Paula Newby Fraser

Paula Newby-Fraser was born in Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) and raised in South Africa, where she was a nationally-ranked swimmer as a child.

She won the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii 8 times in 1986, 1988–1989, 1991–1994, and 1996. She is also referred to as "The Queen of Kona". Over 12 years Newby-Fraser won 21 of 26 Ironman races she has entered around the globe, and dozens of shorter races too.

Newby-Fraser won 24 Ironman races overall between 1986 and 2002. In the '90s, she also competed in long distance duathlons like the PowerMan Zofingen, Switzerland and the 1990 World Duathon Championships in Palm Springs. She beat the Queen of the Duathlon, Liz Downing.

Among numerous other awards, the United States Sports Academy named her as one of the top 5 professional women athletes of the last 25 years (1972–1997). Paula Newby-Fraser held the Ironman Women's world record of 8:50:28, until 2008-07-13, when Yvonne van Vlerken of the Netherlands posted a time of 8:45:48. Paula Newby-Fraser is regarded as an icon for the Ironman distance in triathlon.