Alexandra Lindsay "Alex" Croak (born 9 July 1984) is an Australian diver and gymnast who is a dual Olympic representative. She represented Australia as a gymnast at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney and after a strong performance at the 2008 Australian national Diving Championships, she was selected for Australia's diving team for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. She is the first Australian athlete to win gold medals at the Commonwealth games in two different disciplines (diving and gymnastics). She was also an Australian Institute of Sport gymnastics and diving scholarship holder.

Croak's parents were both enthusiastic sports people who encouraged their children to compete. Her sisters Emma and Rebecca were both swimmers who competed at national level. Croak on the other hand showed an aptitude for gymnastics. At the 2000 Olympics, she was part of the Australian women's team which placed 7th in the team competition. Two years later at the Manchester Commonwealth Games, she was part of the Australian team which won gold and she also won an individual silver medal in the vault.

Alex Croak

In 2003, she switched to diving and developed quickly enough to be selected for diving team at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne. There she won a silver medal with Melissa Wu in the 10-meter synchronized platform. Later that same year, she and Wu again won silver at the Grand Prix meeting in Rome.

Alex Croak

Croak qualified to compete in the 10 m platform at the Beijing Olympics. She qualified into the semifinals in fourth place but had a poor first dive and did not make the final.

Alex Croak

She finished second behind Melissa Wu in the 10 m platform at the 2009 Australian Diving Championships and was named on the team to compete in Rome in July.

Croak competed at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, in the 10 m platform and 10 m synchronised platform. Her gold medal with Melissa Wu in the synchro event has made Croak the first Australian athlete to win Commonwealth gold medals in two different sports.

References

External links

1984 births

Living people

Australian female divers

Australian female artistic gymnasts

Olympic gymnasts for Australia

Gymnasts at the 2000 Summer Olympics

Olympic divers for Australia

Divers at the 2008 Summer Olympics

Commonwealth Games gold medallists for Australia

Gymnasts at the 2002 Commonwealth Games

Divers at the 2006 Commonwealth Games

Divers at the 2010 Commonwealth Games

Commonwealth Games silver medallists for Australia

Commonwealth Games bronze medallists for Australia

Australian Institute of Sport divers

Australian Institute of Sport gymnasts

World Aquatics Championships medalists in diving

Commonwealth Games medallists in diving

Commonwealth Games medallists in gymnastics

People from Coffs Harbour

Sportswomen from New South Wales

20th-century Australian women

21st-century Australian women

Medallists at the 2002 Commonwealth Games

Medallists at the 2006 Commonwealth Games