Sarah Catherwood
New Zealand swimmer (born 1980)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sarah Louise Catherwood (for a time known as Sarah Jackson, born 23 May 1980) is an Olympic swimmer from New Zealand.
23 May 1980
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | Sarah Louise Catherwood 23 May 1980 Christchurch, New Zealand |
| Height | 177 cm (5 ft 10 in)[1] |
| Sport | |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Sport | Swimming |
Swimming career
Catherwood started swimming aged eight and was a teen swimming sensation; as of 2011, one of her national age 13 records still stood.[2] She was a member of Christchurch's AquaGym Swim Club alongside Anna Simcic.[3]
Catherwood was one of the 14 swimmers who represented New Zealand at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, United States, and she competed at one event.[4] Aged 16, she was the youngest New Zealand swimmer in Atlanta.[5] Catherwood was in a team with Anna Wilson, Dionne Bainbridge, and Alison Fitch to compete in the 4 × 200 metre freestyle relay.[4] They came fifth in their heat and did not qualify for the final;[6] their overall placement was 11th out of 21 teams.[7] Catherwood is New Zealand Olympian number 698.[1]
Catherwood retired after competing at the 2004 FINA World short course swimming championships in Indianapolis, USA.[2] She improved her personal best time in 100 metres freestyle by over half a second at those championships.[8]
In 2011 at age 30, Catherwood decided to try a comeback, with Olympic teammate Paul Kent as her trainer. At the time, she was based in Palmerston North.[2] She later pursued her swimming career as a member of Roskill Magic, a swimming club in the Auckland suburb of Mount Roskill.[4]
Private life
Catherwood was born in 1980 in Christchurch, New Zealand.[5] She moved to Palmerston North in 2008 to study a veterinary degree at Massey University.[2] After that, she moved to Auckland.[9] Outside of swimming, Catherwood's passion is horses.[2]