Beachley, Layne Collette (1972 - )

Layne Beachely is a professional surfer from Manly in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. In 2007 she is regarded as the best female professional surfer in history, having won the World Championship an unprecedented seven times.

As a girl, Layne Beachley loved competitive sport, which no doubt assisted her to make a remarkable rise through the surfing rank. At the age of 16 she became professional, by the age of 20 she already ranked sixth in the world. Then in 1993 and 1996 she suffered from two episodes of chronic fatigue, which threatened to end her surfing career altogether. All but wiped out by this mental, physical and emotional challenge, Layne beat depression to stay focused on her ultimate goal - to be World Champion. She ahieved this goal in 1998 when she won the first of six consecutive World Surfing Titles, going on to rewrite history with the greatest number of consecutive World Championship victories recorded by anyone, male or female.

In 2003 Layne created the Aim for the Stars Foundation to support and promote the academic, sporting, community and cultural dreams of young women. She has also served on the board of international surfing's governing body, The Association of Surfing Professionals, in an effort to promote women's interests as the sport develops and grows.

Australian Women Exhibitions

• She's Game: Women Making Australian Sporting History, Australian Women's Archives Project, 2007, http://www.womenaustralia.info/exhib/sg/sport-home.html. [ Details... ]