Ashleigh McConnell

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Ashleigh McConnell
Personal information
Full nameAshleigh McConnell
NationalityAustralian
Born (1996-03-26) 26 March 1996 (age 28)
Melbourne, Victoria
Sport
SportSwimming
ClassificationsS9, SB8, SM9
ClubMelbourne Vicentre
CoachKenrick Monk
Medal record
Women's paralympic swimming
Representing  Australia
Paralympics
Gold medal – first place 2016 Rio de Janeiro 4x100 m freestyle 34 pts
Silver medal – second place 2020 Tokyo 4×100 m freestyle 34 pts
IPC Swimming World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2015 Glasgow 4x100 m freestyle
Commonwealth Games
Bronze medal – third place 2018 Gold Coast 100m backstroke S9

Ashleigh Kate McConnell, OAM (born 26 March 1996) is a limb deficient Paralympic swimmer of Australia. She represented Australia at the 2016 Rio Paralympics and the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics, where she won gold medals in freestyle relay events.[1][2]

Personal[edit]

McConnell was born on 26 March 1996 in Melbourne, Victoria.[3] She was born without her left forearm and left hand.[4] She attended Sunbury College.[5] In 2015, she was studying Business at Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology.[4]

Career[edit]

McConnell started swimming at the age of four.[4] She is classified as a S9 swimmer.[4] She narrowly missed out on making the 2014 Commonwealth Games and 2014 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships.[5] At the 2015 IPC Swimming World Championships in Glasgow, Scotland, she won a gold medal in the Women's 4 × 100 m Freestyle Relay 34 points.

At the 2016 Summer Paralympics, McConnell won the gold medal in the Women's 4 × 100 m Freestyle Relay 34 points and competed in three additional freestyle events.[5]

At the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast, McConnell won the bronze medal in the Women's 100m Backstroke S9.[6]

At the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics, McConnell, together with her team of Emily Beecroft, Ellie Cole, and Isabella Vincent won a silver medal in the Women's 4x100m Freestyle 34 pts with a time of 4:26.82, two seconds behind the winners, Italy.[7] She also qualified for the final of the Women's 100 m freestyle S9 where she finished sixth.[8]

At the 2022 Commonwealth Games, Birmingham, England, she finished 4th in the Women's 100 m freestyle S9.[9] [10]

McConnell's motto is "You can't put a limit on anything. The more you dream, the further you get".[3][4]

Recognition[edit]

In 2016, with Para swimmer Monique Murphy, McConnell was named RMIT's Female Athlete of the Year.[11]

McConnell was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in 2017.[12]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Swimming Australia Paralympic Squad Announcement". Swimming Australia News, 13 April 2016. Archived from the original on 13 November 2016. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
  2. ^ "Paralympics Australia Names Powerful Para-Swimming Team For Tokyo". Paralympics Australia. 16 June 2021. Archived from the original on 16 June 2021. Retrieved 17 June 2021.
  3. ^ a b "Ashleigh McConnell". Victorian Institute of Sport. Retrieved 2 June 2016.
  4. ^ a b c d e "Ashleigh McConnell". International Paralympic Comnmittee Swimming Athlete Biography. Retrieved 17 July 2015.
  5. ^ a b c Kennedy, Barry (21 April 2014). "Sunbury College swimming sensation aims for 2016 Rio Paralympic Games". Sunbury Leader. Retrieved 17 July 2015.
  6. ^ "Ashleigh McConnell". Commonwealth Games Australia. Archived from the original on 16 April 2018. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  7. ^ "Australian Paralympic Team for Tokyo 2021". The Roar. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
  8. ^ "Ashleigh McConnell". Tokyo Paralympics Official Results. Archived from the original on 30 August 2021. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
  9. ^ "Cole, Patterson And Levy Amongst Stars Of The Pool Ready To Splash And Dash In Birmingham". Commonwealth Games Australia. 5 May 2022. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
  10. ^ "2022 Commonwealth Games Results". Commonwealth Games Australia. Retrieved 15 August 2022.
  11. ^ "Paralympians share top honours at RMIT Sport Awards". RMIT News. 30 November 2016. Archived from the original on 24 October 2020. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  12. ^ "OAM Final Media Notes (M-R)" (PDF). Governor General of Australia. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 October 2017. Retrieved 26 January 2017.

External links[edit]

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