Lauren Sinclair - Our grandaughter
Since the last newspaper report Lauren has suffered a severe
medical problem in June 2004.
By using the link below you will find more details

Lauren's recent journey


Lauren Sinclair at her formal Nov 2004

2005 Pacific School Games

Lauren has just recently been selected to represent Australia in the Pan Pacific Games in November in the 50 metre & 100 metre events for both Backstroke & Butterfly. This is a fantastic achievement after her health problems last year, and is an indication of her great fighting spirit. She is a person one can be really proud of.

I am sure everyone will wish her the best of luck.

Daring to Achieve
by Paul Haigh in the Fairfield Advocate, May 2004

Lauren Sinclair has a refreshing attitude towards life and to her swimming endeavours - to be the best she can and to do the best she can. The 15-year-old has been swimming competitively since she was 10 and this Saturday will race in nine events at the national titles at Homebush, vying for a place in the Australian Paralympics team for the 2004 Games in Athens. The Smithfield Amateur Swim Club competitor was diagnosed at 15-months-old with Sotos Syndrome, a genetic disorder that affects the brain and its muscle system.

"I just try to do my best whenever I swim" she told the Advance. Under the tutelage of Bruce Edmunds, Lauren has improved over the past 18 months since she began swimming at the Smithfield club. Edmunds said Lauren was an "exceptional trainer". "Lauren swims here twice a day, eight sessions a week, and trains between 4km and 5km in each of these sessions"Edmunds said.

"I like to swim and improve my times and my stroke techniques", she said. "My goal is to make some finals at the nationals." Lauren said her long-term goal was to teach. "I would like to work as a pre-school or primary school teacher," she said.

Austalian National School Titles Darwin September 2002
Darwin September 2002
At Darwin, Lauren received 3 PBs from her 4 swims.
She got a PB & a silver in the 50 Metre Breast Stroke,
a PB & abronze in the 50 Metre Back stroke and a silver
in the relay to Qld.

Spanish National Titles July 2002

Spain July 2002
As the disability swimming contestants for the
Commonwealth games were limited, the Australian
association sent a teamto Spain for their national titles.
Lauren has just returned home from competing  where
she won 1 gold medal, 1 silver medal & 2 Bronze medals
in the adult disability class. Her next major competition is the
Australian National School Titles in Darwin in September.


Toongabbie's Golden Girl
(Blacktown Advocate July 2002.  SWIMMING by Be Bonham)

   Toongabbie's own international swimming Champion arrived home last week within hours of Ian Thorpe zipping up his swimming suit for the first time in Manchester.
   Lauren Sinclair,14 - the youngest member of an Australian squad that competed in the Open International Spanish Swimming Championships in Badajoz - brought back a Gold, a silver & two bronze medals for her family & her country.
  The championships, for disabled athletes, were Lauren's first taste of international competition.
   "I've raced against swimmers of all ages before, but never overseas," she said. "It was a tough meet"
   Lauren's mother Donna said she and her husband Paul had been nervous about sending their daughter to compete on her own for the first time.
   "It was a big decision because she is so young," Mrs Sinclair said. "But in the end we were swayed by the fact that only 10 athletes were invited and three coaches were travelling with them."
   Time differences and tight schedules wrought havoc with Lauren's communication with her familyabout her progress in Spain. The Sinclairs were unaware the extent of their daughter's success until after her plane landed last Wednesday.
   "We got a phone message in the middle of the night from Lauren saying she had finished a race but she was so excited, she forgot to say she'd won" Mrs Sinclair said.
   Lauren has Sotos Syndrome and swims in th S10 functional class. Her talent was spotted as an infant during swimming -as-therapy sessions.
   Mrs Sinclair said her daughter's passion for the sport had been growing ever since, along with her sellf confidence.
   Lauren's medals were in the 100m butterfly (gold), 400m freestyle (silver), 50 m freestyle (bronze) and 100m freestyle (bronze).
   "My long-term goals are to compete in the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne and the 2008 Paralympics in Beijing," she said.


Lauren Sinclair & Dawn Fraser - Feb 2001
Golden  Dawn  salutes
our Lauren's true grit.

