Susan Jean Maroney (born 15 November 1974) is an Australian former

marathon swimmer Marathon swimming is a class of open water swimming defined by long distances (at least ) and traditional rules based in English Channel swimming. Unlike marathon foot-races which have a specifically defined distance, ''marathon swims'' vary in ...

. In 2019, Maroney competed in the sixth 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 ...

''. She was eliminated on Day 7 and finished in 22nd place.

Swimming career

Maroney was born with

cerebral palsy Cerebral palsy (CP) is a group of movement disorders that appear in early childhood. Signs and symptoms vary among people and over time, but include poor coordination, stiff muscles, weak muscles, and tremors. There may be problems with sensa ...

. She initially kept her condition secret, but in 2007 she and her mother Pauline revealed her condition on the TV talk show ''

Enough Rope ''Enough Rope with Andrew Denton'' (often shortened to ''Enough Rope'') is a television interview show originally broadcast on ABC1 in Australia. The title of the show came from the phrase " give someone enough rope and they'll hang themselves ...

''. She was four years old when she started swimming, and by the time she was seven years old she was competing in swimming carnivals. Before that she only competed in short-distance events. After turning 13 years old she came to realise that she could do long swims. After failing to graduate from high school she pursued her vocation. She was first recognised as a long-distance swimmer in 1989 when she achieved third place in the Australian Marathon Swimming Championship for Women, aged 14. In 1990 she became the first person to swim from

Manly, New South Wales Manly is a beach-side suburb of northern Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is north-east of the Sydney central business district and is currently one of the three administrative centres of the Local government in Australia ...

Darling Harbour Darling Harbour is a harbour adjacent to the city centre of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia that is made up of a large recreational and pedestrian precinct that is situated on western outskirts of the Sydney central business district. Origin ...

and back again in seven hours. That same year she also broke the speed record for swimming the

English Channel The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" (Cotentinais) or ( Jèrriais), (Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Kana ...

, with the help of her mentor Des Renford. In 1999, Maroney was admitted to hospital after having a severe

asthma Asthma is a long-term inflammatory disease of the airways of the lungs. It is characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and easily triggered bronchospasms. Symptoms include episodes of wheezing, cou ...

attack following a 675 lap swim for charity. Shortly after that she was arrested for

driving under the influence Driving under the influence (DUI)—also called driving while impaired, impaired driving, driving while intoxicated (DWI), drunk driving, operating while intoxicated (OWI), operating under the influence (OUI), operating vehicle under the infl ...

, and although the charge was upheld, no conviction was recorded. She later admitted she had had a

mental breakdown A mental disorder, also referred to as a mental illness or psychiatric disorder, is a behavioral or mental pattern that causes significant distress or impairment of personal functioning. Such features may be persistent, relapsing and remitti ...

at that time, and was treated for

exhaustion Fatigue describes a state of tiredness that does not resolve with rest or sleep. In general usage, fatigue is synonymous with extreme tiredness or exhaustion that normally follows prolonged physical or mental activity. When it does not resolve ...

. She retired from swimming on 23 February 2003, officially ending her career by swimming from the

Sydney Opera House The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in Sydney. Located on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour, it is widely regarded as one of the world's most famous and distinctive buildings and a masterpiece of 20th-century architec ...

to Manly.

Honours and awards

In 1989, 1990 and 1991, Maroney was awarded the Advance Australia Award. In 1991 she was awarded the Channel 10 Young Achievers Sport Award and in 1993 the

Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...

Medal. She also received the Outstanding Achievement Award from the New South Wales Government in 1997; the same year she was inducted into the International Hall of Fame for her accomplishments. In 1996 she was awarded the Victorian Young Achiever of the Year, by the Asthma Foundation.

Achievements

* Three time winner of the

Manhattan Island Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

swim race in years 1991, 1992 and 1994. * Fastest female two way

Crossing (England/France/England) in 1991 at age 17 in time of 17 h 14 min. * At age 22, the first person to swim the Florida Straits from Cuba to the United States (12 May 1997). * Swam a record from

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

, covering the longest distance at the time swum without flippers in open sea, in 38 hours and 33 minutes (1 June 1998). The longest distance ever swum without flippers in open sea is 225 km (139.8 miles) by Croatian Veljko Rogosic across the Adriatic Sea from Grado to Riccione (both Italy) from 29 to 31 August 2006. The attempt took him 50 hours 10 mins. The distance swum is by GPS. * Completed 160 km swim from Jamaica to Cuba (15 September 1999). During Hurricane Floyd, a category 4 hurricane.

Personal life

Susie Maroney is the daughter of Norm Maroney, former Assistant Commissioner of

New South Wales Police The New South Wales Police Force (NSW Police Force; previously the New South Wales Police Service and New South Wales Police) is the primary law enforcement agency of the state of New South Wales, Australia. Divided into Police Area Commands (P ...

. Her brother Michael is a former police officer and a junior

triathlon A triathlon is an endurance multisport race consisting of Swimming (sport), swimming, Cycle sport, cycling, and running over various distances. Triathletes compete for fastest overall completion time, racing each segment sequentially with the t ...

champion. Her twin brother Sean, also a triathlete, died in 2002 after falling from a balcony in

Honolulu Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island ...

. She gave birth to a daughter, Paris Seana Maroney, on 19 June 2008. The baby's father, Maroney's estranged husband Robert Daniels, engaged a solicitor to legally challenge her name because it excluded his surname. Maroney later married Darren May, a furniture maker. She gave birth to a daughter, named Capri, on 1 September 2010. Maroney and May separated when Maroney was pregnant with his second child. In November 2016, Susie married Perry Cross, a former

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...

footballer and a quadriplegic since the age of 19, after an injury caused by a tackle during a Queensland Rugby Union trial. They separated after about a year. On 22 February 2016, it was revealed in ''New Idea'' magazine that she had been diagnosed with melanoma.

References

External links

nesher.com.au: SusieManhattan Island Foundation, bio

* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20060821141209/http://www.huonvalley.tas.gov.au/site/page.cfm?u=403 ''Australia Day Awards 2005 Guest Speaker'', Huon Valley Council {{DEFAULTSORT:Maroney, Susie 1974 births Living people English Channel swimmers Australian female swimmers Australian long-distance swimmers Recipients of the Medal of the Order of Australia Swimmers with cerebral palsy Australian disabled sportspeople People from the Sutherland Shire Sportswomen from New South Wales Swimmers from Sydney Australian Survivor contestants Manhattan Island swimmers