Natalie Louise Cook (born 19 January 1975) is an Australian professional beach volleyball player and Olympic gold medallist.[1] She became the first Australian woman to compete at five Olympic Games.[2]
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| Full name | Natalie Louise Cook[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 19 January 1975[1] Townsville, Queensland, Australia[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 181 cm (5 ft 11 in)[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 73 kg (161 lb)[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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| Last updated: 4 June 2015 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Early life
editCook was born in Townsville, Queensland. She was the dux of her school, Corinda State High (located in the western suburbs of Brisbane). [citation needed] She enrolled in pre-medicine college courses, and also took up volleyball, captaining the Australian Indoor Junior Team in 1992. In 1993 she began playing beach volleyball. In 1994 she went professional and gave up her pursuit of a medical degree. [citation needed]
Career
edit
Cook partnered with Kerri Pottharst to represent Australia at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996,[3] winning a bronze medal—the first time that beach volleyball had been an Olympic sport. In the same year, the pair won a silver medal at the world championships, and came first in the World Tour Event in Japan.
Cook and Pottharst did not play together again until 2000. They finished third in the World Tour Events, held in France and Portugal, and then participated in the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. They dominated the competition, winning the gold medal. In the aftermath of their Olympic win, the pair were awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia. Cook and Pottharst were included in the Fédération Internationale de Volleyball's Team of the Decade. After the Olympics, Pottharst retired, and Cook found a new partner in Nicole Sanderson. They won a bronze medal at the 2003 Beach Volleyball World Championships in Rio de Janeiro, and by the end of the 2003 world tour, were ranked fourth in the world. They were subsequently selected to represent Australia at the 2004 Athens Olympics. After a promising start, they finished out of medal contention, losing to teams from Brazil and the United States. For the 2008 Summer Olympics, Cook partnered with Tamsin Barnett, finishing fifth overall. On 1 August 2012, Cook's record breaking beach volleyball career came to an end with her elimination from her fifth games in London.[4]
Recognition
editIn January 2001, Cook was awarded the Australian Sports Medal.[5]
Cook was also awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in the 2001 Australia Day Honours in recognition of her service to sport as a gold medallist at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.[6]
In 2024, Cook was named as a Queensland Great.[7]
Personal life
editCook currently resides in Brisbane and is married to fellow beach volleyballer Sarah Maxwell.[8] In addition to her sporting career, Cook tours on the public speaking circuit as a leading motivational speaker[9] attracting big audiences and has launched her own beach volleyball-related business, Sandstorm.
Books
edit- Go Girl! (2001)
- Health & Wellbeing Millionaire
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Natalie Cook". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 4 June 2015.
- ^ "Nat Cook". corporate.olympics.com.au. Australian Olympic Committee. Retrieved 4 June 2015.
- ^ "Natalie COOK". Olympics.com. Retrieved 18 January 2022.
- ^ "London Olympics: Tearful Cook bows out of fifth Games". The Times of India. Retrieved 2 August 2012.
- ^ "Award 970441". Australian Honours Search Facility. Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 16 January 2001. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
- ^ "Award 886954". Australian Honours Search Facility. Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 26 January 2001. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
- ^ "2024 Queensland Greats honoured on Queensland Day". The Queensland Cabinet and Ministerial Directory. 7 June 2024. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
- ^ Gold medallist Natalie Cook marries Sarah Marshall, 30 November 2008
- ^ Australian Motivational Speaker, 11 May 2016
External links
edit
- Official website
- Natalie Cook at Olympics.com
- Natalie Cook at Olympic.org (archived)
- Natalie Cook at Olympedia
- Natalie Cook at the Australian Olympic Committee
- Natalie Cook at the Sport Australia Hall of Fame
- Natalie Cook at the FIVB beach volleyball database
- Natalie Cook at the Beach Volleyball Database
