Shelley Taylor-Smith

Using her thirty plus years of experience as athlete, coach, writer and consultant Shelley helps individuals in the sporting world from beginner level onwards as well as business people on performance and lifestyle issues to discover the mental toughness to stay on top of your game despite the daily obstacles you face in your business and career with her everyday life motto: “Get Up, Get Over It & Get On With It.”

Her first major achievement was breaking the world four-mile record in 1983. Subsequently, she won the Manhattan Island Marathon Swim five times, breaking the world record in 1995 for swimming the 48 km distance in five hours, 45 minutes and 25 seconds.[2] She also won the Australian Marathon Swimming Championships three times, and seven consecutive FINA Marathon World Cups. She won a gold medal in the inaugural open water swimming event at the 1991 World Aquatics Championships in Perth, and a bronze at the 1994 Championships in Rome.

Shelley’s Achievements:

7-time Women’s World No.1 Marathon Swimming Champion (1988-1995)
1991 World No.1 Marathon Swimming Champion (Men & Women)
15 World Marathon Swimming Race Records (10 still stand today)
51 1st places (caps) in international marathon swims representing Australia
4 FINA World Championships gold medals (2 individual 25km & 2 team 25km)
Solo English Channel Crossing 1990 (the first by a West Australian)
Triple English Channel Crossing Relay 1997
5-time Winner (overall) Manhattan Island 48km Marathon Swim

Shelley’s Awards:

Induction into USA Amateur Sports Hall of Fame 1985
2-time West Australian of Year 1989 & 1991
2-time Australian of the Year final 1989 & 1991
Advance Australia Award, Citizen of the Year 1991
Australian Female Athlete of the Year 1991
Key to the City of Perth, 1991
Avon Australian Inspiring Woman of the Year Finalist 1997
5-time World Long Distance/Open Water Swimmer of the Year 1988-1994;
3-time Australian Long Distance/Open Water Swimmer of Year 1991,1993 & 1997
Perth, Western Australia ‘MV Shelley Taylor-Smith’ Ferry 1997
Australian Centenary Sports Medal Recipient 2000
Swimming Australia Hall of Fame 2000
Rotary International Paul Harris Fellow Medal 2002
Induction into International Swimming Hall of Fame 2008
Named amongst 50 Iconic Australian Women 2011
Induction Inaugural West Australian Women’s Hall of Fame 2011
Induction WA Sports Hall of Champions 2014

She was elected to the FINA Athletes Commission as Chairperson. In 2000 was appointed Honorary Secretary, FINA Technical Open Water Swimming Committee (TOWSC) 2000-2009 and on October 27, 2005 her 30 year dream became reality with the inclusion of the 10km Marathon Swim event into the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games programme. She trained the Chinese Open Water Swimming officials and co-ordinated the Beijing Olympic Games 2008 inaugural 10km Marathon Swim from 2005-2008.

She conducts beach workouts for triathletes and open water swimmers, offering an additional training option in the pool to help develop and transfer open water skills to all open water venues. At the same time, she offers pool-specific swim training and small group squads for committed open water swimmers preparing for their Everest… the English Channel.