Hayley Lewis

At just 15 years old and still in high school, Hayley Lewis became a household name when she stunned the world with five gold medals at the 1990 Commonwealth Games in Auckland. The Brisbane-born swimmer not only captured the hearts of Australians but also carved her name in history as one of the country’s greatest swimming champions.

At the 1991 World Championships in Perth, Hayley amazed an ecstatic Perth crowd by winning gold in the 200-metre freestyle, silvers in the 400-metre freestyle and 400-metre individual medley, and bronze in the 200-metre butterfly. Her competitive spirit was unstoppable. Over the next decade, she competed in three Olympic Games, securing a silver and bronze in Barcelona in 1992, and a bronze in open water swimming at the 2001 World Aquatics Championships.

Despite battling illness in the mid-1990s, Hayley’s resilience earned her the title of Female Distance Swimmer of the Year in 1996. She continued competing at the highest levels, cementing her legacy as an enduring force in Australian swimming. In 1997, Hayley was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame.

Following her retirement, Hayley transitioned seamlessly into business and media. She pioneered Australia’s first ever swim school inside a major shopping centre in Brisbane, opened a thriving gift store, ‘Coming Up Roses’, and authored the motivational business book ‘Dream, Believe, Create: A Woman’s Guide to Small Business’. Hayley’s charisma and unwavering commitment to inspiring others to achieve their best was further showcased in her hosting role on Channel Ten’s ‘The Biggest Loser’ from 2010 to 2014. She could also be seen sharing her knowledge of swimming with the Australian audiences in her role with Channel 7, commentating the Commonwealth Games in Manchester.

Beyond her professional accomplishments, Hayley remains dedicated to family and community. Married to her childhood sweetheart, Greg Taylor, since 1997, she’s the proud mother of two sons, Jacob and Kai. In a touching continuation of her swimming legacy, Kai Taylor represented Australia at the 2024 Summer Olympics, bringing home a silver medal in the 4x100-metre freestyle relay. Additionally, the birth of her first son in 1998 prompted Hayley’s passion to become a positive voice in encouraging women, particularly young mothers, to keep healthy and active in such an important part of their lives.

Whether she's motivating audiences as a highly sought-after motivational keynote speaker, or balancing the demands of business and family, Hayley Lewis is the perfect embodiment of resilience, determination, and a relentless drive to succeed. Her story is one of triumph in the pool, inspiration on stage, and innovation in business, proof that with passion and perseverance, anything is possible.