| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Helena Martha Brunner | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nationality |  Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 1957/1958 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Helena Martha Brunner, OAM, [1] (born 1957 or 1958[ citation needed ]) is an Australian swimmer, who won seven medals at the 1984 New York/Stoke Mandeville Games.
As a teenager, Brunner represented her state of New South Wales in national able-bodied swimming competitions, but she quit swimming at the age of seventeen; she was then briefly interested in water polo. [2] After finishing school, she attended Goulburn College of Advanced Education. [2]
In 1978 at the age of 20, she had a severe motorcycle accident while delivering mail for Australia Post; as a result, her right leg was amputated below the knee two years later. During her rehabilitation, she met someone who suggested that she take up swimming again. [2]
Eighteen months after the 1984 Paralympics, she had a daughter. She also worked as a teacher. [2]
At the 1984 New York/Stoke Mandeville Paralympics, Brunner won five gold medals in the Women's 100 m Backstroke A4, Women's 100 m Freestyle A4, Women's 400 m Freestyle A4, Women's 4x100 m Freestyle Relay A1–A9, and Women's 4x100 m Individual Medley Relay A1–A9 events, a silver medal in the Women's 200 m Individual Medley A4 event, and a bronze medal in the Women's 100 m Breaststroke A4 event. [2] [3] [4] She broke five world records at the 1984 games and fourteen throughout her career. Some of them still stand; however, the classification system for swimming has since been changed. [2]
In 1985, Brunner received a Medal of the Order of Australia "in recognition of service to the sport of swimming". [1] She presented the floral tributes to medallists in the amputee swimming events at the 2000 Sydney Paralympics. [2]
Benjamin James Austin, OAM is an Australian Elite Athlete with a Disability (EAD) swimmer. His classification is S8.
Melissa Paula Carlton, OAM is a South African-born Australian swimmer. Born with no right leg and short fingers on her left hand, she won gold, silver and bronze medals for Australia at both the 1996 Atlanta and 2000 Sydney Paralympics.
Meredith Evans is an Australian Paralympic swimmer. At the 1984 New York/Stoke Mandeville Paralympics, she won a silver medal in the Women's 100 m Breaststroke A4 event and four bronze medals in the Women's 100 m Backstroke A4, Women's 100 m Freestyle A4, Women's 400 m Freestyle A4, and Women's 200 m Individual Medley A4 events.
Francesca Jean Halsall is a retired English competitive swimmer who has represented Great Britain at the Olympics, FINA world championships, and European championships, and England at the Commonwealth Games. She competed primarily in freestyle and butterfly events.
Uri Bergman is an Israeli paralympic swimming champion. He competed at the 1976, 1980, and 1984, and 1988 Summer Paralympics.
Ron (Roni) Bolotin is an Israeli paralympic swimming champion.
Alicia Jayne Coutts, is an Australian competitive medley, butterfly and freestyle swimmer. She represented Australia at the 2008 Summer Olympics, 2012 Summer Olympics and the 2010 Commonwealth Games. She was a Swimming Australia National Training Centre scholarship holder and was coached by John Fowlie. Her haul of five medals at the 2012 Summer Olympics matches fellow Australians Ian Thorpe and Shane Gould in one single Olympics, and trails only Emma McKeon’s seven.
Shlomo Pinto was an Israeli paralympic champion.
Gary Gudgeon is an Australian Paralympic swimmer. At the 1980 Arnhem Games, he won a gold medal in the Men's 400 m Freestyle C–D event, two silver medals in the Men's 100 m Backstroke C–D and Men's 4x50 m Individual Medley C events, and a bronze medal in the Men's 100 m Freestyle C–D event. At the 1984 New York/Stoke Mandeville Games, he won four gold medals in the Men's 100 m Breaststroke A4, Men's 100 m Butterfly A4, Men's 200 m Individual Medley A4 and Men's 400 m Freestyle A4 events, and a silver medal in the Men's 100 m Backstroke A4 event.
Gregory John Hammond , OAM is an Australian Paralympic swimmer who also competed at an international level in sailing and volleyball.
Lynette Margaret "Lyn" Lillecrapp, OAM is an Australian Paralympic swimmer. She contracted paralytic polio at the age of two months. Lillecrapp started her competitive swimming career in 1974, and competed at the 1976 Toronto, 1988 Seoul and 1992 Barcelona Summer Paralympics.
Michael Anderson, is an Australian Paralympic swimmer who has won gold, silver and bronze medals at the three Paralympics from 2008 to 2016.
Annabelle Williams, is a Paralympic swimming competitor from Australia. She has a congenital limb deficiency. She appeared in Mad Max 4. Representing Australia, she has won a gold medal at the 2012 London Paralympic Games in the 4 × 100 m medley relay, a bronze medal at the 2008 Summer Paralympics in the Women's 100 m Butterfly S9. At the 2006 Commonwealth Games, she earned a silver medal in the Women's 50 m Freestyle S9 and a bronze in the Women's 100 m Multi Disability Freestyle. At the 2010 Commonwealth Games, she earned a silver in the Women's 50 m Freestyle S9 event.
Maddison Gae Elliott, is an Australian swimmer. At the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London, she became the youngest Australian Paralympic medallist by winning bronze medals in the women's 400 m and 100 m freestyle S8 events. She then became the youngest Australian gold medallist when she was a member of the women's 4 × 100 m freestyle relay 34 points team. At the 2016 Rio Paralympics, she won three gold and two silver medals.
Abbigail "Abbey" Weitzeil is an American competition swimmer specializing in sprint freestyle. A multiple time Olympic medalist, she won a gold medal in the 4x100-meter medley relay for swimming in the preliminary heats and a silver medal in the 4x100-meter freestyle relay at the 2016 Rio Olympics. At the 2020 Summer Olympics she won a silver medal in the 4x100-meter medley relay and a bronze medal in the 4x100-meter freestyle relay, swimming in the final of both events. She is the American record holder in the 50-yard freestyle and is part of the American Record in the 4x100-meter freestyle relay.
Lakeisha Dawn Patterson, is an Australian Paralympic swimmer. She won medals at the 2014 Commonwealth Games and 2015 IPC Swimming World Championships. At the 2016 Rio Paralympics, she won Australia's first gold medal of the Games in a world record time swim in the Women's 400m freestyle S8. At the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics, she won the gold medal in the Women's 400 m Freestyle S9.
Kenneth Cairns MBE is a British swimmer who won five Paralympic gold medals across five Games, along with several world titles. He broke several records in swimming events, and was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2001 New Year Honours for services to disabled sports.
Ana María Peiró is a Spanish paralympic athlete who competed in Para swimming. She won eight medals at the 1984 Summer Paralympics and 1988 Summer Paralympics.
Manuela Aguilera is a Spanish Paralympic swimmer. She won three medals at the 1984 New York and Stoke Mandeville Paralympics.
Pilar Javaloyas is a Spanish paralympic athlete who competed in Para swimming. She won eleven medals at the 1980, 1984, and 1988 Summer Paralympics.
