Sophie Pascoe

**Sophie Frances Pascoe** (born 8 January 1993) is a paralympic swimmer from New Zealand. At two years old, she was in an accident. As a result, her left leg was amputated, and her right leg was scarred. She is now New Zealand's most decorated Paralympian with 20 medals.

## Early life

Sophie Frances Pascoe was born on January 8, 1993, in Christchurch, New Zealand. Her parents' names are Garry and Jo Pascoe. She has an older sister named Rebecca. When Pascoe was 2 years old, she was involved in a lawnmower accident. Her father accidentally drove over her leg. Her right left got many scars, and her left leg had to be amputated from the knee down.

Sophie struggled to keep up with the other children in her school in swimming. When Sophie was 7 years old, she started one on one swimming lessons. She quickly got better at swimming. Later that year, she beat all her classmates in the school's annual swimming race. Before her grandfather died, she made a promise that one day she would compete in the Paralympics.

Until 2022, Pascoe was coached by Roly Crichton, an earlier Paralympic gold medalist. She trains at the QEII swim club.

## Swimming career

At the age of 15, she qualified for the 2022 Summer Paralympics. She was the youngest team member. In the 2008 Beijing Paralympics she won three gold and one silver medal.

After that she gained a lot of attention. She was voted New Zealand's favorite Paralympian in a Nationwide voting competition. She also won four awards at the Canterbury Sportsperson Awards in 2009. One  was the Sportsperson of the Year Award.

At the London 2012 Paralympics she won three gold and three silver medals. In the 2016 Paralympics in Rio, she once again won three gold and two silver medals. She has won over 20 medals in Paralympics, Swimming World championships and different National Championship. This makes her New Zealand's most decorated Paralympian.

In 2013 Pascoe wrote and published a biography. The book _Stroke of Fate_ focuses on her family and her dedication to become the most successful Paralympian in New Zealand history.

On 30 January 2025, Pascoe said she was retiring from swimming.

## Major achievements

- IPC Swimming World Championships Durban 2006 (Durban, South Africa)
    - 1 bronze medal
- Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games
    - 3 gold and 1 silver medal
- IPC Swimming World Championships Eindhoven 2010 (Eindhoven, Netherlands)
    - 1 gold, 3 silver and 1 bronze medal
- London 2012 Paralympic Games (London, Great Britain)
    - 3 gold medal and 3 silver medal
- 2013 IPC Swimming World Championships (Montreal, Canada)
    - 5 gold medals
- 2015 IPC Swimming World Championships (Glasgow, Great Britain)
    - 2 gold, 1 silver and 2 bronze medals
- Rio 2016 Paralympic Games (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
    - 3 gold and 2 silver medals
- London 2019 World Para Swimming Championships (London, Great Britain)
    - 4 gold medals
- Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games (Tokyo, Japan)
    - 2 gold, 1 silver and 1 bronze medals

## Infobox (sportsperson)

- **full name**: Sophie Frances Pascoe
- **image**: Sophie Pascoe DNZM (cropped).jpg
- **caption**: Pascoe in 2022
- **birth place**: Christchurch, New Zealand
- **sport**: Swimming
- **disability class**: S10, SB9, SM10
- **club**: QEII Swim Club
- **coach**: Roly Crichton
- **retired**: 30 January 2025
- **show-medals**: no