning $500,000 as the Sole Survivor''.'' Gould later returned for '' Australian Survivor: All Stars,'' but was voted out first.

Early life

Gould was born in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, on the first day of competition of the

1956 Summer Olympics The 1956 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVI Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, from 22 November to 8 December 1956, with the exception of the equestrian events, whi ...

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

. She moved to

with her family at the age of 18 months. By the age of six, she was a competent swimmer. She attended primary school at St. Peters Lutheran College, Brisbane, where a sporting house is named after her, and secondary school at

Turramurra High School Turramurra High School is a large public comprehensive co-educational high school of approximately 1177 students, operated by the New South Wales Department of Education, located in South Turramurra, a residential area on the Upper North Shore o ...

, Sydney, where a sporting house is also named after her and fellow Olympian Gail Neall. She was trained by leading coaches

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also re ...

and Ursula Carlile and their assistant Tom Green. She won all of her world swimming titles while a teenager, travelling widely.

Swimming career

At the

, Gould won three gold medals, setting a world record in each race. She also won a bronze and a silver medal. She is the only person, male or female, to hold every world freestyle record from 100 metres to 1500 metres and the 200-metre individual medley world record simultaneously, which she did from 12 December 1971 to 1 September 1972. She is the first female swimmer ever to win three Olympic gold medals in world record time, and the first swimmer, male or female, to win Olympic medals in five individual events in a single Olympics. She is also the only Australian to win three individual gold medals at a single Olympics. At the age of 16, she retired from competitive swimming, citing pressures placed upon her by her success and media profile. Over two decades later, Gould returned to competitive swimming at Masters level. She set Australian Masters records (40–44 years 100m, 200 m, and 400 m freestyle, and 100 m butterfly) and 45–49 years (50 m butterfly, 100 m and 200 m freestyle). In 2003, she broke the

world record A world record is usually the best global and most important performance that is ever recorded and officially verified in a specific skill, sport, or other kind of activity. The book ''Guinness World Records'' and other world records organization ...

for the 45–49 years 200 m individual medley in 2:38.13 (beating the 1961 world record for all ages). She coaches swimmers and still swims in Masters competitions.

Later career

Education

Gould returned to study in the late 2000s. She studied at the Sydney Film School (2007, Cert IV documentary film, Digital Filmmaking) and was awarded a Master of Environmental Management (2010, with a thesis on the social uses and functions of public swimming pools), and a Master of Contemporary Art (2012, with a video piece ''Loops and Lines''). Both degrees are from the

University of Tasmania The University of Tasmania (UTAS) is a public research university, primarily located in Tasmania, Australia. Founded in 1890, it is Australia's fourth oldest university. Christ College, one of the university's residential colleges, first pro ...

. In 2019 she was awarded a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree from Victoria University.

Olympics

In 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 1 ...

in Sydney, Gould carried the Olympic Torch at the stadium, as one of the runners for the final segment, before the lighting of the

Olympic Flame The Olympic flame is a symbol used in the Olympic movement. It is also a symbol of continuity between ancient and modern games. Several months before the Olympic Games, the Olympic flame is lit at Olympia, Greece. This ceremony starts the Olympic ...

Photography

Gould is a photographer with works on display with the

Art of the Olympians Art of the Olympians (AOTO) is an organization and program of Olympian and Paralympian artists that promotes the Olympic ideals of values, integrity, character, respect, honor, and work ethic through exhibitions and educational programs. It puts ...

Biography

In 1999, Gould published her autobiography ''Tumble Turns: An Autobiography.''

Australian Survivor

In August 2018, it was revealed that Gould would be participating in '' Australian Survivor: Champions vs. Contenders'' and would be a part of the Champions tribe. On 9 October 2018, Gould was crowned the winner of ''Australian Survivor: Champions vs. Contenders'' in a 5–4 vote against criminal barrister Sharn Coombes.' With this win, Gould became the oldest person to ever win any international series of ''Survivor''. She later returned for '' Australian Survivor: All Stars'', but was voted out first, finishing in 24th place.

