from yet another shoulder reconstruction. In 2004, Thomas made another comeback at the Olympic selection trials in Sydney while training with the Ginninderra Swimming Club. She broke the Commonwealth records in the 50-metre and 100-metre butterfly, set new personal best times in the 100-metre freestyle, 200-metre freestyle and narrowly missed the world record in the 200-metre butterfly. After having missed out on first place in 1996 and 2000, Thomas finally achieved gold at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. She won the individual 100-metre butterfly, and was a part of two world record-setting teams in the 4×100-metre freestyle and 4×100-metre medley relays. She was subsequently chosen to carry the Australian flag at the closing ceremony. Thomas announced her retirement from competitive swimming at the conclusion of the games. In mid-2005, Thomas released an autobiography, Swimming Against The Tide, in which she describes her career, including her experiences with depression and injuries. She currently resides in Amaroo, Canberra, with her husband, Julian Jones, the head strength and conditioning coach at the AIS. They have two children. Thomas manages the Swimming Australia National Training Centre at the AIS. She served as Chef de Mission of the Australian team at the 2022 Commonwealth Games held in Birmingham, England. Recognition 1996 – Australian Institute of Sport Swimming Hall of Fame inductee 2001 – AIS Athlete of the Year (with gymnast Philippe Rizzo) 2002 – AIS Athlete of the Year 2006 – AIS 'Best of the Best' inductee 2007 – Sport Australia Hall of Fame inductee 2022 – University of Canberra Sport Walk of Fame inaugural inductee 2022 – Australian Institute of Sport Leadership Award See also List of Olympic medalists in swimming (women) List of Commonwealth Games medallists in swimming (women) List of multiple Summer Olympic medalists World record progression 4 × 100 metres freestyle relay World record progression 4 × 100 metres medley relay References External links 1975 births Living people Sportswomen from New South Wales Olympic swimmers of Australia Swimmers at the 1996 Summer Olympics Swimmers at the 2000 Summer Olympics Swimmers at the 2004 Summer Olympics Olympic gold medalists for Australia Olympic silver medalists for Australia Olympic bronze medalists for Australia Commonwealth Games gold medallists for Australia Commonwealth Games silver medallists for Australia Commonwealth Games bronze medallists for Australia Recipients of the Medal of the Order of Australia Sport Australia Hall of Fame inductees Australian Institute of Sport swimmers World record