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 an amazing Australian swimmer. She is known for her incredible 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!

Dawn is one of only four swimmers in history to win the same individual Olympic event three times in a row. This shows how truly dominant she was in her sport. She is a national hero in Australia, inspiring many people.

Early Life of a Champion Swimmer

Dawn Fraser was born in 1937 in Balmain, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney, Australia. She grew up in a family that didn't have much money. She was the youngest of 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. This was the start of her incredible journey in swimming.

Dawn Fraser's Amazing Swimming Career

Fraser in 1958

Dawn Fraser's swimming career was full of highlights. She set 39 records and won eight Olympic medals for Australia. Four of these were gold medals! She also earned six gold medals at the Commonwealth Games.

She was especially good at the 100 metres freestyle event. She held the world record for this race for 15 years, from 1956 to 1972. This is a very long time to be the best in the world!

Dawn is one of only four swimmers ever to win individual gold medals in the same event at three Olympics in a row. She won the 100 metres freestyle in 1956, 1960, and 1964. The other swimmers to achieve this are Krisztina Egerszegi, Michael Phelps, and Katie Ledecky.

In October 1962, Dawn made history. She became the first woman ever to swim the 100 metres freestyle in under one minute! Her record time was 58.9 seconds. This amazing achievement made her a huge hero in Australia, where swimming is a very popular sport. Her 100m record wasn't broken until 1972, eight years after she stopped competing.

Before the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Dawn faced a very difficult time. She was in a car accident where her mother sadly passed away. This was a fresh tragedy for Dawn, who had also lost her older brother in 1950 and her father in 1960.

Challenges at the 1964 Olympics

During the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Dawn Fraser had some disagreements with swimming officials. She marched in the opening ceremony even though they didn't want her to. She also wore an older, more comfortable swimming costume instead of the one provided by the sponsors.

There was also a misunderstanding about an Olympic flag. She was accused of taking a flag from a flagpole near the Emperor's palace. She was briefly arrested but then released without any charges. In the end, she was even given the flag as a souvenir!

Later, Dawn said she never swam in the moat to get the flag. She told The Times in 1991 that she was afraid of dirty water and the moat was very dirty. After these events, the Australian Amateur Swimming Association decided to ban Dawn from competitive swimming for 10 years.

Life After Swimming

After her swimming career, Dawn Fraser became a publican, which means she managed a pub called the Riverview Hotel in Balmain. She also started coaching swimming, sharing her knowledge with new swimmers.

In 1988, Dawn decided to enter politics. She was elected as an independent member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly. She represented the area of Balmain. However, her political career was short. The Balmain area she represented was changed in 1991, and she didn't win the new seat. After that, she retired from politics.

Personal Life

Dawn Fraser married Gary Ware in 1965, but their marriage was short. She has one daughter from that marriage, who also has a son. Today, Dawn and her family live in Noosa on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland. She moved there from Sydney because the warmer weather helps with her asthma breathing problems.

Dawn Fraser is also the great-aunt of Canadian soccer player Danielle Steer.

Honours and Recognition

Dawn Fraser is truly an Australian hero, and she has received many honours.

• In 1964, she was named the Australian of the Year.
• She was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 1965.
• She was made 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 the first female member inducted into this Hall of Fame in 1985.
• In 1999, the International Olympic Committee called her the World's Greatest Living Female Water Sports Champion.
• On 14 July 2000, Dawn received the Australian Sports Medal for her amazing contributions to swimming.

Dawn was also one of the special people who carried the Olympic Torch at the opening ceremony of the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. She carried the torch inside the stadium, as one of the last people before the Olympic Flame was lit.

MV Dawn Fraser Departing Parramatta ferry wharf

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

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

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

Here's a look at Dawn Fraser's incredible results at the Olympic Games:

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

Images for kids

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