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Jodie Henry

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Jodie Clare Henry OAM (born 17 November 1983 in Brisbane, Queensland) is an Australian swimmer, Olympic gold medalist and former world-record holder.

Swimming career

Jodie Henry began swimming competitively at the relatively late age of 14. She swam in the Commonwealth Youth Games in Edinburgh later that year, winning five gold medals.

At the Manchester Commonwealth Games in 2002, Henry won the women's 100 metre freestyle as well as being a member of the team that won both the 4x100 m freestyle relay and the 4x100 m medley relay. Later that year she won silver at the Pan Pacific titles in the 50 m and 100 m freestyle, and helped Australia to victory over the USA in the freestyle and medley relays.

In 2003, Henry won the 100 m silver medal, and picked up bronze in both the 4x100 m and 4x100 m medley relays at the World Championships in Barcelona. She was also named the Speedo female sprinter of the year for 2003.

2004 Summer Olympics

At the 2004 Summer Olympics, Henry anchored the Australian women's 4 x 100 metre freestyle relay team that won the gold in world record time. She then competed in the individual 100 metre freestyle, breaking the previous world record time of 53.66 seconds (set by team member Libby Lenton) with a time of 53.52 seconds in the semifinals. She then went on to win the gold medal for the event, the first Australian to do so since Dawn Fraser 40 years earlier. In her final race at Athens she swam the last leg (freestyle) of the 4 x 100 metre medley relay, again helping the Australian team win gold in world record time, leaving her with 3 gold medals and 3 world records.

Women's 4 x 100 metre Freestyle Relay

1st- Australia (Alice Mills, Libby Lenton, Petria Thomas, Jodie Henry) 3:35.94 -World Record

Women's 100 metre Freestyle

Semi-final 2: 1st- 53.52 -World Record
Final: 1st- 53.84

Women's 4 x 100 metre Medley Relay

1st- Australia (Giaan Rooney, Leisel Jones, Petria Thomas, Jodie Henry) 3:57.32 -World Record

Henry was awarded the Order of Australia Medal that year.

On 29 November 2004, Henry was named the Australian Swimmer of the Year, becoming just the third woman in 15 years to take the honor, joining Susie O'Neill and Hayley Lewis. Henry also snapped Ian Thorpe's 5-year streak of receiving the award. She narrowly defeated teammate Petria Thomas to take the honor. Henry was also named Female Sprint Freestyler and her win with Thomas, Giaan Rooney, and Leisel Jones in the 4x100 medley relay in Athens was named the Golden Moment of the Year.

Henry won the 100 m freestyle gold medal at the 2005 World Championships in Montreal, clocking 54.18s. That win came on top of her leadoff role in Australia's victorious 4x100 m freestyle team and second relay gold as a heat swimmer in the 4x100 m medley.

She is a friend and was a training partner of Alice Mills under Shannon Rollason, until after nine years, she announced that she would be switching to the tutelage of John Fowlie.

Lenton broke Henry's world record at the Commonwealth Games selection trials, setting a new mark of 53.42s. Henry finished with the silver medal at the 2006 Commonwealth Games, finishing behind compatriot Lenton (24.61) in the 50 m and (53.54) 100 m freestyle, clocking 53.78s and a personal best in the 50 m 24.72s for another silver behind Lenton. Henry swam in the 4x100 m freestyle relay, helping Australia to the gold medal.

On 25 March, at the 2007 World Aquatics Championships in Melbourne, Henry claimed gold again. Combining with Shayne Reese, rookie Melanie Schlanger and Libby Lenton, Henry anchored the Australian 4x100 m freestyle relay team in a world championship record time of 3:35.48 seconds, ahead of the USA in 3:35.68 and the Netherlands in 3:36.81.She also won another gold medal in the 4x100m medley relay.

In November 2007, Henry returned to her hometown of Brisbane to regain form under new coach Simon Cusack at the Indooroopilly Swimming Club.

Henry is in a relationship with dual-premiership winning Australian Rules Footballer Tim Notting of the Brisbane Lions

Quotes

"I used to get really really nervous when I was younger. At the last Olympic trials I was so nervous I threw up."
"I just look at swimming as though it is just a sport. It's not life, you're not going to die if you don't do well in it"
"I don't want to take swimming too seriously to a point where it is the only thing I want to do well at because then you get so much more nervous because it is the only thing you've got."
"I'm pretty sure my nanna is going psycho right now." - after winning the Olympic 100m freestyle gold medal in 2004.
"It's not a miracle. It's just four talented girls who put together four good swims," after winning the 2007 World Championship gold medal in 2007.