Julia Kay Gaffney (born May 1, 2000) is an American Paralympic swimmer who competes in international level events. She was born with proximal femoral focal deficiency and had her right leg with amputated above the knee and her left leg amputated below the knee due to fibular hemimelia when she was born. [1] [2]
Gaffney was brought up in a Russian orphanage before being adopted by an American family from Arkansas when she was five years old.
Gaffney wanted to play softball but due to her disability circumstances she found it too difficult, she was then encouraged to take swimming lessons and started competing in 2014. Her first international debut in competitive swimming was in California at the World Para Swimming World Series, she met her idol Jessica Long and Paralympic swimming coach Queenie Nichols who both inspired and influenced her to continue her swimming efforts. [3]
At the 2017 World Para Swimming Championships in Mexico City, Gaffney won her first medals in the pool: five silver medals. In London, two years later at the 2019 World Para Swimming Championships, Gaffney became a world champion in the women's 200m individual medley SM7 where she was 0.02 seconds ahead of the defending champion Tess Routliffe and Mallory Weggemann. [4]
On April 14, 2022, Gaffney was named to the roster to represent the United States at the 2022 World Para Swimming Championships. [5] On April 29, 2023, Gaffney was named to the roster to represent the United States at the 2023 World Para Swimming Championships. [6]
Sandra "Sandy" Dukat is an American Paralympic athlete. Born with proximal femoral focal deficiency, she had her right leg amputated above the knee at the age of four. She has competed internationally in alpine skiing, swimming and triathlon. As of February 2013, she holds the marathon world record for above-knee amputee women.
Jessica Tatiana Long is a Russian-American Paralympic swimmer from Baltimore, Maryland, who competes in the S8, SB7 and SM8 category events. She has held many world records and competed at five Paralympic Games, winning 29 medals. She has won over 50 world championship medals.
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.
Ellie Victoria Cole, is an Australian retired Paralympic swimmer and wheelchair basketball player. After having her leg amputated due to cancer, she trained in swimming as part of her rehabilitation program and progressed more rapidly than instructors had predicted. She began competitive swimming in 2003 and first competed internationally at the 2006 IPC Swimming World Championships, where she won a silver medal. Since then, she has won medals in the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships, the Commonwealth Games, the Paralympic Games, the IPC Swimming World Championships, and various national championships.
Summer Ashley Mortimer is a Canadian-Dutch former paraswimmer who competed internationally for Canada, and later the Netherlands national paralympic team, an artist, a performing artist, and CBC Sports personality.
Mallory Weggemann is an American Paralympic swimmer.
Jesse Aungles is an Australian Paralympic swimmer. He represented Australia at the 2016 Summer Paralympics and the 2020 Summer Paralympics and has a been selected to compete at the 2024 Summer Paralympics in Paris, France.
Alice Tai, is a British paralympic swimmer. Tai competes in the SB8, SM8 and S8. She has represented Great Britain at European and World Championships and at the Commonwealth and Paralympic Games, gold medals at all levels.
Monique Murphy is an Australian Paralympic swimmer. She represented Australia at the 2016 Rio Paralympics where she won a silver medal.
Vanessa Low is a German-born Australian Paralympic athlete competing in T42 sprint and long jump events. Born in East Germany, she gained Australian nationality in June 2017.
Sergeant First Class Elizabeth Marks is an American Paralympic swimmer who specializes in the 100m breaststroke distance.
McKenzie Coan is an American swimmer. At the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London, she swam the 400m Freestyle in the S8 category. Coan was one of four S8 category swimmers chosen to compete for Team USA at the games. She later had her breakout games in the 2016 Summer Paralympics, where she would go on to win 3 gold medals in the category S7 50, 100, and 400M Freestyle races, with an additional silver medal in the 34-point women's 4 × 100 m Freestyle relay. In the process of getting her gold medal in the 50M Freestyle she also set a new Paralympic Record.
Hannah Elizabeth Aspden is an American Paralympic swimmer. She was the youngest swimmer on Team USA to medal at either the Olympics or Paralympics in 2016. During the 2019–20 season at Queens University of Charlotte, Aspden broke two American Paralympic Short Course Meters Swimming records in both the 100-Meter Backstroke and the 100-Meter Freestyle.
Elizabeth "Lizzi" Smith is an American Paralympic swimmer who competes in international level events. She was born without a left forearm due to amniotic band syndrome.
McClain Hermes or often known as Laurrie Hermes is an American Paralympic swimmer who competes in international elite competitions.
Anastasia Pagonis is an American Paralympic swimmer. She represented the United States at the 2020 Summer Paralympics. She is a world record and American record holder within the sport.
Gia Pergolini is an American Paralympic swimmer who represented the United States at the 2020 Summer Paralympics and won the gold medal at the 2024 Summer Paralympics where she is currently competing.
Leanne Smith is an American Paralympic swimmer who represented the United States at the 2020 Summer Paralympics.
Morgan Stickney is an American Paralympic swimmer who represented the United States at the 2020 Summer Paralympics.
Mikaela Jenkins is an American former Paralympic swimmer who represented the United States at the 2020 Summer Paralympics.
| Qualification |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Men's team | ||
| Women's team |
| |
| Qualification | | |
|---|---|---|
| Men's team | ||
| Alternates | ||
| Women's team |
| |
| Alternates | ||