Personal life

Gould spent most of the years after ending competitive swimming out of the public eye. She married Neil Innes at 18, became a Christian, and lived on a working farm near

Margaret River The Margaret River is a river in southwest Western Australia. In a small catchment, it is the eponym of the town and tourist region of Margaret River. The river arises from a catchment of just 40 square kilometres in the Whicher Range. The ...

in Western Australia's South West. She farmed and taught horseriding and surfing, making very few public appearances. She has four children and three grandchildren. Her marriage to Innes ended after 22 years, coinciding with a return to public life, and she married Milton Nelms in 2007. She now divides her time between

Bicheno, Tasmania Bicheno is a locality and town on the east coast of Tasmania, Australia, 185 km north-east of Hobart on the Tasman Highway, with a population of around 950. It is part of the municipality of Glamorgan-Spring Bay. The town is primarily a ...

, and Sydney.

Publications

*Gould, S. 1999, updated 2003. ''Tumble Turns''. HarperCollins. (autobiography) *Gould, S. 2004. ''Fit for 50+''. Ibis Publishing Australia. *Gould, S. 2007. Appreciating swimming: beauty and instruction with underwater swimmer photographs. ''Visual Communication'' 6: 170–179. doi:10.1177/1470357207077180

Honours and awards

*Best Sportswoman in the World (1971) *ABC Sportswoman of the Year (1971) *ABC Sportswoman of the Year (1972) *

(1972) *

International Swimming Hall of Fame The International Swimming Hall of Fame and Museum (ISHOF) is a history museum and hall of fame, located at One Hall of Fame Drive, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States, operated by private interests and serving as the central point for the stu ...

"Honor Swimmer" (1977) *Member of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

(1981) *

Sport Australia Hall of Fame The Sport Australia Hall of Fame was established on 10 December 1985 to recognise the achievements of Australian sportsmen and sportswomen. The inaugural induction included 120 members with Sir Don Bradman as the first inductee and Dawn Fraser th ...

(1985) *Olympic Order (1994) *

Olympic Torch The Olympic flame is a symbol used in the Olympic movement. It is also a symbol of continuity between ancient and modern games. Several months before the Olympic Games, the Olympic flame is lit at Olympia, Greece. This ceremony starts the Olym ...

bearer (2000) *

Australian Sports Medal The Australian Sports Medal is an award given to recognise achievements in Australian sport to commemorate Australian participation in major sporting events. Original recipients of the award included competitors, coaches, sports scientists, offi ...

(2000) *

Centenary Medal The Centenary Medal is an award which was created by the Australian Government in 2001. It was established to commemorate the centenary of the Federation of Australia and to recognise "people who made a contribution to Australian society or go ...

(2001) * Swimming Australia Hall of Fame (2022) - inaugural inductee. In 1993, the

State Transit Authority The State Transit Authority of New South Wales, also referred to as State Transit, was an agency of the Government of New South Wales operating bus services in Sydney. Superseding the Urban Transit Authority in 1989, it was also responsible for ...

named a RiverCat ferry after Gould.

References

External links

* *
On Bicheno Beach
Documentary produced by

Australian Story ''Australian Story'' is a national weekly current affairs and documentary style television series which is broadcast on ABC Television. It is produced specifically by the ABC News and Current Affairs Department. The program first aired on 29 ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gould, Shane 1956 births Olympic swimmers of Australia Swimmers at the 1972 Summer Olympics Australian swimming coaches Olympic gold medalists for Australia Olympic silver medalists for Australia Olympic bronze medalists for Australia Australian of the Year Award winners World record setters in swimming Olympic bronze medalists in swimming Australian female freestyle swimmers Australian female medley swimmers Recipients of the Australian Sports Medal Members of the Order of Australia Australian Members of the Order of the British Empire Sport Australia Hall of Fame inductees Sportswomen from New South Wales Living people Swimmers from Sydney Medalists at the 1972 Summer Olympics Olympic gold medalists in swimming Olympic silver medalists in swimming Australian Survivor contestants Survivor (franchise) winners Australian republicans 20th-century Australian women