Layne Beachley

Layne Beachley
Beachley in August 2011
Personal information
Born	Tania Maris Gardner (1972-05-24) 24 May 1972 (age 44)
Residence	Manly, New South Wales Australia
Height	1.65 m (5 ft 5 in)
Surfing career
Major achievements	7 x World Champion 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2006 2004 Laureus World Alternative Sportsperson of the Year Award 2005 Teen Choice Awards Extreme Female Athlete of the Year Surfers' Hall of Fame (inducted 2006) Australian Sports Hall of Fame (inducted 2011) Officer of the Order of Australia (awarded 2015)

Layne Collette Beachley AO is a former professional surfer from Manly, New South Wales. She won the World Championship seven times. Currently she is one of the four vice presidents of the International Surfing Association (ISA) and sits on the organization's Executive Committee.

At the age of 16 Beachley became a professional surfer. By the age of 20 she was ranked sixth in the world. Beachley became the Women's ASP World Champion in 1998, and won the title again in 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2006. She is the first woman in history to gain 7 World Championships, six of them consecutive.

In 2004, Layne was given a wildcard entry into the Energy Australia Open held at Newcastle, one of the rare occasions a woman has competed in a men's surfing event.

In 2006, Layne was inducted into the Surfers' Hall of Fame.

Beachley announced on 10 October 2008 that she would retire due to her age.

She has appeared in the movies Blue Crush (2002), Billabong Odyssey (2003), Step into Liquid (2003), and the 2001 documentary 7 Girls.

Beachley narrates the Seven Network factual series Beach Cops.

Layne Beachley was born Tania Maris Gardner on 24 May 1972 in Sydney. Her mother was only 17 years old and unmarried so she was soon adopted by Neil and Valerie Beachley, who lived in nearby Manly. When Layne was only six years old, Valerie suffered a post-operative brain hemorrhage and died, leaving Layne and her brother to be raised by Neil. Beachley has spoken publicly about personal struggles, including the fact that she was conceived during a date rape and later adopted out. She met her biological mother for the first time in 1999. Her biological mother already had a nickname for her, beach. Beachley was brought up in the competitive Manly surfing scene and was competing and winning against men's heats at 15. It is thought that here is where she had developed her strength and style that would make her an unbeaten world champion and big wave rider. Beachley was always available when possible for any worthwhile cause in the community whether it was for sewerage outfall protests or promoting the sport and charities that she is close to.