Early life

Susan (Susie) O'Neill was born on 2 August 1973 in Mackay, Queensland to mother, Trish and father, John. 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 200 m butterfly at the 1996 Summer Olympics and the 200 m freestyle at the 2000 Summer Olympics. She won 35 Australian titles and holds the Australian women's record for the most Olympic medals (eight), with Dawn Fraser, Leisel Jones and Petria Thomas.

After winning a gold and a silver medal in her first attendance at a competition at the 1990 Commonwealth Games, O'Neill never failed to win a medal at any international meet she attended, right up until her final Olympics in front of a home crowd in Australia. At the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games Trials, she broke the 19-year-old world record of another "Madame Butterfly", Mary T. Meagher, in the 200m butterfly, but was beaten at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games by American Misty Hyman, in an upset.

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 is also ambassador for companies such as SAAB and Kellogg's, and has her own line of swimsuits that is sold in Target stores throughout Australia.

She commentated 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 (and was replaced by Barbara Kendall).

On 10 March 2007, O'Neill was honoured by having the temporary swimming pool in the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne named after her for the duration of the 12th FINA World Championships, the site of the swimming events.

O'Neill makes regular appearances on Nova 106.9's breakfast radio show Ash, Kip & Luttsy.

Honours and awards

• 1996 - awarded the World Trophy for Australasia.
• 1996 - joint winner with Jackie Gallagher of the Australian Sport Awards Female Athlete of the Year
• 1997 - Australian Day Honours, O'Neill was awarded the Order of Australia Medal "for service to sport as a gold medallist at the Atlanta Olympic Games, 1996."
• 1998 - awarded the Australian Sport Awards Female Athlete of the Year
• 1998 - was named Favourite Female Sports Star at the 1998 and the 1999 Australian People's Choice Awards.
• 14 July 2000 - awarded the Australian Sports Medal for "her significant contribution as a competitor in swimming".
• 2000 - the State Transit Authority named a SuperCat ferry after O'Neill.
• 2000 - At the 2000 Sydney Olympics, she was elected to the International Olympic Committee Athletes' Commission by competitors at the 2000 Games, but family obligations caused her to resign in 2005.
• 1 January 2001 - awarded the Centenary Medal for "For service to the community through health".
• 5 December 2002 - inducted into Sport Australia Hall of Fame.
• 2009 - inducted into the Queensland Sport Hall of Fame.
• 2012 - elevated to become Sport Australia Hall of Fame's 34th Legend of Australian Sport.

Personal life

Susie O'Neill married Cliff Fairley, who works as an ophthalmologist, in 1998. They have two children, Alix (daughter) and William (son).

[ Source: Wikipedia ]