(Blacktown Advocate Wednesday, February 28, 2001)

        A DISABILITY has not prevented Lauren Sinclair from achieving her swimming dreams, Now she is aiming for the 2004 Paralympics. The 12 year old received the Junior Female Cerebral Palsy Swimmer of the year Award from Dawn Fraser at Homebush on February 16. She took half a second off the National record for the 50m butterfly and 4.5 seconds off the 100m butterfly at the State Championships in Homebush recently. The Previous record was set by 2000 Paralympian, Kate Bailey who took home a bronze medal at the Sydney games.
         Lauren took up swimming as a toddler to help her battle Sotos Syndrome with which 1 in 100,000 are born. Sotos Syndrome hinders development of gross motor skills. It also causes the feet and hands to grow large in proportion to the rest of the body. Despite her setbacks Lauren took up swimming and started competition when she was 5 years old, "I train six times a week," she said
          The Toongabbie teenager travels to Mt Druitt pool as she has built a good relationship with the coach Vanessa Haines who works there.
      "I have made a lot of friends through this," she said.
           Lauren is now training to compete in the 2004 Athens Paralympics.
Lauren Currently holds the S9 & under National Age records
for the following events as at 7/7/2001
50m Butterfly
100M Butterfly
200M Freestyle
400M Freestyle


Lauren laps up training
Gerard Sutton (Blacktown City Sun, Tues 27th June 2000)

         Popular theory suggests that swimming is a lonely sport. Hours are supposed to be spent in solitude pursuing that black line up and down the pool.
         Disabled swimmer Lauren Sinclair trains as hard as any aspiring athlete, but it would be easy to mistake her for just another youngester looking for a leisurely splash at Blacktown Pool. Eleven year old Lauren, breaks the water with a carefree smile, not the tortued expression of someone about to undertake hours of solid training. "She absolutely loves it" her mother, Donna, said."Lauren has to complete five sessions a week constantly throughout the year or her muscle tone drops very quickly."
        Lauren suffers from Sotos Syndrome, a rare genetic disorder causing physical overgrowth in the first years of her life. She originally took up swimming as a form of therapy, but it quickly became a passion.
          This year, Lauren posted two personal best times on her way to winning five individual gold medals and relay gold medals at the Pacific School Games. At just 11 years old, she was also the youngest athelete to try for a place on the Paralympic Games team. After missing selection, Lauren is firmly focused on Athens in 2004. "To be considered for the Paralympics team while still in Primary school is a remarkable thing," Donna said. "Lauren attends St Anthony's Primary at Giraween, and the school is highly supportive of their burgeoning swimming star. This year Lauren has spent a lot of time at competition and the school has done everthing possible to keep her up to speed. Hopefully, the same will happen when she goes to High School next year," Donna said. "She usually trains for a couple of hours after school, so it's quite late by the time we sit down to eat, then think about homework. We encourage Lauren to get as much as possible done on the one night she doesn't train"
        Lauren is now looking forward to the State Disability championships at Blacktown Pool in November, and is confident of qualifying for the nationals and adding to her loaded trophy cabinet.

(Personal note from her proud Grandparents)

      Lauren has has continued to achieve many goals in her life to date. She held most of the National Swimming Records for the under 13 year olds & in the 2000 Pacific School Games she competed in 7 events in the under 13 year olds (she was then still 11 years old) eventually winning 5 individual gold medals & 2  gold medals  in team relay events). She swims several personal best at every meet she attends and seems to absolutely thrive on competion. She continues to achieve as the years go by.
      In 1999 she made the preselection trials for the 2000 Paralympics, being the youngest person ever to achieve this honour. While she did not make the selected squad, to have been given the chance to compete was a wonderful achievement. She has currently been selected in a squad funded by the Dept of Sport to train for the 2004 paralympics in Athens. She holds world rankings in most disiplines,including 50m, 100m & 400m Freestyle as well as in Breaststroke, Butterfly & Backstroke. In training each day she swims 5Km before commencing her formal training.

Since 14th September, 2004

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Last Updated 6th November, 2005
Copyright © 2000 Barry Sinclair,

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