Susie O'Neill

Did You Know?

• O'Neill and her husband, Cliff Fairley, are ambassadors for the Fred Hollows Foundation.
• She set school records in 50 m and 100 m butterfly, freestyle, and backstroke at Lourdes Hill College.

Early life

O'Neill was born on 2 August 1973 in Mackay, Queensland, to Trish and John O'Neill, and has a brother and a sister. Her family moved to Brisbane, where she attended Lourdes Hill College in Hawthorne. At the school, she set records in butterfly, freestyle, and backstroke, and was cross country champion. Her athletics records for the 13 years 800 m and 15 years 400 m still stood as of 2011.

Swimming career

Susie O'Neill, a butterfly and freestyle specialist, claimed Olympic gold in the 200m butterfly in 1996 and the 200m freestyle in 2000. Across her career she won 35 Australian titles, eight Olympic medals (two gold), and 24 golds at major meets. Only Emma McKeon, Ian Thorpe, and Leisel Jones have more Olympic medals for Australia. At the 2000 trials she broke Mary T. Meagher's 19-year-old world record in the 200m butterfly, but lost the Olympic final to Misty Hyman. She trained with Bernie Wakefield until 1994, then Scott Volkers.

Post swimming career

O'Neill is an ambassador for the Fred Hollows Foundation. She provided commentary at the 2006 Commonwealth Games for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. She served as Oceania athletes' representative on the International Olympic Committee from 2000 to 2005, resigning and being replaced by Barbara Kendall. In 2007 a temporary pool at Rod Laver Arena was named after her. She co-hosted a radio show from 2019 to November 2024, returning in 2026.

Honours and awards

In 1996 O'Neill received the World Trophy for Australasia and was joint winner of the Australian Sport Awards Female Athlete of the Year. She was awarded the Order of Australia Medal in 1997. In 1998 she again won the Australian Sport Awards Female Athlete of the Year and was named Favourite Female Sports Star at the Australian People's Choice Awards in 1998 and 1999. She received the Australian Sports Medal on 14 July 2000.

That year a SuperCat ferry was named after her, and she was elected to the International Olympic Committee Athletes' Commission, resigning in 2005. She received the Centenary Medal on 1 January 2001. She was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame on 5 December 2002, into the Queensland Sport Hall of Fame in 2009, and was named a Q150 Icon of Queensland on 10 June 2009. In 2012 she became the 34th Legend of Australian Sport.

She was appointed Member of the Order of Australia in 2018. In 2023 she was inducted into the Swimming Australia Hall of Fame.