| Rank | Event | Year | Location | |
| Olympic Games | ||||
| 3 | Women | 2008 | Beijing, CHN | |
| 4 | Women | 2004 | Athens, GRE | |
| World Championship | ||||
| 2 | Women | 2007 | Melbourne, VIC, AUS | |
| 5 | Women | 2011 | Shanghai, CHN | |
| 6 | Women | 2009 | Rome, ITA | |
| World League | ||||
| 2 | Women | 2012 | ||
| 2 | Women | 2010 | ||
| 3 | Women | 2009 | Kirishi, RUS | |
| World Cup | ||||
| 2 | Women | 2010 | Christchurch, NZL | |
Nickname
Mel (Australian Water Polo, 16 Jun 2003)
Hobbies
Reading, watching movies, catching up with friends and family. (Australian Water Polo, 29 Jun 2009; ausport.gov.au, 17 Jul 2011; thesportsvault.com.au, 20 Apr 2012)
Occupation
Development Officer
Education
Health Science - Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, AUS
Language(s) spoken
English
Club name
Brisbane Barracudas, Brisbane, QLD, AUS
Coach
Greg McFadden [national] (olympics.com.au, 12 Jun 2012)
Position and style
Utility (barracudaswp.com.au, 17 Jul 2011)
Handedness
Right (barracudaswp.com.au, 17 Jul 2011)
Other sports
Her older sister Rebecca, and step-sister Kate Gynther have also represented Australia in water polo. Rebecca has also represented Australia in open water swimming. (Australian Water Polo, 29 Jun 2009; ausport.gov.au, 17 Jul 2011) She is related to Nicholas Shehadie, an Australian rugby union player and former lord mayor of Sydney, Australia. (olympics.com.au, 12 Jun 2012)
Debut
2003 for Australia, World Championships (Spain) (Australian Water Polo, 27 Mar 2008)
Injuries
Wrist surgery prevented her from playing at the Sydney 2000 Olympics. (canberratimes.com.au, 21 Feb 2012)
Additional information
Start of sporting career
She began playing water polo at age 13 at Sefton High School in Sydney, Australia. (ausport.gov.au, 17 Jul 2011)
Reason for taking up this sport
Her sister and two brothers played water polo at the same high school and she was filling in because the team needed another player. (ausport.gov.au, 17 Jul 2011; beijing2008.olympics.com.au, 17 Jul 2011)
Ambitions
To win a gold medal at the 2012 Olympic Games in London. (ausport.gov.au, 17 Jul 2011)
Most memorable sporting achievement
Competing at her first Olympic Games in 2004, winning a World Cup gold medal in 2006 and winning a bronze medal at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. (ausport.gov.au, 17 Jul 2011; qasport.qld.gov.au, 16 Mar 2010)
Hero
US basketballer Michael Jordan. (qasport.qld.gov.au, 08 Feb 2008)
Most influential person in career
Her family. (qasport.qld.gov.au, 08 Feb 2008)
Superstitions / Rituals
She chews gum while warming up because it helps her to keep her mind off her pre-game nerves. "School teachers won't like me saying this but I stick the gum under the goal or under a chair poolside. I feel naked without it now, chewing just helps take the mind off things in the warm-ups." (AIS, 03 Dec 2003; dailytelegraph.com.au, 01 May 2012)
Sporting philosophy / motto
"No regrets." (olympics.com.au, 12 Jun 2012)
Awards
She became the first Australian woman to play 300 water polo matches at international level. (olympics.com.au, 02 Jun 2012)
Winner of an Australian Institute of Sport [AIS] Achievement Award in 2006 and 2007. (ausport.gov.au, 27 Mar 2008)
She was named on the 2007 World Championships All-Star team. (barracudaswp.com.au, 27 Mar 2008)
General
TATTOO
She and her sister, Rebecca, and step-sister, Kate Gynther, have a tattoo of the Olympic rings on their right feet. (adelaidenow.com.au, 24 Jun 2008)
COACHING
She is transitioning to high performance coaching through the Australian Sports Commission's National Coach Scholarship Program. (ausport.gov.au, 17 Jul 2011)
Previous Olympics
Beijing 2008, Athens 2004
