Liesette Bruinsma (born 9 September 2000) is a Dutch Paralympic swimmer. [1] She competes in S11 classification events for athletes with visual impairments. She is the 2016 double Paralympic champion within her classification. She competed at the 2020 Summer Paralympics, in Women's 400 metre freestyle S11, and Women's 100 metre freestyle S11, winning two silver medals. [2]
Bruinsma first competed for the Netherlands at Glasgow in 2014. [3] Her first major international competition was the 2016 IPC Swimming European Championships in Funchal, where she competed in six events, and took a medal in five of them. Three of her Funchal medal's were gold: 400 m freestyle (S11), 100 m breaststroke (SB11) and the 200 m find. medley (SM11).
In the same year, Bruinsma made her Paralympic Games debut, winning five medals including two golds in the 200 metres individual medley and the 400 metres freestyle. [4]
The Netherlands did not send a team to the 2017 World Para Swimming Championships in Mexico city, but Bruinsma dominated at the 2018 World Para Swimming European Championships, winning four gold medals and breaking two world records, taking her tally of European Championships titles to seven.
During the 2020 Summer Paralympics, Bruinsma raised protests against the victory of Chinese swimmers, the Paralympics organizing committee then accepted her protest and decided to cancel the competition. This has led to huge anger and protest in Chinese social media, especially when the two Chinese swimmers suffered from visual impairments as well. The competition was repeated on 29 August 2021, and the two Chinese swimmers won the gold and silver again while Bruinsma finished fourth. [5] [6] [7]
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.
Dame Sarah Joanne Storey, is a British cyclist and swimmer, a multiple gold medallist in the Paralympic Games, and six times British (able-bodied) national track champion.
S11, SB11, SM11 are para-swimming classifications for blind swimmers.
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.
Hannah Russell, is a British Paralympic swimmer competing in S12 classification events. In 2012, she became British S12 champion in the 100m backstroke and qualified for the 2012 Summer Paralympic Games where she won a silver in the 400m freestyle and a bronze in the 100m butterfly. In the 2016 Summer Paralympic Games, she won the gold medal in the 100m backstroke with the time of 1:06:06 earning her the World Record.
Stephanie Millward is a British former Paralympic swimmer.
Daniela Schulte is a German Paralympic swimmer, competing in the S11 class. Having developed a genetically caused visual impairment aged nine, Schulte began to compete in swimming for competitors with a disability at the age of 13. A year later Schulte participated in the 1996 Summer Paralympics in Atlanta, winning gold medals with both the 4x100m freestyle and 4x100m medley relays B1-3 as well as two silver medals in the 100m freestyle and 200m individual medley B1 events. At the 2000 Summer Paralympics in Sydney, Schulte was able to add a silver medal in the 100m freestyle S11 to her tally.
Emily Beecroft is an Australian Paralympic swimmer. She represented Australia at the 2016 Rio Paralympics, 2020 Tokyo Paralympics and 2024 Paris Paralympics.
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. At the 2024 Paris Paralympics, she won the silver medal in the Women's 400 m Freestyle S9.
Oliwia Jablonska is a Polish Paralympic swimmer competing in S10 classification events.
Dimosthenis 'Dimos' Michalentzakis is a Greek Paralympic swimmer who competes in S9 and S8 classification events. He won Paralympic gold in the 100m butterfly S9 at 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro and Paralympic bronze in the 100m freestyle S8 at 2020 Summer Paralympics in Tokyo. He was born in Alexandroupoli in 19/10/1998 and he has origin from Feres. He holds the world record in 200 meters freestyle in his category with a performance of 2:07:16. The Municipal Swimming Pool of Alexandroupoli has his name.
The 2018 World Para Swimming European Championships, known for sponsorship reasons as the 2018 World Para Swimming Allianz European Championships took place in Dublin, Ireland from 13 to 19 August 2018. It was the 5th edition of the Championships, the first under the new World Para Swimming branding, and the first time Ireland had hosted. Ukraine topped the medal table for the fourth time in a row.
Nicole Turner, of Portarlington, County Laois, is an Irish para-swimmer, competing mainly in the S6, short stature category.
Thijs van Hofweegen is a Dutch Paralympic swimmer with cerebral palsy. He is a silver medalist at the 2016 Summer Paralympics held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and a gold medalist in several events at the 2018 World Para Swimming European Championships held in Dublin, Ireland. He also won the bronze medal in the men's 50 metre freestyle S6 event at the 2022 World Para Swimming Championships held in Madeira.
Morgan Bird is a Canadian Paralympic swimmer who competes in international level events, she specialises in freestyle. She won a bronze medal, at the 2020 Summer Paralympics, in Women's 34pts 4x100m relay. She is a double Parapan American Games champion and double World silver medalist.
Toni Stephanie Shaw is a British Paralympic swimmer. In 2019 she set the world record time for the S9 200m butterfly, and was also part of the team that set a new world record for the 4 × 100 m medley relay. At the 2020 Summer Paralympics, she won a bronze medal in the women's 400 metre freestyle S9 event and later went on to win gold at the 2022 World Para Swimming Championships, becoming the World Champion. She is a three-time World Champion and two-time European Champion.
Maryna Piddubna is a Ukrainian Paralympic swimmer.
Xenia Francesca Palazzo is an Italian Paralympic swimmer of Russian descent who competes in international level events, She competed at the 2016 Summer Paralympics, and 2020 Summer Paralympics, in Women's 100m Backstroke - S8, Women's 200 individual medley SM8 winning a silver medal, Women's 4×100 freestyle relay P34 winning a gold medal, Women's 400 freestyle S8 winning a bronze medal and in Women's 50 metre freestyle S8, winning a bronze medal.
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.
Edgaras Matakas is a Lithuanian Paralympic swimmer. He won bronze in the 50-metre freestyle S11 in 2020.
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