Brooke Hanson: “I survived an electric shock in 2007”
Why an Australian national swimmer & Olympic gold medallist became a Jim’s Test & Tag ambassador
Brooke Hanson, OAM is a former Australian swimmer, world champion, and Olympic gold medallist.
Hanson started swimming at the tender age of four, and was the youngest Australian swimmer at the 1994 Commonwealth Games. She won a gold medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics as part of the Australian 4×100-metre medley relay team. At the same Olympics, she also won a silver medal in the 100-metre breaststroke.
In June 2007, Hanson suffered an apparent electric shock at a Melbourne trade exhibition after exiting a swim spa as part of a demonstration for a sponsor. A swim spa is a small pool which allows you to swim continuously against a strong current, and Hanson collapsed immediately after climbing out of the pool.
She was hospitalised after the event, having sustained injuries to her left shoulder and neck with severely inflamed muscles and joints. As a result, she had to undergo regular physiotherapy, massage, acupuncture, and daily icing as part of her rehabilitation. The incident also effectively ended her professional swimming career.
Hanson is now an ambassador of causes close to her heart. She has close ties to Jim’s Test & Tag and is a passionate advocate for electrical safety at home and in the workplace.
