View source for Natalie Cook

{{Short description|Australian beach volleyball player}}
{{For|the South Australian politician|Nat Cook}}
{{For|the British Model|Nathalie Cook}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2021}}
{{Infobox volleyball biography
| name             = Natalie Cook<br>{{nobold|{{post-nominals|country=AUS|OAM|size=90%}}}}
| image            = Natalie Cook at the Welcome Home parade in Sydney.jpg
| image_size       = <!-- Use only when absolutely necessary -->
| alt              = 
| caption          = 
| fullname         = Natalie Louise Cook<ref name=sports-reference />
| nickname         = 
| nationality      = 
| birth_date       = {{birth date and age|1975|1|19|df=y}}<ref name=sports-reference />
| birth_place      = [[Townsville]], [[Queensland]], Australia<ref name=sports-reference />
| height           = 181&nbsp;cm<ref name=sports-reference />
| weight           = 73&nbsp;kg<ref name=sports-reference />
| medaltemplates   = 
{{MedalSport | Women's [[beach volleyball]] }}
{{MedalCountry | {{AUS}} }}
{{MedalCompetition | [[Olympic Games]] }}
{{MedalGold | [[2000 Summer Olympics|2000 Sydney]] | [[Volleyball at the 2000 Summer Olympics – Women's beach volleyball|Beach]] }}
{{MedalBronze | [[1996 Summer Olympics|1996 Atlanta]] | [[Volleyball at the 1996 Summer Olympics – Women's beach volleyball|Beach]] }}
{{MedalCompetition | [[Swatch FIVB World Championships|World Championships]] }}
{{MedalBronze | [[2003 Beach Volleyball World Championships|2003 Rio de Janeiro]] | Beach }}
{{Medal|Competition|[[Asian Beach Volleyball Championships]]}}
{{Medal|Bronze|[[2011 Asian Beach Volleyball Championships|2011]]|Haikou}}
| medaltemplates-title = 
| updated          = 4 June 2015
}}

'''Natalie Louise Cook''' (born 19 January 1975) is an Australian professional [[beach volleyball]] player and [[Summer Olympics|Olympic]] gold medallist.<ref name=sports-reference>{{cite Sports-Reference |title=Natalie Cook |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/co/natalie-cook-1.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417235635/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/co/natalie-cook-1.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=17 April 2020 |access-date=4 June 2015}}</ref> She became the first Australian woman to compete at five Olympic Games.<ref>{{cite web |title=Nat Cook |url=http://corporate.olympics.com.au/athlete/nat-cook |website=corporate.olympics.com.au |publisher=[[Australian Olympic Committee]] | access-date=4 June 2015}}</ref>

==Early life==
Cook was born in [[Townsville]], [[Queensland]]. She was the [[dux]] of her school, Corinda State High (located in the western suburbs of Brisbane). {{citation needed|date=September 2012}} She enrolled in pre-medicine college courses, and also took up [[volleyball]], captaining the Australian Indoor Junior Team in 1992. In 1993 she began playing [[beach volleyball]]. In 1994 she went professional and gave up her pursuit of a medical degree. {{citation needed|date=September 2012}}

==Career==
[[File:Beach volley at the Beijing Olympics - Brazil v. Australia (2).jpg|left|upright|thumb|Cook (in yellow) in the [[2008 Summer Olympics]] quarterfinals vs Brazil.]]
Cook partnered with [[Kerri Pottharst]] to represent Australia at the [[1996 Summer Olympics|Atlanta Olympics]] in 1996,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Natalie COOK|url=https://olympics.com/en/athletes/natalie-cook|access-date=2022-01-18|website=Olympics.com}}</ref> winning a bronze medal—the first time that beach volleyball had been an Olympic sport. In the same year, the pair won a silver medal at the world championships, and came first in the World Tour Event in Japan.

