Dawn Fraser facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Dawn Fraser
AC MBE

Dawn Fraser in May 2012
Personal information
Nickname(s)	"Dawny"
Born	(1937-09-04) 4 September 1937 (age 87) Balmain, Sydney, Australia
Height	1.72 metres (5 ft 8 in)
Weight	67 kilograms (148 lb)
Member of the New South Wales Parliament for Balmain
In office 19 March 1988 – 25 May 1991
Preceded by	Peter Crawford
Succeeded by	District abolished
Sport
Sport	Swimming
Strokes	Freestyle, butterfly
Medal record Women's swimming Representing Australia Olympic Games Gold 1956 Melbourne 100 m freestyle Gold 1956 Melbourne 4×100 m freestyle Gold 1960 Rome 100 m freestyle Gold 1964 Tokyo 100 m freestyle Silver 1956 Melbourne 400 m freestyle Silver 1960 Rome 4×100 m freestyle Silver 1960 Rome 4×100 m medley Silver 1964 Tokyo 4×100 m freestyle British Empire and Commonwealth Games Gold 1958 Cardiff 110 yd freestyle Gold 1958 Cardiff 4×110 yd freestyle Gold 1962 Perth 110 yd freestyle Gold 1962 Perth 440 yd freestyle Gold 1962 Perth 4×110 yd freestyle Gold 1962 Perth 4×110 yd medley Silver 1958 Cardiff 440 yd freestyle

Dawn Fraser (born 4 September 1937) is a famous Australian swimmer. She is known for her amazing freestyle swimming skills. Dawn won eight Olympic medals, including four gold medals. She also held the world record for the 100-metre freestyle for 15 years! Many people in Australia see her as a national hero. She is one of only four swimmers ever to win the same Olympic event three times in a row.

Early Life and Discoveries

Dawn Fraser was born in 1937 in Balmain, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney, Australia. She grew up in a family with eight children. When she was just 14 years old, a swimming coach named Harry Gallagher noticed her talent. He saw her swimming at the local baths by the harbour.

Dawn Fraser's Swimming Career

Fraser in 1958

Dawn Fraser had an incredible swimming career. She set 39 different swimming records. She also won eight Olympic medals for Australia, with four of them being gold! She was also very popular in Australia and the British Commonwealth. She won six gold medals at the Commonwealth Games.

Dawn was especially good at the 100-metre freestyle race. She held the world record for this event for 15 years. This was from December 1, 1956, to January 8, 1972.

She is one of only four swimmers in Olympic history to win individual gold medals for the same event at three Olympics in a row. She won the 100-metre freestyle in 1956, 1960, and 1964. The other swimmers who achieved this are Krisztina Egerszegi, Michael Phelps, and Katie Ledecky.

In October 1962, Dawn made history. She became the first woman to swim the 100-metre freestyle in under one minute! Her record time was 58.9 seconds. This achievement made her even more famous in Australia. Her 100-metre record was not broken until 1972, eight years after she stopped competing.

Before the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Dawn was in a car accident. Sadly, her mother passed away in this accident. This was a very difficult time for Dawn and her family.

Challenges at the 1964 Olympics

During the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo, Dawn Fraser faced some challenges. She upset the swimming team sponsors and the Australian Swimming Union. This happened because she marched in the opening ceremony even though they told her not to. She also wore an older swimming costume during races. She found it more comfortable than the new one provided by the sponsors.

She was also involved in an incident where she was accused of taking an Olympic flag. This happened outside the palace of Emperor Hirohito. She was briefly held but then released. In the end, she was given the flag as a souvenir.

After these events, the Australian Amateur Swimming Association decided to ban Dawn Fraser from competitive swimming for 10 years.

Life After Swimming

After her swimming career, Dawn Fraser became a publican, which means she ran a pub. She also started coaching swimming.

In 1988, Dawn was elected as an independent member of parliament. She represented the area of Balmain in New South Wales. She served in this role until 1991.

Personal Life

Dawn Fraser married Gary Ware in 1965. Their marriage was short. She has one daughter from this marriage, who has a son. Today, Dawn and her family live in Noosa, Queensland. She moved there because the warmer climate helps with her asthma breathing problems.

Honours and Recognition

Dawn Fraser has received many honours for her achievements.

• In 1964, she was named the Australian of the Year.
• She was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 1965.
• She became a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 1967.
• In 1998, she was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO).
• The Sport Australia Hall of Fame named her the Australian Female Athlete of the Century. She was also their first female member in 1985.
• In 1999, the International Olympic Committee called her the World's Greatest Living Female Water Sports Champion.
• She received the Australian Sports Medal in 2000 for her amazing contributions to swimming.

Dawn Fraser was also one of the people who carried the Olympic Torch at the opening ceremony in Sydney. She carried the torch in the stadium before the Olympic Flame was lit.

MV Dawn Fraser Arriving at Drummoyne ferry wharf

There is an award named after Dawn Fraser at the Australian Sport Awards. The swimming baths in Balmain where she trained were named the Dawn Fraser Swimming Pool in her honour in 1964. In 1992, a RiverCat ferry was also named after her.

In 2001, she was added to the Victorian Honour Roll of Women. In 2018, she received an even higher honour, becoming a Companion of the Order of Australia (AC). In 2022, she was one of the first people to be inducted into the Swimming Australia Hall of Fame.

Olympic Achievements Table

Dawn Fraser and Ilsa Konrads at the Australian National Swimming Championships and Olympic Trials, North Sydney Olympic Pool, 27 February 1960

• 1962 Perth Commonwealth Games
  • 110 yards freestyle – gold medal
  • 440 yards freestyle – gold medal
  • 4 × 110 yards (4 × 100.58 metres) freestyle relay – gold medal
  • 4 × 110 yards (4 × 100.58 metres) medley relay – gold medal

See also

In Spanish: Dawn Fraser para niños

• List of members of the International Swimming Hall of Fame
• List of multiple Olympic gold medalists
• List of multiple Olympic gold medalists in one event
• List of multiple Summer Olympic medalists
• List of Olympic medalists in swimming (women)