SYDNEY, 26 February 2004 — Olympic legend Shane Gould says she will be competing at the Australian Olympic swimming selection trials starting here next month more than 30 years after she won three gold medals at the 1972 Munich Olympics. The 47-year-old mother of four and soon to be grandmother will line up in the 50-meter butterfly at the national championships here on April 1.
“I can assure you that even though I’ll be swimming on April Fool’s Day, this is no joke,” Gould told a magazine. “When Susie O’Neill was 26 years of age they called her the grandma of the swimming, so imagine what they’ll call me.”
Gould qualified for the Olympic trials by clocking 30.32s for the 50m butterfly in winning gold at last year’s United States Masters championships. The trial qualifying time was 30.50. Gould finished the US meet with three gold, one silver and one bronze medal in the 45-49 age group. She finished with the same medal tally at the Munich Olympics.
She has no prospects of competing at this year’s Athens Games as the 50m women’s butterfly won’t be contested.
