Jessicah Schipper is an Australian swimmer. She
trains at the Redcliffe Leagues Lawnton club in
Brisbane, under veteran coach Ken Wood.
Schipper made her debut for Australia at the 2003
World Aquatics Championships in Barcelona, winning
the bronze medal as part of the 4x100 m medley relay
team.
In 2004 she competed in the Athens Olympics, placing
4th in the 100 m butterfly with the time of 58.22 s.
She also collected the gold medal in the 4x100 m
medley relay, having swum the butterfly leg in the
heats of the event.
At the 2005 World Aquatics Championships in Montreal
she won the silver medal in the 200 m butterfly with
the time of 2.05.65 s, only 0.04 seconds behind
Otylia Jędrzejczak of Poland, who consequently
recorded a new world record in the event. However,
the race was overshadowed by the video replay
showing that Jędrzejczak touched the finishing wall
with only one hand, which is illegal under the
butterfly rules. Video replays cannot be used in
appeals against race results. Schipper also won the
gold in the 100 m butterfly (57.23 s) and in the
4x100 m medley relay, with teammates Sophie
Edington, Leisel Jones and Libby Lenton. In doing
so, she erased the Australian records in both the
100 m and 200 m butterfly set by Susie O'Neill and
Petria Thomas, respectively.
In 2006 Schipper wiped 0.08 s off her 100 m
butterfly (57.15 s) Commonwealth record to become
the second fastest woman ever in the history of the
event, surpassing Martina Moravcova.
She won the gold medal in both the 100 m and 200 m
butterfly as well as the silver medal in 50 m
butterfly at the 2006 Commonwealth Games held in
Melbourne. She combined with Sophie Edington, Leisel
Jones and Libby Lenton to set a new world record in
the 4x100 m medley relay, collecting her third gold
medal of the meet.
On August 17, 2006 Schipper set a new world record
in the women's 200m butterfly, on the opening night
of the 2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships.
Schipper won the final in 2:05.40, bettering the
mark of 2:05.61 set by Otylia Jędrzejczak at the
2005 World Aquatics Championships.
Schipper won the gold medal in the 200 m butterfly
at the 2007 World Aquatics Championships in
Melbourne, as well as the silver medal in the 100 m
butterfly, behind fellow Australian Libby Lenton.
She was awarded the Order of Australia Medal in
January 2005 for her services to swimming.
Schipper qualified for the 100m and 200m butterfly
events in Beijing, where she is among the favourites
for the medals. She is a member of the 4x100m medley
relay squad.
Schipper won two bronze medals in her individual
events at the Beijing Olympics, the 100 m and 200 m
butterfly.
