Simon Fairweather

With his parents being active archers and a private archery range in their backyard, it is no surprise that Simon Fairweather - like his sister Kate Fairweather - turned out to be an archer as well. He competed at his first Olympics at age 19 in Seoul. In 1991, he captured his first major title, winning the World Championships in Kraków (Poland) while also earning a team bronze. This built up Olympic expectations as well, but Fairweather couldn’t deliver in either Barcelona or Atlanta, his best result being a fourth place in the 1996 team event. With a coach from South Korea (the top archery nation), Fairweather gave it another try at his home Olympics in Sydney, and succeeded. His gold medal was Australia’s first Olympic medal in the sport. Retiring after his gold medal, he made a comeback to compete in the Athens Olympics, but without making an impact. After stepping away from competition Fairweather was appointed national team coach in 2009, but retired just two years later. Fairweather, who was educated as a jewelry designer, is married to Jackie Gallagher, winner of the 1996 triathlon world title.