Susan O'Neill

Susan O'Neill was born in Mackay, Queensland, Australia, on August 2, 1973. O'Neill grew up surrounded by

Susan O'Neill

the beaches and waterways of this coastal city located on the northeast side of Australia. She first began swimming when she was eight years old. By the time she was twelve she had won an Australian title for her age group. It was about this time that she started swimming in the event that would become her specialty, the butterfly.

She missed a chance to make the Australian Olympic team in 1988 and in 1989 made her debut in international competition at the Pan Pacific Championships in Tokyo, Japan. She didn't place, but that same year she won her first Australian championship in the 50-meter butterfly.

When O'Neill first began swimming, it was under the expert eye of Bernie Wakefield. Wakefield had established himself previously as a coach for Australian Olympic swim teams as well as Commonwealth Games and other world championship teams. O'Neill swam with Wakefield as her coach through the early years as she established herself as a world class competitor. He was her coach when she won her first Olympic medal at the Barcelona Olympics in 1992 for the 200-meter butterfly.