Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Full name | Julia Kay Gaffney | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Born | Russia | May 1, 2000|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Home town | Mayflower, Arkansas, United States | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 5 ft 3 in (160 cm) (with prosthetics) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Weight | 100 lb (45 kg) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Country | United States | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sport | Paralympic swimming | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Disability | Proximal femoral focal deficiency Fibular hemimelia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Disability class | S7 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Club | AquaKids Swim Team, Conway, Arkansas | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Coached by | Tony Marleneanu | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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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 she 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 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]
Sarah Walsh is an Australian Paralympic amputee athlete. She represented Australia at the 2016 Rio Paralympics and 2020 Tokyo Paralympics in athletics.
Sophia Elizabeth Herzog is an American swimmer. She won a medal at the 2016 Paralympic Games. She competes in the Paralympic class SB6. She was named to the US National team in 2019.
Nadia Soledad Báez is a blind Argentine Paralympic swimmer who competes in international level events. She competed at the 2012 Summer Paralympics, winning a bronze medal. She competed at the 2020 Summer Paralympics.
Krystal Leesa Shaw is a Canadian Paralympic swimmer who competes in international level events.
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.
Andrew Haley is a retired Canadian Paralympic swimmer who competed in international level events. He was a three-time World champion, five-time Paralympic medalist and a Commonwealth champion.
Marianne Fredbo née Mæland is a former Norwegian Paralympic swimmer who competed in international level events. Her highest achievement is winning a bronze medal at the 2009 IPC Swimming World Championships in the 100 m breaststroke SB6. She has represented Norway at the 2008 and 2012 Summer Paralympics but did not medal. Fredbo's right arm and left leg were amputated in a lawnmower accident when she was four years old.
Giulia Terzi is an Italian Paralympic swimmer who competes in international level events. She was diagnosed with congenital scoliosis aged four. She competed at the 2020 Summer Paralympics, in Women's 4 × 50 mixed freestyle relay, winning a silver medal, and in Women's 50 metre butterfly S7 winning a bronze medal.
Jiang Yuyan is a Chinese Paralympic swimmer who competes in international level events. She was one of the youngest swimmers to participate in the 2019 World Para Swimming Championships where she won three gold medals and two bronze medals. She won the gold medal at the Women's 50m Butterfly S6 event at the 2020 Summer Paralympics with a world record of 34.56.
Francesco Bocciardo is an Italian Paralympic swimmer who competes in international level events. He is a triple World and European champion, he has participated at the 2012 Summer Paralympics and the 2016 Summer Paralympics where he was the Paralympic champion in the men's 400m freestyle S6.
Husnah Kukundakwe is a Ugandan swimmer who is currently the country's only classified paralympic swimmer. Her first appearance at the World Championships in London was mentioned among the International Paralympic Committee’s (IPC’s) Top 10 Moments of 2019.
Simone Barlaam is an Italian Paralympic swimmer who competes in international level events. He is a thirteen time World champion and eight time European champion. He competed at the 2020 Summer Paralympics, winning a gold medal.
Kristel Høj Walther is a Danish Paralympic athlete who competes in discus throw at international level events. She is a European silver medalist at the 2018 World Para Athletics European Championships. In 2008, she had her right leg amputated below the knee after she discovered an aggressive benign tumour in her heel bone.
Moisés Fuentes García is a Colombian Paralympic swimmer who competes in international level events. He is a triple Paralympic medalist, a World champion and a triple Parapan American Games champion.
Guillermo Osvaldo Marro is an Argentine Paralympic swimmer who competes in international elite events. He specialises in backstroke swimming. He is a triple Paralympic medalist, double World medalist and a triple Parapan American Games champion. He is highly regarded as Argentina's most successful Paralympic swimmer.
Fleur Jong is a Dutch Paralympic athlete. She won the gold medal in the women's long jump T64 event at the 2020 Summer Paralympics held in Tokyo, Japan. She also set a new world record of 6.16 metres. As of May 2022, her current world record in this event is 6.23 metres.
Snowboarding was one of the competitions at the 2022 Winter Paralympics in Beijing, China. In total, eight medal events were held.
Mami Tani née Sato is a Japanese paratriathlete and former long jumper. She was a World bronze medalist and has competed in three Paralympic Games in track and field, her highest achievement was reaching sixth place at the 2008 Summer Paralympics. Tani competed at the 2020 Summer Paralympics as a triathlete and finished in tenth position.
Beatriz Hatz is an American Paralympic athlete who competes in long jump and sprinting events at international track and field competitions. She was born without a fibula in her right leg and had the limb amputated below the knee when she was ten months old, she has also had surgical operations to straighten her knees.
Hope Gordon is a British paracanoeist and a para Nordic skier. She competed at the 2022 Winter Paralympics becoming Great Britain's first ever female para Nordic skier. She is a three-time World silver medalist in paracanoe.
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