Alicia Coutts
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Alicia Jayne Coutts, OAM (born 14 September 1987)[1] is an Australian former medley, butterfly and freestyle swimmer. She represented Australia at the 2008 Summer Olympics, 2012 Summer Olympics[1] and the 2010 Commonwealth Games (New Delhi).[2] She was an Swimming Australia National Training Centre scholarship holder and was coached by John Fowlie. Her haul of five medals at the 2012 Summer Olympics matches Ian Thorpe and Shane Gould in one single Olympics.
Early years
Coutts was born in Brisbane, Queensland.[1] She attended St Matthews Primary School and Chisholm Catholic College.[3]
Career
2008 Olympics
Coutts competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics where she ended up fifth in the 200-metre individual medley.[1]
2010 Commonwealth Games and Pan Pacs
At the Pan Pacs, she took two relay silver medals and bronze in the 100 m butterfly.
At the 2010 Commonwealth Games, she won the 100-metre butterfly, 100-metre freestyle, 200-metre individual medley, as well as contributing to the 4×100-metre freestyle relay and 4×100-metre medley relay, bringing her total haul to 5 gold medals. She carried the Australian flag at the Commonwealth Games closing ceremony.[2] She was named the Telstra Australian Swimmer of the Year for 2010.
At the 2011 Australian Championships which doubled as the World Championship Trials, seeking to pick up her first national title. On night two, she doubled up, taking the 100-metre butterfly by a clear margin, as well as the 200-metre individual medley, beating Olympic champion Stephanie Rice by approximately an arm's length. She took 6th place in the 200-metre freestyle. On night six, she took gold in the 100-metre freestyle, winning by a clear margin over Yolane Kukla. In June, she took 3 gold at the Barcelona leg of the Mare Nostrum Series, downing the meet record of the 100-metre butterfly as well as the 200-metre individual medley in a personal best time.
2011 World championships and Olympic Trials
At the 2011 World Championships on night two, Coutts took silver medals in the 100-metre butterfly and 200-metre individual medley. She swam the butterfly leg of the 4×100-metre medley relay, capturing a bronze medal.
At the 2012 Olympic Trials, she won the 100-metre butterfly holding off Jessicah Schipper down the stretch and stopping Libby Trickett's attempt to defend her Olympic title in that event. She took silver in the 200-metre medley, booking another individual spot. She later placed in the top 6 in the 100-metre freestyle, gaining a spot on the 4×100-metre freestyle relay. On the final night she collected silver in the 4×100-metre medley relay.
2012 Olympics
On night one, she collected gold in the 4×100-metre freestyle relay with Cate Campbell, Brittany Elmslie and Melanie Schlanger setting a new Olympic record in the process. On night two, she collected a bronze in the 100-metre butterfly, she became the 8th fastest of all time. Night 4 she got a silver in the 200-metre individual medley becoming the 5th fastest of all time. On night 5, she anchored the 4×200-metre freestyle relay team to silver, recording a 200-metre split time of 1:56.12, 1.6 seconds quicker than her official personal best. On the final night, she collected a silver in the 4×100-metre medley relay, bringing her medal total to 5 in a single Olympic Games.
At the 2013 Australian Championships (which doubled as the qualifiers for 2013 World Aquatics Championships), Coutts won gold the 50 and 100-metre butterfly and the 200-metre individual medley, silver in the 50-metre backstroke and bronze in the 50-metre breastroke and 100-metre freestyle.
2013 World Championships
At the World Championships, she collected silver medals in the 100-metre butterfly, 200-metre medley, 4x100-metre freestyle relay, 4×200-metre freestyle relay, 4×100-metre medley relay.[4]
2016 Olympics
At the 2016 Summer Olympics, Coutts finished fifth in the final of the 200 m individual medley.[5] In October 2016, she announced her retirement.[6]
Career best times
Coutts holds one Olympic record in the 4×100-metre freestyle relay, the Commonwealth records in the short-course 100-metre butterfly, 100-metre and 200-metre individual medley, and two Commonwealth Games records and is the fastest Australian in textile in the 200-metre individual medley and 100-metre butterfly.
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Recognition
In 2012, she won the Australian Institute of Sport Athlete of the Year Award with sailor Tom Slingsby.[7]
See also
- List of Olympic medalists in swimming (women)
- List of World Aquatics Championships medalists in swimming (women)
- List of Commonwealth Games medallists in swimming (women)
- List of Australian records in swimming
- List of Commonwealth records in swimming
References
- 1 2 3 4 "Profile-Alicia Coutts". sports-reference.com, Retrieved on 16 October 2010
- 1 2 Clark, Laine; Cratchley, Drew (15 October 2010) "Aussies Party as Games end", Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 16 October 2010.
- ↑ Tom Boswell, "Alicia Coutts stands among the greatest Australian swimmers after medal haul in Glasgow", Quest Newspapers (28 July 2014). Retrieved 29 May 2015.
- ↑ "Final results of Women's 4 × 100 metre freestyle relay at the 2013 World Aquatics Championships" (pdf). Omega Timing. 28 July 2013. Retrieved 29 July 2013.
- ↑ "2016 Australian Olympic Swimming Team selected". Australian Olympic Committee. 14 April 2016. Retrieved 5 July 2016.
- ↑ Ortegon, Karl (October 31, 2016). "5-Time Olympic Medalist Alicia Coutts Announces Retirement". Swimswam. Retrieved October 31, 2016.
- ↑ Dutton, Chris (17 November 2012). "Slingsby shares top gong with Coutts". Canberra Times. Retrieved 16 November 2012.
External links
| Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Jessicah Schipper |
Pacific Rim Swimmer of the Year 2010 |
Succeeded by Ye Shiwen |
| Preceded by Anna Meares |
Australian Athlete of the Year 2012 (with Tom Slingsby) |
Succeeded by Caroline Buchanan and Kim Crow |
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