Groves hit the headlines in 2021 after she announced her withdrawal from the Australian trials for the 2020 Summer Olympics as part of the protest against “sexual misconduct” in the swimming industry.<\/p>\n
Here is everything you need to know about the Aussie competitive swimmer.<\/p>\n
Madeline “Maddie” Groves was born in the year 1995 in Brisbane, Australia. The 26-year-old competitive swimmer celebrates her birthday on 25 May, which makes her a Gemini.<\/p>\n
Groves is the only daughter born to her parents – Claire Brinkman Groves and Greg Groves; she has two brothers. She studied at Wilston State Primary School and St Peters Lutheran College. Later, she completed her Bachelor of Social Science degree at Bond University on Queensland’s Gold Coast.<\/p>\n
Groves was relatively unknown until 2013 when she won the national 200m butterfly championship. She had previously been one of Australia’s top youth swimmers, but she struggled to break into the professional ranks. After some frustration, she took a break from the pool, and after 18 months, she had discovered the tools she needed to be successful at that senior level.<\/p>\n
At the 2016 Rio Olympics, Groves made her first Olympic appearance. She finished 2nd in 200m butterfly by just three one-hundredths of a second gold medalist Mireia Belmonte Garcia of Spain.<\/p>\n