Choose a language
Translations open in a new tab using Google Translate. English opens the original page.
28 of 28 languages
AUSAustraliaSport:SwimmingShelley Taylor-Smith is an Australian marathon swimmer from Perth who built a professional racing career before moving into coaching and sport administration. The Women's Museum of Australia gives her birth date as 3 August 1961. Her Hall of Fame biography traces her introduction to marathon swimming to the University of Arkansas in 1983 and her first professional race to 1985.
In 1990 she completed an England-to-France Channel solo in 9 hours 27 minutes. The museum recognises her as the first West Australian to make a solo crossing. She subsequently won the women's 25-kilometre world title at Perth in 1991 and earned world championship bronze at Rome in 1994. Her 1995 Manhattan Island victory was another major achievement in a career described by the International Swimming Hall of Fame as seven-time world champion.
Taylor-Smith returned to the Channel as part of a six-person Western Australian team in 1997. A contemporary government report names all six swimmers and records their continuous triple crossing in 32 hours 50 minutes, including difficult conditions on the third leg. That elapsed time belongs to the team.
She retired from professional competition in 1998. Her later work included athlete representation, open-water administration and Champion Mindset coaching. A Transperth ferry named for her in 1997 reflects her recognition beyond swimming.
1990 Channel solo · 1997 three-way relay team member
Crossing details, recordings & verificationSolo swim
Monday, 27 August 1990 (recorded swim date)
England → France
Elapsed time · 9h 27m
Start clock · Clock time not confirmed
Finish clock · Clock time not confirmed
Ratifying body's record checked · See the crossing record for qualifications and supporting evidence.
Relay · team performance
1997 · exact day not recorded here
Six-person relay: 32:50 is the team's continuous three-way time. Murray Johnston was named separately as reserve.
Western Australian marathon swimmers · Shelley Taylor-Smith · Peter Blackmore · Barbara Pellick · Mark Dawson · Nancy Warnock · Gary Bradley
Team elapsed time · 32h 50m
Start clock · Clock time not confirmed
Finish clock · Clock time not confirmed
Published account checked · See the crossing record for qualifications and supporting evidence.
1983
Her Hall of Fame biography places her introduction to the discipline at the University of Arkansas.
Monday, 27 August 1990
Dover's dated row corroborates the CSA's successful 9:27 crossing.
1991
Won the world championship gold medal in Perth.
1994
Finished with the bronze medal over 25 km in Rome.
1997
Named in the six-swimmer Western Australian team whose completed triple crossing was reported by the state government.
1998
The Hall of Fame records the end of her professional racing career.
Achievements update from recorded results. A tick means the supporting results are verified.
No eligible completed results are linked yet. Link a completed result to start the achievement collection.
First recorded finish
1 more finish needed
0 of 1 recorded
Selected swimming performances appear in the English Channel record above.
Log in or create a free account to see the full results history, achievements and profile details.
Confirm ownership through the claim process before editing a profile.