Samantha Linette Pearl Riley was born on 13 November 1972 and is an Australian former competitive swimmer.
16 Facts About Samantha Riley
1.
2.
Samantha Riley specialised in breaststroke and competed for Australia in the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona and the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, winning three medals.
3.
Samantha Riley trained under Scott Volkers at the Commercial Swimming Club in Brisbane.
4.
Samantha Riley was the first Indigenous Australian to win an Olympic medal.
5.
In 1994, Samantha Riley won both breaststroke events at the 1994 Commonwealth Games in Victoria, British Columbia, and repeated the feat at the 1994 World Championships in Rome, Italy, setting a world record of 1 minute, 07.69 seconds in the 100-metre event.
6.
Samantha Riley continued to sweep all before her in 1995, but arrived for the 1996 Summer Olympics under the cloud of a doping controversy.
7.
Samantha Riley tested positive at the world short course championships in Rio de Janeiro, and was only exonerated after her coach Volkers admitted to giving her a headache tablet which contained the banned substance.
8.
Samantha Riley told a news conference the drug was contained in headache medication she took by accident.
9.
Under the pressure of the controversy, Samantha Riley performed well outside her personal best times.
10.
Samantha Riley collected a silver medal in the 4x100-metre relay with Nicole Stevenson, Susie O'Neill and Sarah Ryan.
11.
Samantha Riley never stood on the podium again as an individual at the world level, but maintained her position in the Australian squad.
12.
Samantha Riley retired shortly after being Australia's most successful female breaststroke swimmer in the 1990s.
13.
At one stage during the mid-1990s, Samantha Riley was engaged to Norwegian Olympic champion speedskater Johann Olav Koss.
14.
Samantha Riley was engaged at one time to rugby league player Julian O'Neill.
15.
The major arterial Samantha Riley Drive in Kellyville is named after her.
16.
In March 2023, it was reported that Samantha Riley had split from her husband of 22 years, former Ironman champion Tim Fydler.