Shelley Taylor-Smith
Marathon Swimmer and Business Speaker
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To most West Australians Shelley Taylor-Smith is known for her amazing athletic achievements. But she is much, much more.
Regardless of being tagged with ‘no natural ability’, ‘disabled’ and ‘nothing above average’, 7-time World No.1 Women’s Marathon Swimming Champion Shelley Taylor-Smith is the only woman to achieve No.1 world ranking for both men and women in the history of any sport worldwide.
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A 2-time West Australian-Australian of the Year Finalist and nicknamed ‘Dangerous When Wet’ by her competitors (and apt title of her biography); Shelley believes anyone can achieve the impossible with the right combination of Mindset, Motivation & Mental Toughness.
Down to earth, energetic, bubbly, passionate and patriotic is how Shelley is known. Her inspirational message is living with conviction in life, both personally and professionally and how to create our own Champion Mindset with focus, self belief and attitude.
Some of her remarkable achievements include:
- 1991 World No.1 Ranked International Marathon Swimming Champion for men & women
- 7-consecutive years World No1 Ranked Women’s Marathon Swimming Champion 198-1995
- 5 time winner of the 48km Manhattan Island Marathon Swim
- Holder of 15 World Race records (of which 10 still stand today!)
- 1st West Australian to swim the English Channel
- Induction into the International Swimming Hall of Fame – the first and only Australian Marathon Swimmer to achieve this feat!
- Induction into the Inaugural West Australian Women’s Hall of Fame and named amongst the 50 Iconic Australian Women
And still the only West Australian swimmer, male or female, to win a gold medal and be crowned World Champion at FINA Swimming Championships.
Shelley’s greatest personal achievement is not a title or an award. It is the result of her achieving the No.1 world ranking for both men and women that lead to the governing body creating equal prize money for men and women and separate rankings that is her global legacy for women.
Dedicated out of the water as she was in it; Shelley gives back as Patron of The Esther Foundation in WA, Board member for Swan River Trust & Burswood Park and serves on the FINA Technical Open Water Swimming, Swimming Australia Limited & Swimming WA committees.