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.https://olympic.org.nz/news/dame-sophie-pascoe-announces-her-retirement-from-competitive-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

 References 

Other websites

Category:1993 births
Category:Living people
Category:Paralympic gold medalists
Category:Sportspeople from Christchurch
Category:New Zealand swimmers
Category:Paralympic silver medalists
Category:Paralympic bronze medalists
Category:2008 Summer Paralympics
Category:Competitors at the 2012 Summer Paralympics
Category:Competitors at the 2016 Summer Paralympics
Category:Commonwealth Games medallists
Category:Sportspeople with disabilities, type S10