Stephanie Rice facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Stephanie Rice
OAM

Personal information
Nickname(s)	"Steph"
Born	(1988-06-17) 17 June 1988 (age 37) Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Height	1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)
Weight	67 kg (148 lb)
Sport
Sport	Swimming
Strokes	Medley, freestyle, butterfly
Club	St Peters Western
Coach	Michael Bohl
Medal record Women's swimming Representing  Australia Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games 3 0 0 World Championships (LC) 0 2 5 Pan Pacific Championships 0 0 2 Commonwealth Games 2 0 0 Total 5 2 7 Olympic Games Gold 2008 Beijing 200 m medley Gold 2008 Beijing 400 m medley Gold 2008 Beijing 4×200 m freestyle World Championships (LC) Silver 2009 Rome 200 m medley Silver 2009 Rome 4×100 m medley Bronze 2007 Melbourne 200 m medley Bronze 2007 Melbourne 400 m medley Bronze 2009 Rome 400 m medley Bronze 2011 Shanghai 400 m medley Bronze 2011 Shanghai 4×100 m medley Pan Pacific Championships Bronze 2006 Victoria 200 m medley Bronze 2006 Victoria 400 m medley Commonwealth Games Gold 2006 Melbourne 200 m medley Gold 2006 Melbourne 400 m medley

Stephanie Louise Rice (born June 17, 1988) is a famous Australian former competitive swimmer. She became well-known for winning three gold medals at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. For her amazing achievements, she received the Medal of the Order of Australia in 2009.

Stephanie officially stopped swimming professionally on April 9, 2014.

Stephanie Rice's Swimming Career

Stephanie Rice showed her talent early on. She won a gold medal in the 200-meter individual medley at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, Australia. She beat other strong swimmers like Brooke Hanson and Lara Carroll. She also won the 400-meter individual medley at the same games.

At the 2007 World Championships in Melbourne, she earned two bronze medals. She placed third in both the 200-meter and 400-meter individual medley events. She kept improving her personal best times in these races.

In June 2007, Stephanie set a new personal best in the 400m individual medley. Later that year, at the Japanese Open Championships, she broke her own record again. She set a new Australian and Commonwealth record of 4:37.18.

Breaking Records at the 2008 Olympic Trials

At the 2008 Australian Olympic trials, Stephanie Rice broke two world records! She set a new world record in the 400-meter individual medley. Her time was 4 minutes 31.46 seconds. She also broke the 200-meter individual medley world record with a time of 2 minutes 8.92 seconds. This showed she was ready for the Olympics.

Winning Gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics

The 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing were a huge success for Stephanie. She won her first Olympic medal, which was a gold! This was also Australia's first gold medal of those games. She won the 400-meter individual medley in a new world record time of 4 minutes 29.45 seconds. She was the first woman to swim this race in under 4 minutes 30 seconds.

She won her second gold medal on August 13 in the 200-meter individual medley. She set another new world record with a time of 2:08.45. The next day, August 14, she earned her third gold medal. This was as part of the 4×200-meter freestyle relay team. She helped her team win by swimming the first part of the race.

Rice at the Brisbane Olympic Homecoming Parade after 2008 Summer Olympics

Competing at the 2009 World Championships

At the 2009 World Championships, Stephanie continued to perform well. She won a silver medal in the 200-meter individual medley. She also earned a bronze medal in the 400-meter individual medley. She received another silver medal for her part in the medley relay heats.

Rice interviewed by local media in Wagga Wagga in January 2010.

World Aquatics Championships 2011

In 2011, Stephanie competed in the 200 m and 400 m individual medley races. She finished fourth in the 200 m medley. In the 400 m medley, she won a bronze medal. She was very close to getting silver, missing it by only 0.01 seconds!

The 2012 London Olympics and Retirement

Stephanie Rice competed in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. She had undergone three shoulder surgeries before these games. She finished fourth in the 200 m individual medley. She also placed sixth in the 400 m medley. The London Olympics were her last swimming competition. She announced her retirement in April 2014.

Stephanie Rice's Best Times

Stephanie's fastest time in the 200 m individual medley was 2:07:03. She achieved this at the World Aquatic Championships in Rome in 2009. Her best time in the 400 m individual medley was 4:29:45. She set this record when she won gold at the 2008 Summer Olympics.

Awards and Recognition

Stephanie Rice has received many awards for her swimming:

• 2008 – Telstra Australian Swimmer of the Year.
• 2008 – Swimming World Magazine Female World Swimmer of the Year. She was also named Pacific Rim Swimmer of the Year.
• 2009 – Awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia.
• 2019 – Inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame.
• 2019 – Inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame.

Stephanie Rice's Personal Life

Rice in 2012

Rice and Eamon Sullivan in 2010

Stephanie Rice was born in Brisbane, Australia, on June 17, 1988. Her parents are Raelene Clark and Warren Rice.

She attended Clayfield College for her high school years in Brisbane.

In 2013, Stephanie won season 3 of the TV show The Celebrity Apprentice Australia.

On January 10, 2025, Stephanie married Mark Lassey in Perth. Mark is a pastor who preaches in Perth and Dubai.

See also

In Spanish: Stephanie Rice para niños

• List of multiple Olympic gold medalists at a single Games
• List of Olympic medalists in swimming (women)
• List of World Aquatics Championships medalists in swimming (women)
• List of Commonwealth Games medallists in swimming (women)
• World record progression 200 metres individual medley
• World record progression 400 metres individual medley
• World record progression 4 × 200 metres freestyle relay