Inspirational... Dedicated... Passionate... Patriotic... 100% Australian. Shelley Taylor-Smith is one of the greatest athletes in the world. She has rewritten the record books, and has set new standards in marathon swimming with her record seven consecutive world titles - a feat that has never been repeated. From 1984 to 1997, Shelley achieved consecutive victories against the best men in the sport worldwide and in 1991 gained the No.1 World Ranking in Marathon Swimming for both men & women - the first time this had ever been achieved by woman - and to date the last! "Shelley's passion for life is as intense as her passion for swimming." - Laurie Lawrence As a young girl Shelley had a dream - to be like her role model Shane Gould and win a gold medal. Despite most of her school years in a back brace and spending three months in traction with partial paralysis when only 23 years old, Shelley never let go of her dream. Her coach told her "Do you know, you have the potential to be a World Marathon Swimming Champion?" Shelley took up marathon swimming because it didn't require her to make those back bending tumble turns and has since achieved what no other woman has in sport. In 1998 Shelley was told she had six months to live. While swimming in polluted water she had picked up deadly parasites and giardia. The infections had manifested as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and she was warned that if she continued to push herself her system would completely fail and she would die. Six months later Shelley won the Manhattan Island Marathon Swim for a record fifth time and only then did she decide to retire from representing Australia. Shelley's 'winner's attitude' and her motto: "If you don't quit - you will make it" translates into her everyday life and now she empowers others by sharing with them her greatest asset - The Champion Mindset - training our leaders of tomorrow to think and be Champions today! Shelley is as dedicated out of the water as she is in it. Her charity work includes: Vice Patron of Life Education NSW and her 2 favourite youth charities - the Humpty Dumpty Foundation and Youth Off the Streets - to which she donates ALL profits from sales of her books. Alan Jones says, "Shelley Taylor-Smith is one of the greatest athletes the world has ever seen and probably one of Australia's most unsung heroes." Click here to Order [pdf form] Let the Readers Speak... Shelley's achievements include:  7 consecutive Women's No1. Marathon Swimming Ranking 1991 World No.1 Ranking in Marathon Swimming (overall for both men & women) 15 World Race Records 4 World Championship 25km gold medals 4 Pan Pacific Swimming Championship 25km gold medals. In her 15yrs of International competition she has been awarded: 4 times World and Australian Long Distance Swimmer of the Year Australian Female Athlete of the Year Guinness Book of World Records for fastest time overall in New York's 48km Manhattan Island swim & her epic swim Sydney - Wollongong 79km record swim (smashing the record by more than 15 hours) Her greatest honours personally have been: As a two-time finalist in the Australian of the Year Award This Is Your Life recipient & The Rotary International Paul Harris Fellow Award Born: Perth, Western Australia, Australia 3rd August 1961 Honours: Who's Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges National Dean's List of USA The College of Education Dean's List USA Gamma Beta Phi Honour Society Omicron Delta Kappa Honour Society Community: Honorary Secretary FINA Technical Open Water Swimming Committee (TOWSC) Australia Day Ambassador Ambassador: Youth Off The Streets & Humpty Dumpty Foundation Vice-Patron of Life Education (NSW) Patron of Western Australian Open Water Swimming Association Patron of Rottnest Channel Swimming Association Clean Up Australia Day Spokesperson Chairperson FINA Athletes Commission (1998-2000) FINA Athletes Representative (1989-2000) Awards: Rotary International Paul Harris Fellow Medal 2002 Australian Sports Medal Recipient 2000 'MV Shelley Taylor-Smith' Ferry, Perth Western Australia Advance Australia Award Australian of the Year Finalist 1989 & 1991 Australian Female Athlete of the Year 1991 World Long Distance/Open Water Swimmer of the Year 1988-1994 Australian Long Distance/Open Water Swimmer of Year 1991, 1993, 1997 Induction into USA Amateur Sports Hall of Fame Swimming Career: Women's World No.1 Marathon Swimming Champion Seven Consecutive Years: 1988-1995 (accumulation from competing an average of 10-12 races per World Series Calendar and each race ranging from 30-90km) World No.1 Ranking Marathon Swimming Champion 1991 (for both men and women) Fifteen World Race Records 1983 - present 51 First places in International Marathon Swimming Competitions (including 9 first places overall) 2 World Championship 25km Gold Medals & 2 World Championships 25km Team Gold Medals 2 Pan Pacific Swimming Championship Gold Medals  & 2 Pan Pacific Swimming Championship 25km Team Gold Medals First Western Australian English Channel Crossing, England-France 1990 English Channel Triple Crossing Relay 1997 Australian Women's National Open Water Swimming Champion - Nine years National 25km Champion 5 time Winner (overall) New York's Annual Manhattan Island 48km Marathon Swim Guiness Book of World Records - Fastest time ever Manhattan Island (48km) and Sydney to Wollongong (79km)