GOULD, SHANE

born Nov. 23, 1956, Fiji Australian swimmer who won five Olympic medals and set world records in all five freestyle distances (100, 200, 400, 800, and 1,500 metres). At the age of 15, Gould competed in the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich; swimming 11 races in eight days, she captured gold medals in the 200-metre individual medley, 200-metre freestyle, and 400-metre freestyle, all in world-record times. She also won a silver in the 800-metre freestyle and a bronze in the 100-metre freestyle, dominating the women's swimming field. In 1973 her time in the 1,500-metre freestyle was clocked at 16 min 56.9 sec, setting a world record and making her the first woman to break the 17-minute mark in that event. Gould's stroke-two shallow kicks for each cycle of the arms-had long been utilized by distance swimmers, but never before by a sprinter. After being named "Australian of the Year" in 1973, Gould turned professional at the age of 16.