Samantha Riley

Samantha Linette Pearl Riley OAM (born 13 November 1972) is an Australian former competitive swimmer. She is of Aboriginal descent[1][2] She specialised in breaststroke and competed for Australia in the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona and the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, winning three medals. She trained under Scott Volkers at the Commercial Swimming Club in Brisbane. She was the first Indigenous Australian to win an Olympic medal.[3]

Samantha Riley
Personal information
Full nameSamantha Linette Pearl Riley
National teamAustralia
Born (1972-11-13) 13 November 1972
Brisbane, Queensland
Height1.60 m (5 ft 3 in)
Weight59 kg (130 lb)
Sport
SportSwimming
StrokesBreaststroke
ClubCommercial Swimming Club
Medal record
Women's swimming
Representing Australia
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place 1996 Atlanta4×100m medley
Bronze medal – third place 1992 Barcelona100m breaststroke
Bronze medal – third place 1996 Atlanta100m breaststroke
World Championships (LC)
Gold medal – first place 1994 Rome 100m breaststroke
Gold medal – first place 1994 Rome 200m breaststroke
World Championships (SC)
Gold medal – first place 1995 Rio 100m breaststroke
Gold medal – first place 1995 Rio 200m breaststroke
Gold medal – first place 1995 Rio 4x100m medley
Silver medal – second place 1999 Hong Kong 4x100m medley
Bronze medal – third place 1993 Palma 100m breaststroke
Bronze medal – third place 1993 Palma 200m breaststroke
Bronze medal – third place 1999 Hong Kong 100m breaststroke
Pan Pacific Championships
Gold medal – first place 1995 Atlanta 200m breaststroke
Gold medal – first place 1995 Atlanta 4x100m medley
Gold medal – first place 1997 Fukuoka 100m breaststroke
Gold medal – first place 1997 Fukuoka 200m breaststroke
Silver medal – second place 1991 Edmonton 100m breaststroke
Silver medal – second place 1991 Edmonton 200m breaststroke
Silver medal – second place 1993 Kobe 100m breaststroke
Silver medal – second place 1993 Kobe 4x100m medley
Silver medal – second place 1997 Fukuoka 4x100m medley
Commonwealth Games
Gold medal – first place 1994 Victoria 100m breaststroke
Gold medal – first place 1994 Victoria 200m breaststroke
Gold medal – first place 1994 Victoria 4x100m medley
Gold medal – first place 1998 K.Lumpur 200m breaststroke
Silver medal – second place 1998 K.Lumpur 100m breaststroke

Swimming career

Having been advised as a child to begin swimming to combat asthma, the Brisbane schoolgirl broke into the Australian team for the 1991 World Championships in Perth, Western Australia, winning a silver medal in the medley relay. The following year, Riley won a bronze medal in the 100-metre breaststroke at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, as well as competing in the 200-metre event.

In 1994, Riley won both breaststroke events at the 1994 Commonwealth Games in Victoria, British Columbia, and repeated the feat at the 1994 World Championships in Rome, Italy, setting a world record of 1 minute, 07.69 seconds in the 100-metre event. This prompted Swimming World magazine to name her as the Female World Swimmer of the Year.

Riley continued to sweep all before her in 1995, but arrived for the 1996 Summer Olympics under the cloud of a doping controversy. Volkers had given her a pill for headaches which contained the banned substance dextropropoxyphene.[4] Riley tested positive at the world short course championships in Rio de Janeiro,[5][6] and was only exonerated after her coach Scott Volkers admitted to giving her a headache tablet which contained the banned substance. Riley told a news conference the drug was contained in headache medication she took by accident.[7] Under the pressure of the controversy, Riley performed well outside her personal best times. She collected a bronze in the 100m breaststroke. She also collected a silver medal in the 4x100-meter relay with Nicole Stevenson, Susie O'Neill and Sarah Ryan.

Riley never stood on the podium again as an individual at the world level, but maintained her position in the Australian squad. Many anticipated her to return to her peak at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, but a kidney infection disrupted her training. She retired shortly after being Australia's most successful female breaststroke swimmer in the 1990s.

Personal life

At one stage during the mid-1990s, Riley was engaged to Norwegian Olympic champion speedskater Johann Olav Koss. She was also engaged at one time to rugby league player Julian O'Neill.[3]

The major arterial Samantha Riley Drive in Kellyville is named after her. The Australian Olympic Committee recognised her in their list of Australian Indigenous Olympians.[8]

In March 2023, it was reported that Riley had split from her husband of 22 years, former Ironman champion Tim Fydler. They have three children.[3]

See also

References
  1. "Indigenous Olympic Medallists". Australian Sports Commission. Archived from the original on 27 August 2006. Retrieved 21 August 2006.
  2. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 May 2009. Retrieved 7 January 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. "Swim icon, Ironman champ's marriage reportedly over after 22 years". Fox Sports Australia. 27 March 2023. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
  4. "Drug scandals". Sydney Morning Herald. 7 April 2007. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
  5. "Australian Swimmer Fails Drug Test". AP News. 13 February 1996. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
  6. "Breaststroke Record-Holder Riley Failed Drug Test at Meet in Rio". Los Angeles Times. 13 February 1996. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
  7. "HEADACHE TABLET COULD BAR RILEY". Washington Post. 14 February 1996. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
  8. "Australian Indigenous Olympians" (PDF). Australian Olympic Committee website. Retrieved 10 May 2015.
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