Rachael Watson
Rachael Elizabeth Watson, (born 30 January 1992) is an Australian Paralympic swimmer. Watson represented Australia at the 2016 Rio Paralympics winning gold in the 50m Freestyle S4, a feat she repeated at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics. Personal. Watson was born on 30 January 1992 in Brisbane, Queensland. She is a triplet and has mild cerebral palsy due to a premature birth. In her early 20's she acquired Guillain Barre Syndrome that led to severe rapid muscle weakness and peripheral nervous system damage resulting in quadriplegia and the loss of the ability to walk. Before GBS, Watson  earnt honours in multiple AMEB piano and music theory exams. Watson has a university degree in Early Childhood Education. Swimming. Watson took up swimming as part of her rehabilitation. In 2015 she was classified as an S4 swimmer. 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. 1000 points equals a world record. At her first international competition, Watson won the gold medal in the multi class 50m Freestyle at the 2016 IDM Berlin  Open. 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. 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 2019 World Para Swimming Championships in London, Watson won a silver medal in the Women's 50m Freestyle S4 and a bronze medal in the Women's  100m Freestyle S4. She also 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. At the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics, Watson won the gold medal in the Women's 50m Freestyle S4 in a Paralympic record time of 39.36. 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. Watson trains at the Chandler Swimming Club in Brisbane. Community Work. Watson is a volunteer ambassador  for numerous charities where she provides direct support to patients and families as well as liaison and advocacy. She is also on committees in a voluntary role to help improve health, disability and sport outcomes. Recognition. 2016 – Australian Institute of Sport Discovery of the Year 2016 – Sporting Wheelies and Disabled Association Most Improved Athlete 2017 – Medal of the Order of Australia 2021 - University of Queensland Blue (university sport) Award for Sporting Excellence 2022 - University of Queensland Sportswoman of the Year