| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Irish |
| Born | 6 June 1989 Wicklow, Ireland |
| Education | University College Dublin |
Helen Kearney (born 6 June 1989) is an Irish Paralympic equestrian. She won three medals in the 2012 Summer Paralympics and also competed in the 2016 Summer Paralympics.
Kearney was born on 6 June 1989 in Wicklow, Ireland. [1] She was educated at Newbridge College. [2] When she was 10 years old, her parents enrolled her and her sister in horse riding lessons. [3] Two years later, she was diagnosed with Friedreich's ataxia during an operation for scoliosis. [4]
Kearney began competed in Grade III in 2008 before being reclassified as 1A. In this classification, she won Ireland’s first European para-equestrian medal with a bronze. [5] Kearney subsequently became the first member of Para Equestrian Ireland to earn a medal in the 2011 European Championships. [6]
As a student at the University College Dublin, she qualified for the 2012 Summer Paralympics and earned three medals. [7] Kearney earned a silver medal in the Individual championship test grade Ia and a Bronze Medal in the team event. [8] Her last medal came in the Individual freestyle test grade Ia where she won bronze. [9]
In 2016, Kearney was again selected to compete with Team Ireland at the 2016 Summer Paralympics. [10] During the Grade 1a Individual Championship, she finished in 12th place. [11]
Dame Sophie Frances Pascoe is a New Zealand para-swimmer. She has represented New Zealand at four Summer Paralympic Games from 2008, winning a total of eleven gold medals, seven silver medals and one bronze medal, making her New Zealand's most successful Paralympian. She has also represented New Zealand at the Commonwealth Games.
Laurentia Tan Yen Yi BBM PBM, is a United Kingdom-based Singaporean para-equestrian competitor. Tan developed cerebral palsy and profound deafness after birth, and moved to the United Kingdom with her parents at the age of three. She took up horse riding at age of five years as a form of physiotherapy. She subsequently completed her A-levels at the Mary Hare Grammar School, a residential special school for the deaf, and graduated with an honours degree from Oxford Brookes University in hospitality management and tourism.
Catherine Mary Walsh is a visually impaired athlete from Ireland. She has competed internationally in both athletics and cycling, winning Paralympic medals in both.
Dame Sarah Joanne Storey, is a British Paralympic athlete in cycling and swimming, and a multiple gold medalist in the Paralympic Games, and six times British (able-bodied) national track champion. Her total of 28 Paralympic medals including 17 gold medals makes her the most successful and most decorated British Paralympian of all time as well as one of the most decorated Paralympic athletes of all time. She has the unique distinction of winning five gold medals in Paralympics before turning 19.
Sophie Margaret Christiansen, CBE is an English equestrian who has competed in four successive Paralympic Games. In 2012 and 2016 she gained three gold medals at the Paralympics. In 2008 she won two gold medals and a silver at the Beijing Paralympics whilst studying for a master's degree in mathematics at Royal Holloway, University of London. She works as a software developer at investment bank, Goldman Sachs and as a disability campaigner. She qualified for the postponed 2020 Summer Paralympics but had to drop out due to her horse not being fit.
Rosalie Fahey is a Paralympic equestrian competitor from Australia. She won a bronze medal at the 2000 Sydney Games in the Mixed Dressage – Championship grade I event.
Simone Kennedy is an English-born Australian cyclist. She represented Australia at the 2012 Summer Paralympics and won a silver medal in the individual pursuit C1-3. She represented Australia at the 2016 Rio Paralympics.
Alexandra Lisney is an Australian rower and cyclist. She won a bronze medal in the Women's Individual Pursuit C4 at the 2012 Summer Paralympics. She represented Australian at the 2016 Rio Paralympics.
Hannah Dodd is an Australian Grade IV equestrian and 1.0 point wheelchair basketball player who represented Australia in equestrian at the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London, coming 11th and 12th in her events. Switching to wheelchair basketball, she made her debut with the national team at the Osaka Cup in February 2015.
Grace Bowman is an Australian equestrian. She was selected to represent Australia at the 2012 Summer Paralympics in the equestrian event. She did not medal at the 2012 Games.
Sophie Wells is a British para-equestrian who won three medals at the 2012 Summer Paralympics, and 2 Golds and 1 Silver at the 2016 Rio Paralympics, and most recently Team Gold & Individual Silver at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics.
Nikita Stevie Howarth is a New Zealand para-cyclist and para-swimmer. She became New Zealand's youngest ever Paralympian after being selected for the 2012 Summer Paralympics, aged 13 years 8 months. She again represented New Zealand at the 2016 Summer Paralympics, where she won the gold medal in the women's 200 metre individual medley SM7 and the bronze medal in the women's 50 metre butterfly S7.
Lauren Barwick is a member of the Canadian Equestrian Team, in grade II Para-Dressage, who has competed in the 2004, 2008 and 2012 Paralympic Games. She won three medals in those games. Barwick has featured in CBC's Heartland and has several awards.
Sharon Jarvis is an Australian para-equestrian. She represented Australia at the three Summer Paralympics - 2008 Beijing, 2016 Rio and 2020 Tokyo.
Marieke Vervoort was a Belgian Paralympic athlete who suffered from reflex sympathetic dystrophy. She won several medals at Paralympics, and she received worldwide attention in 2016 when she revealed that she was considering euthanasia.
Ellen Keane is an Irish Paralympic swimmer competing in S9, SM9 and SB8 classification events.
Katie-George Dunlevy is an English-born Paralympic cyclist competing in tandem events for Ireland, and formerly a rower competing for Great Britain in the 4+ Mixed LTA class.
Nicole Turner, of Portarlington, Laois, is an Irish para-swimmer, competing mainly in the S6, Short Stature category.
Georgia Wilson is a British equestrian, who won bronze in the individual championship test grade II and individual freestyle test grade II events at the 2020 Summer Paralympics. She also won the individual championship grade II event at the 2019 FEI European Championships.
Suzanna Hext is a British swimmer and equestrian, who won three gold medals in dressage at the 2017 FEI European Championships, and two medals at the 2019 World Para Swimming Championships. She finished fourth in two S5 swimming events at the 2020 Summer Paralympics.
