Helen Denman

{{Short description|Australian swimmer}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2014}}

{{Use Australian English|date=September 2014}}

{{BLP sources|date=March 2012}}

{{Infobox swimmer

| name = Helen Denman

| image =

| image_size =

| alt =

| caption =

| fullname = Helen Jennifer Denman

| nicknames =

| national_team = {{AUS}}

| strokes = Breaststroke

| club = Southside Dolphins

| coach =

| collegeteam =

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1976|9|4|df=y}}

| birth_place = Perth, Western Australia

| death_date =

| death_place =

| height = {{convert|1.82|m|ftin|abbr=on}}

| weight = {{convert|70|kg|lb|0|abbr=on}}

| medaltemplates =

{{MedalSport | Women's swimming}}

{{MedalCountry | Australia}}

{{MedalCompetition | Olympic Games}}

{{MedalSilver| 1996 Atlanta | 4×100 m medley}}

{{MedalCompetition | World Championships (LC)}}

{{MedalSilver | 1998 Perth | 100 m breaststroke}}

{{MedalSilver | 1998 Perth | 4×100 m medley}}

{{MedalCompetition | Commonwealth Games}}

{{MedalGold | 1998 Kuala Lumpur | 100 m breaststroke}}

{{MedalGold | 1998 Kuala Lumpur | 4×100 m medley}}

{{MedalCompetition | Universiade}}

{{MedalSilver | 1995 Fukuoka | 100 m breaststroke}}

}}

Helen Jennifer Denman (born 4 September 1976) is an Australian breaststroke swimmer of the 1990s, who won a silver medal in the 4×100-metre medley relay at the 1996 Summer Olympics.[https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/de/helen-denman-1.html Olympic results] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121111132255/http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/de/helen-denman-1.html |date=11 November 2012 }} She won an individual silver medal in the 100-metre breaststroke at the 1998 World Aquatics Championships.

Denman qualified for her first international team at the Australian Championships in 1996, after winning the 100-metre breaststroke.

At the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Denman placed 11th in the 100-metre breaststroke, but fellow Australian Samantha Riley won the bronze medal. This meant that Denman swum the breaststroke leg in the heats of the 4×100-metre medley relay, before being replaced by Riley in the team that trailed the United States team home in the final.

Competing in front of a partisan home crowd at the 1998 World Championships in Perth, Denman set a personal best in winning silver in the 100-metre breaststroke, pushing American Kristy Kowal to within an arm's length. She also combined with Meredith Smith, Petria Thomas and Susie O'Neill in the final of the 4×100-metre medley relay to claim silver behind the Americans.

At the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Denman claimed gold in the 100 m breaststroke and the 4×100-metre medley relay. In 1999 she was omitted from the Australian national team, and in 2000 she made an unsuccessful attempt to qualify for the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney.