Lara Davenport

Lara Davenport
Personal information
Full nameLara Shiree Davenport
NationalityAustralian
Born (1983-06-12) 12 June 1983
Sydney
Height1.74 m (5 ft 9 in)
Weight63 kg (139 lb)
Sport
SportSwimming
StrokesFreestyle
ClubKingscliff SC
Medal record
Women's swimming
Representing  Australia
Olympic Games
2008 Beijing 4×200 m freestyle
World Championships (LC)
2005 Montreal 4×200 m freestyle

Lara Shiree Davenport OAM[1][2] (born 22 December 1983) is an Australian former competitive swimmer, Olympic gold medallist, and sports administrator. Born in Sydney, New South Wales, she later relocated to northern New South Wales to pursue elite swim training and has since been involved in community development, education and performance consulting.

Early life and education

In 2006, Davenport relocated to Kingscliff in Northern New South Wales to train at the High Performance Centre at the New South Wales Institute of Sport under coach Greg Salter. During her Olympic campaign, she served as an ambassador for Pacific Hoists.[3] She completed a Bachelor of Social Science (Psychology) at Bond University.[4][5]

In 2013, Davenport served as the Chair of the Queensland Olympic Council Education Commission [6]and a member of the Victorian Olympic Council Education Commission.[7]

Career

Swimming

Davenport received a scholarship at the New South Wales Institute of Sport (NSWIS) in 1999. She represented Australia at the 2001 East Asian Games in Osaka, Japan, where she won three gold medals in the 100 & 200 metre butterfly, and the 4×200-metre freestyle relay.

She competed on the Mare Nostrum World Tour (Europe – 2001, 2002, 2003, 2007, 2008) and the FINA short course World Cup Tour in 2003 and 2004, achieving podium finishes in butterfly and freestyle events. At the 2004 Oceania Swimming Championships in Suva, Fiji, Davenport won gold medals in the 200-metre freestyle and 4×200-metre freestyle relay, along with a silver medal in the 200-metre butterfly.

In 2005, she was selected for her first senior world championship team, competing at the World Aquatics Championships in Montreal, Canada, where won a silver medal as a heat swimmer in the 4×200-metre freestyle relay.[8]

Following a back injury in 2006, Davenport relocated permanently to Kingscliff and specialized in freestyle events. At the 2006 World Short Course Championships in Shanghai, China, she won gold and silver medals as the heat swimmer in the 4×200-metre and 4×100-metre freestyle relays.[9]

At the 2007 World Aquatics Championships in Melbourne,[10] Davenport was selected to swim in the 4x200 metre freestyle relay final alongside Jodie Henry, Stephanie Rice, Lara Davenport and Libby Trickett, after recording the fastest Australian split in the heats. The team finished fourth in the final.[11]

At the 2008 Australian Swimming Championships, she qualified for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing as a member of the 4×200-metre freestyle relay squad.[12] Lara swam the final leg of the heats, contributing to the team's qualification for the final. The Australian relay team went on to win gold in a world-record time, with Davenport recognised as an Olympic gold medallist as a squad member.

Following her competitive career, Davenport served as the head coach at Kingscliff Swimming Club and has been involved in mentoring and Olympic education initiatives.[13]

In 2024, she joined Taylor McKeown and David McKeon on Thursday Island to engage with more than 250 young Torres Strait Islanders in swimming activities during a Australian Olympic Committee community visit.[14][15]

Post-swimming career

Community development

Davenport has been involved in community development initiatives through sport, working extensively in the not for profit sector. She has served as Healthy Living Program Coordinator for Red Dust Role Models[16], a program manager with the Stride Foundation[17], and as the Chair of the Queensland Olympic council[6] and an executive member of the Victorian Olympic Councils Education Committees.[7]

She also delivers motivational presentations to corporate organisations,[18] not-for-profit organisations[19][20] and schools.[21][22]

Performance enhancement

In 2015, Davenport founded a consulting and coaching business focused on performance enhancement[23], health promotion, leadership and community development, using evidence-based experiential techniques and programs.

