Dazed and sunburned, Diana Nyad walked out of the ocean - the first person to swim from Cuba to Florida without a shark cage.

Val Adams vs Lauren Boyle. It’s not a sporting contest you’re ever likely to see: the strong woman of the shot put up against the sleek champion of the pool.

Lauren Boyle became the first NZ woman to earn medals in the 40-year history of the world swimming championships when she took bronze in the 400m, 800m and 1500m freestyle events in Barcelona. Yet what do we know of her beyond the cap, togs and goggles?

Mary Fisher focuses on producing personal best performances each time she races; right now a bag of world championship titles are a splendid spinoff.

Three months of hard work is paying off for champion Paralympic swimmer Sophie Pascoe, after she collected her second gold medal at the world IPC championships.

Canterbury swimmer Sophie Pascoe has won her second gold medal at the IPC world swimming championships in Montreal.

Two events, two gold medals; Mary Fisher is maintaining a rousing run of form at the IPC world swimming championships in Montreal.

Kiwi swimmer Lauren Boyle has capped off a remarkable two weeks of her career with another world class performance in Berlin today.

Lauren Boyle's three world championship bronze medals have been a lifeline for Swimming New Zealand.

Sophie Pascoe trains about 26 hours in six days a week, has won a bundle of gold medals at the highest level and is among the country's best-known sports women.