Annette Cowley-Nel
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| National team |  South Africa England |
| Born | Annette Cowley 6 January 1967 |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Swimming |
| College team | Western Province |
Annette Cowley-Nel (née Cowley, born 1967) is a retired international freestyle swimmer. She was born in South Africa to an English mother[1] and lived in Boston, Bellville.[2]
In the 1986 she moved to the UK and hoped to represent England in the 100m Freestyle at the 1986 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh. Her time in her Commonwealth trial was faster than the eventual gold medal time, and she would have been favourite to win the race.[1] However, she was disqualified, with Zola Budd,[3] on residency grounds. At the time, South Africa was subject to an international boycott in protest of the Apartheid government. The ban was upheld by the High Court, and Cowley-Nel was unable to compete.[4] She was subsequently unable to compete for South Africa after the country's readmittance to international sport, as she had previously represented England.
She won the 1986 ASA National Championship 100 metres freestyle title and the 200 metres freestyle.[5]
Personal life
In her youth, Cowley-Nel lived in the United States and studied in Texas.[6] She is married to Jeremy Nel, with whom she owns Luxury Brands, a marketing and communications agency.[7] The couple have twins girls Olivia and Georgia who will both represent South Africa at the 2026 Commonwealth Games.[6]
References
- 1 2 Fraser, Graham. "Boycotts and Broken Dreams: The 1986 Commonwealth Games". BBC.
- ↑ "Annette Cowley". Retrieved 10 May 2020.
- ↑ "The history of competitive water sports in southern Africa". Archived from the original on 19 January 2012.
- ↑ Alexander, Douglas. "'I put on a brave face but I did cry'". Sunday Times. Archived from the original on 8 August 2014.
- ↑ ""Mother is the inspiration." Times, 2 June 1986, p. 38". Times Digital Archive.
- 1 2 Fraser, Graham (24 June 2026). "Banned swimmer's daughters to realise family's Commonwealth Games dream". BBC News.
- ↑ "Luxury Brands info".
- 1967 births
- Living people
- South African female swimmers
- South African female freestyle swimmers
- English female freestyle swimmers
- British female freestyle swimmers
- South African people of English descent
- Sportspeople from Bellville, South Africa
- 20th-century English sportswomen
- South African expatriate swimmers in the United States
- English expatriate sportspeople in the United States
- South African swimming biography stubs