Honours and awards

  • New South Wales Institute of Sport scholarship holder since 1999.[24]
  • 2WS Sportsperson of the year 2002.
  • Key to the City of Gold Coast- 2008, sporting achievement at the Beijing Olympics [25][26]
  • The Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in the 2009 Australian Day Honours for service to sport and community[1][2][27]
  • Tribunal Member, Olympic Team Selection Appeals Tribunal 2012

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Davenport, Lara Shiree OAM" (PDF). gg.gov.au. Retrieved 17 March 2026.
  2. ^ a b "Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM)". ABC News. 27 January 2009. Retrieved 17 March 2026.
  3. ^ Pacific Hoists (http://www.ferret.com.au/c/pacific-hoists/pacific-hoists-announces-partnership-with-lara-davenport-n781414 Pacific Hoists Announces Partnership with Lara Davenport) Retrieved 2 March 2015
  4. ^ Bond University (2008). Bond’s Olympic Sporting Stars Make Waves in Beijing Archived 23 September 2008 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 29 September 2008.
  5. ^ "Bond's Olympic Sporting Stars Make Waves in Beijing | Bond University | Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia". bond.edu.au. Retrieved 17 March 2026.
  6. ^ a b "Davenport, Co-Chair of QOC in 2013" (PDF). amazonaws.com. Retrieved 17 March 2026.
  7. ^ a b "Member of Victorian Olympic Council Education Commission, 2015" (PDF). amazonaws.com.
  8. ^ "Bond at the Olympics: Lara Davenport | Bond University | Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia". bond.edu.au. Retrieved 17 March 2026.
  9. ^ "Olympedia – Lara Davenport". www.olympedia.org. Retrieved 17 March 2026.
  10. ^ Tweed Daily News (2007) (http://www.tweeddailynews.com.au/news/apn-lara-eyes-team/145756/ Lara Eyes Team Berth) Retrieved 2 March 2015
  11. ^ "US claim another record". ABC News. 29 March 2007. Retrieved 17 March 2026.
  12. ^ "2008 Beijing, China" (PDF).
  13. ^ The Olympic Museum (2013) [1]. Retrieved 18 April 2015.
  14. ^ "Olympians and Indigenous swimming coach spread Olympic spirit in Torres Strait Islands". Australian Olympic Committee. 27 June 2025. Retrieved 17 March 2026.
  15. ^ "Swimming Australia - Olympians share swimming with the Thursday Island community". Swimming Australia. Retrieved 17 March 2026.
  16. ^ "About Us | Realtone | Australia". Realtone. Retrieved 17 March 2026.
  17. ^ "Olympians take Isa kids in their Stride". www.northweststar.com.au. 21 May 2012. Retrieved 17 March 2026.
  18. ^ Guidelight Personal Training (2014). "Inspiration and Self Belief Fuels Olympic Level Results | Guidelight Personal Training". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 18 April 2015.. Retrieved 18 April 2015
  19. ^ Central Australia Aboriginal Media Association (2008). "CAAMA Sports Wall – Swimming – Australian Olympic Team – Gold Medalist 4x200M Freestyle Relay – Lara Davenport | CAAMA". Archived from the original on 18 April 2015. Retrieved 18 April 2015.. Retrieved 18 April 2015.
  20. ^ North West Star (2008). [2]. Retrieved 18 April 2015.
  21. ^ Abbotsleigh Swim Club (2014). [3]. Retrieved 18 April 2015
  22. ^ Queensland Academy of Sport (QAS) (13 September 2023). QAS: RU OK Day - Tips on Self Care. Retrieved 17 March 2026 – via YouTube.
  23. ^ Maher, Phoebe (8 April 2025). "AusTriathlon welcomes Unger and Davenport to high performance team". AusTriathlon. Retrieved 17 March 2026.
  24. ^ "Bond at the Olympics: Lara Davenport | Bond University | Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia". bond.edu.au. Retrieved 17 March 2026.
  25. ^ Gold Coast City Council (2015). "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 April 2015. Retrieved 18 April 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link). Retrieved 18 April 2015.
  26. ^ "Key to the City". www.goldcoast.qld.gov.au. Retrieved 17 March 2026.
  27. ^ "Australia Day Honours 2009".

Lara Davenport OAM Official Website (www.laradavenport.com)

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