Cook and Pottharst did not play together again until 2000. They finished third in the World Tour Events, held in France and Portugal, and then participated in the [[2000 Summer Olympics]] in Sydney. They dominated the competition, winning the gold medal. In the aftermath of their Olympic win, the pair were awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia. Cook and Pottharst were included in the [[Fédération Internationale de Volleyball]]'s Team of the Decade.
After the Olympics, Pottharst retired, and Cook found a new partner in [[Nicole Sanderson]]. They won a bronze medal at the [[2003 Beach Volleyball World Championships]] in [[Rio de Janeiro]], and by the end of the 2003 world tour, were ranked fourth in the world. They were subsequently selected to represent Australia at the [[2004 Summer Olympics|2004 Athens Olympics]]. After a promising start, they finished out of medal contention, losing to teams from [[Brazil]] and the United States.  For the [[2008 Summer Olympics]], Cook partnered with [[Tamsin Barnett]], finishing fifth overall.
On 1 August 2012, Cook's record breaking beach volleyball career came to an end with her elimination from her fifth games in London.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/london-olympics-2012/news/London-Olympics-Tearful-Cook-bows-out-of-fifth-Games/articleshow/15322077.cms |title=London Olympics: Tearful Cook bows out of fifth Games |website=[[The Times of India]] |access-date=2 August 2012}}</ref>

==Recognition==
In January 2001, Cook was awarded the [[Australian Sports Medal]].<ref>{{cite news|author=|date=16 January 2001|title=Award 970441|url=https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/970441|work=Australian Honours Search Facility|publisher=Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet|access-date=7 June 2024}}</ref>

Cook was also awarded the [[Medal of the Order of Australia]] in the [[2001 Australia Day Honours]] in recognition of her service to sport as a gold medallist at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.<ref>{{cite web|author=|date=26 January 2001|title=Award 886954|url=https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/886954|work=Australian Honours Search Facility|publisher=Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet|access-date=7 June 2024}}</ref>

In 2024, Cook was named as a [[Queensland Greats Awards|Queensland Great]].<ref>{{cite web|author=|date=7 June 2024|title=2024 Queensland Greats honoured on Queensland Day|url=https://statements.qld.gov.au/statements/100518|work=The Queensland Cabinet and Ministerial Directory|access-date=7 June 2024}}</ref>

==Personal life==
Cook currently resides in [[Brisbane]] and is married to fellow beach volleyballer [[Sarah Maxwell]].<ref>{{citation |url=http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,24730167-5012980,00.html |title=Gold medallist Natalie Cook marries Sarah Marshall |date=30 November 2008}}</ref> In addition to her sporting career, Cook tours on the public speaking circuit as a leading motivational speaker<ref>{{citation |url=http://www.nataliecook.com |title=Australian Motivational Speaker |date=11 May 2016}}</ref> attracting big audiences and launched her own beach volleyball-related business, ''Sandstorm'' at the [[Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre|QEII Stadium]] in Brisbane.<ref name="qnews">{{cite news |last1=Harper |first1=Nerelle |title=GOING FOR GOLD WITH NATALIE COOK |url=https://qnews.com.au/going-for-gold-with-natalie-cook/ |access-date=3 December 2024 |work=[[QNews]] |date=3 October 2015 |language=en-AU}}</ref>

==Books==
* ''Go Girl!'' (2001)
* ''Health & Wellbeing Millionaire''

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons}}
* {{Official website|http://www.nataliecook.com/}}
* {{Olympics.com profile|natalie-cook|org_archive=20190811121228}}
* {{Olympedia}}
* {{AOC profile}}
* {{SAHOF}}
* {{FIVB beach player}}
* {{Beach Volleyball Database}}

{{NavigationOlympicChampionsBeachVolleyball}}
{{Volleyball Hall of Fame members}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cook, Natalie}}
[[Category:1975 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Australian women's beach volleyball players]]
[[Category:Beach volleyball players at the 1996 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Beach volleyball players at the 2000 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Beach volleyball players at the 2004 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Beach volleyball players at the 2008 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Beach volleyball players at the 2012 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Olympic beach volleyball players for Australia]]
[[Category:Olympic bronze medalists for Australia]]
[[Category:Olympic gold medalists for Australia]]
[[Category:Olympic medalists in beach volleyball]]
[[Category:LGBTQ volleyball players]]
[[Category:Australian lesbian sportswomen]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Medal of the Order of Australia]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Townsville]]
[[Category:Sportswomen from Queensland]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 2000 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1996 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Sport Australia Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:International Volleyball Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:21st-century Australian sportswomen]]