 2016 Australian Paralympic team portrait of Rachael Watson | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Rachael Watson | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nationality | Australian | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 30 January 1992 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Swimming | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Classifications | S3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | Chandler Swimming Club | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coach | Matteo Melis | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Rachael Elizabeth Watson, OAM (born 30 January 1992) is an Australian Paralympic swimmer. Watson represented Australia at the 2016 Rio Paralympics winning gold in the 50m Freestyle S4, [1] a feat she repeated at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics. [2]
Watson was born on 30 January 1992. She is a triplet and has mild cerebral palsy however remained functionally independent and ambulant. In her early 20's she acquired Guillain Barre Syndrome that led to severe muscle weakness and peripheral nervous system damage resulting in quadriplegia requiring the use of a wheelchair. [3]
Watson took up swimming as part of her rehabilitation from Guillain Barre Syndrome. [3] The majority of competitions are held in a multi class (MC) format where each athlete swims against the world record for their classification and the swimmer with the highest point score wins the race. Watson has myopia and is unable to see the results score board at the end of the pool so remains unaware of her placing until she is told. Watson has recently been reclassified in 2024 to an S3 swimmer due to her degenerative neurological condition.
At the 2016 Rio Paralympics, Watson won the gold medal in the Women's 50m Freestyle S4 in a Paralympic record time of 40.13. Watson became the first swimmer classed S5 or below, to win gold for Australia this millennium. [4]
Watson qualified for the 2017 World Championships but the competition was cancelled due to a major earthquake in Mexico occurring just a fortnight prior to the event.
In 2018, Watson was chosen to volunteer at the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games. She could not compete as her swimming classification was not included in this competition.
At the postponed 2020 Tokyo Paralympics, Watson won the gold medal in the Women's 50m freestyle S4 in a Paralympic record time of 39.36. [5]
In 2022, Watson was chosen to volunteer at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games. She could not compete as her swimming classification was not included in this competition.
At the 2024 Summer Paralympics in Paris, Watson won the 500th medal in swimming for Australia and was the first Olympian or Paralympian to win a medal in the 50m Freestyle at three consecutive games. Watson also won Australia's first ever medal in the S3 100m Freestyle since the Paralympics begun in 1960.
Watson trains at the Chandler Swimming Club in Brisbane with coach Matteo Melis. [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.
Brenden Hall, is an Australian Paralympic swimmer who won two gold medals at the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London. At the 2016 Rio Paralympics, he won one gold, one silver and one bronze medal. He was selected to compete at the 2024 Summer Paralympics, his fifth games, where he won a bronze medal.
Blake Cochrane, is a retired Australian Paralympic swimmer. He won a silver medal at the 2008 Beijing Paralympics, two gold medals at the 2012 London Paralympics, a silver medal at the 2016 Rio Paralympics, and a silver and one bronze medal at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics.
Prue Watt, is a Paralympic swimming gold medalist from Australia. She has represented Australia at the four Paralympics from 2004 to 2016.
Michael Anderson, is an Australian Paralympic swimmer who has won gold, silver and bronze medals at the three Paralympics from 2008 to 2016.
Jacqueline Rose "Jacqui" Freney is an Australian Paralympic swimmer. At the 2012 London Games, she broke Siobhan Paton's Australian record of six gold medals at a single Games by winning her seventh gold medal in the Women's 400 m Freestyle S7. She finished the Games with eight gold medals, more than any other participant in the Games.
Ahmed Kelly is an Iraqi-born Australian Paralympic swimmer.
Matthew Anthony "Matt" Haanappel, is an Australian Paralympic swimmer. He was born in Wantirna, Victoria and resides in the far eastern suburbs of Melbourne. He has cerebral palsy right hemiplegia. Haanappel has represented Australia at the 2012 Summer Paralympics, the 2013 IPC Swimming World Championships, the 2014 Pan Pacific Para Swimming Championships, the 2016 Summer Paralympics, and the 2018 Commonwealth Games. He represents the Camberwell Grammar School Aquatic club.
Grant Patterson is an Australian Paralympic swimmer. At the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics, his second games, he won a silver and bronze medal. He has a been selected to compete at the 2024 Summer Paralympics in Paris, France - his fourth Summer Paralympics.
Tanya Huebner is an Australian swimmer. She has represented Australia at the 2012 London and the 2016 Rio Paralympics.
Jessica-Jane Applegate MBE is a British Paralympic swimmer. Applegate competes in the S14 classification for swimmers with intellectual disabilities, mainly freestyle and backstroke preferring shorter distances. She qualified for the 2012 Summer Paralympics and on 2 September, Applegate won the gold setting a Paralympic record in the S14 200m freestyle.
Rowan Crothers is an Australian freestyle swimmer. He represented Australia at the 2016 Rio Paralympics and the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics. He won two gold and one silver medals at the Tokyo Paralympics. He has a been selected to compete at the 2024 Summer Paralympics in Paris, France.
Emily Beecroft is an Australian Paralympic swimmer. She represented Australia at the 2016 Rio Paralympics,2020 Tokyo Paralympics and has been selected for 2024 Summer Paralympics. She won a silver and bronze medal at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics.
Tiffany Thomas Kane, is a retired Australian Paralympic swimmer. She represented Australia at the 2016 Rio Paralympics, winning a gold and three bronze medals, and at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics, winning a further two bronze medals.
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. Patterson has a been selected to compete at the 2024 Summer Paralympics in Paris, France
Timothy Malcolm Disken, is an Australian paralympic swimmer. He represented Australia at the 2015 IPC Swimming World Championships and won bronze in the men's 4 × 100 m freestyle relay. At the 2016 Rio Paralympics, he won a gold medal in the men's 100m freestyle S9, a silver medal in the men's S9 50m freestyle and a bronze medal in the men's 200m individual medley SM9. He also competed at the 2020 Summer Paralympics.
Paige Leonhardt is an Australian swimmer. She represented Australia at the 2016 Rio Paralympics and the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics, where she won a silver medal. She has been selected to compete at the 2024 Summer Paralympics.
Katja Dedekind is an Australian Paralympic vision-impaired swimmer and goalball player. She won a bronze medal at the 2016 Rio Paralympic Games and two bronze medals at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games.
Zulfiya Gabidullina is a Kazakhstani Paralympic swimmer who competes in the S4 category. She previously competed in the S3 class but was reclassified into S4, a class for athletes with more physical ability compared to S3. At the 2016 Summer Paralympics, aged 50, she won a gold medal in the 100 m freestyle, improving her own world record, and bringing Kazakhstan its only gold medal at the Paralympics. Gabidullina became disabled at the age of five. She is a businesswoman. She took up competitive swimming in 2007 and qualified for the 2012 Paralympics and 2013 and 2015 world championships.
Marta Fernández Infante is a Spanish Paralympic swimmer from Valladolid, Spain. She has cerebral palsy. At the 2020 World Para Swimming European Open Championships, she won one gold medal and three silvers, as well as breaking a world record. At the 2020 Summer Paralympics, she won a silver medal in the 50 metre butterfly S5 event, a gold medal in the 50 metre breaststroke SB3 event, and a bronze medal in the 50m freestyle S4. She broke her own world record in the 50 metre butterfly S4.
