Tracey Nicole Cross, OAM[1] (born 4 December 1972)[2] is an Australian visually impaired swimmer. She won ten medals at three Paralympics, from 1992 to 2000.
 Cross takes the official Athletes Oath at the 2000 Summer Paralympics Opening Ceremony | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Tracey Nicole Cross | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nationality |  Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 4 December 1972 Bunbury, Western Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Personal edit
Cross was born in the Western Australian city of Bunbury on 4 December 1972.[2] She has been blind since birth; in a 2000 interview, she said that the light perception that she had in one eye was "almost useless".[3] She was left out of sporting activities at school, and started swimming at the age of 15.[3] She took the sport casually at first, but took it more seriously when she found that she had a natural aptitude for swimming.[3]
In 1994, she obtained a law degree from Murdoch University. After working in that field for some years, she became a massage therapist; she works in a natural health clinic in West Perth. Cross developed her passion for massage after she sustained a neck and shoulder injury while training for the 2000 Sydney Paralympics.[3][4]
Swimming career edit
Cross won her first international gold medal in the women's 400 m Freestyle B1 at the 1990 World Championships and Games for the Disabled in Assen, Netherlands.[5][6]
At the 1992 Barcelona Games, she won two gold medals in the Women's 100 m Freestyle B1 and Women's 400 m Freestyle B1 events, and two silver medals in the Women's 100 m Backstroke B1 and Women's 200 m Medley B1 events;[7] she also came fourth in both the Women's 100 m Butterfly B1[8] and Women's 50 m Freestyle B1 events.[9]
She won two gold medals at the 1996 Atlanta Games in the Women's 100 m Butterfly B1 and the Women's 200 m Medley B1 events, and a silver medal in the Women's 50 m Freestyle B1 event;[7] she also came fifth in the Women's 100 m Backstroke B1 event[10] and came seventh in the heats of the Women's 400 m Freestyle B2 event.[11]
She spoke the Paralympic oath at the opening ceremony of the 2000 Sydney Paralympics.[12] In the competition, she received two silver medals in the Women's 100 m Freestyle S11 and the Women's 400 m Freestyle S11 events, and a bronze medal in the Women's 50 m Freestyle S11 event;[7] she also came fifth in the Women's 200 m Medley SM11 event[13] and eighth in the Women's 100 m Backstroke S11 event.[14]
Recognition edit
In 1993, Cross received a Medal of the Order of Australia for her 1992 Paralympic gold medals.[1] In that year, she also received the Western Australian Citizen of the Year Award in the Youth category.[15] On 14 November 2000, she received an Australian Sports Medal "For Service to Sport as a gold Medallist at the Paralympic Games".[16] She received a Centenary Medal on 1 January 2001 "For service to the community through Paralympic swimming".[17] In 2009, she was inducted into the Swimming Western Australia Hall of Fame.[18]
References edit
- ^ a b "Cross, Tracey Nicole: Medal of the Order of Australia". It's an Honour. Retrieved 9 January 2012.
- ^ a b "Australians at the 1996 Atlanta Paralympics: Swimmers". Australian Sports Commission. Archived from the original on 20 January 2000. Retrieved 9 January 2012.
- ^ a b c d Derriman, Philip (11 October 2000). "Why every stroke counts for Cross". The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 40. Retrieved 12 December 2012.
- ^ "Tracey Cross – Remedial Massage Therapist". Centro Health. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
- ^ "Athlete's Profile: Tracey Cross". Australian Paralympic Committee. Archived from the original on 5 December 2000. Retrieved 9 January 2012.
- ^ World Championships and Games for the Disabled – Athletics Results. Netherlands: Organising Committee. 1990.
- ^ a b c "Athlete Search Results". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 9 January 2012.
- ^ "1992 Women's 100 m Butterfly Results". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 9 January 2012.
- ^ "1992 Women's 50 m Freestyle B1 results". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 9 January 2012.
- ^ "1996 Women's 100 m Backstroke B1 – Results". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 9 January 2012.
- ^ "1996 Women's 400 m Freestyle B2 – Results". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 9 January 2012.
- ^ "Honour for swimmer". Illawarra Mercury. 16 October 2000. p. 7. Retrieved 12 December 2012.
- ^ "2000 Women's 200 m Medley SM11 – results". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 9 January 2012.
- ^ "2000 Women's 100 m Backstroke S11 – Results". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 9 January 2012.
- ^ "WA Citizen of the Year Awards". Celebrate WA. Retrieved 9 January 2012.
- ^ "Cross, Tracey Nicole: Australian Sports Medal". It's an Honour. Retrieved 9 January 2012.
- ^ "Cross, Tracey: Centenary Medal". It's an Honour. Retrieved 9 January 2012.
- ^ "Hall of Fame". Swimming Western Australia. Retrieved 5 October 2017.