Madeleine Gough – Swimming – 2020
Current student
Madeleine Gough is the first to admit she was never a “superstar kid” – which is what makes her rise to Olympic swimmer all the more impressive.
“To make the Olympics and swim for Australia means so much,” the Bond University Bachelor of Biomedical Science student said ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Games.
“I’ve been wanting to go since I was 10 … I’ve trained so hard. So many people have helped me. It’s been my dream for a long time.”
Gough was part of history when she contested the 1500m freestyle in Tokyo, the first time the event had been held at the Olympics for women. Having swum the third fastest time in history to qualify for the Olympic team, she went on to make the final before finishing eighth.
It was the latest chapter in a remarkable journey for an athlete whose family relocated to the Gold Coast from Coffs Harbour when she was 16 so she could pursue her Olympic dream.
Gough made her first Australian team as an 18-year-old at the 2018 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships, narrowly missing a medal when she finished fourth in the 400m freestyle. She also recorded an impressive fifth in the 1500m freestyle at her maiden World Championships in 2019.