Jacqueline Freney

Jacqueline Freney

2012 Australian Paralympic Team portrait of Freney
Personal information
Full name	Jacqueline Rose Freney
Nationality	Australia
Born	6 June 1992 Brisbane, Queensland
Medal record Swimming Paralympic Games Gold 2012 London 50 m freestyle S7 Gold 2012 London 100 m freestyle S7 Gold 2012 London 400 m freestyle S7 Gold 2012 London 100 m backstroke S7 Gold 2012 London 50 m butterfly S7 Gold 2012 London 200 m medley SM7 Gold 2012 London 4×100 m freestyle 34pts Gold 2012 London 4×100 m medley 34pts Bronze 2008 Beijing 50 m freestyle S8 Bronze 2008 Beijing 100 m freestyle S8 Bronze 2008 Beijing 400 m freestyle S8 IPC World Championships (LC) Silver 2010 Eindhoven 100 m freestyle S8 Silver 2010 Eindhoven 400 m freestyle S8

Jacqueline Rose Freney OAM (born 6 June 1992) 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.

Biography

Jacqueline Rose Freney was born in Brisbane, Queensland 6 June 1992 with cerebral palsy.^[1][2] She won three bronze medals at the 2008 Beijing Games in the women's 100m freestyle S8 event, 400m freestyle S8 event and 50m freestyle S8 event.^[3] In 2012 at the London Paralympic Games she won gold medals in the women's 100m backstroke S7, women's 50m butterfly S7, 100m freestyle S7, 400m freestyle S7, 50m freestyle S7, 200m individual medley SM7 and 4 x 100m freestyle relay 34 pts. 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.^[4] In breaking the record she said "Seven, I am in heaven".^[4] She finished the Games with eight gold medals, more than any other participant in the games.^[5]

Freney lives in Ballina, New South Wales and is coached by her father Michael.^[1] Her grandfather Peter Freney coached 2000 Sydney Games multiple gold medallist Siobhan Paton.^[1] In 2008, she was awarded an Australian Institute of Sport paralympic swimming scholarship.^[1]

At the 2010 IPC Swimming World Championships in Eindhoven, Netherlands she won silver medals in the women's 100m freestyle and 400m freestyle events S8 events. In 2011, a week before the Can-Am Swimming Open, Freney was reclassified from S8 to S7. At the 2011 Can-Am Swimming Open in La Mirada, she set a world record in the S7 400m freestyle event twice, once during the heats and again during the finals with a time of 4:59.95 on her way to winning a gold medal. At the Can-Am Swimming Open, she won two silver medals in the S7 50m and 100m freestyle events.^[6]

Recognition

Freney receives the trophy as the 2012 Australian Paralympian of the Year from the Australian Minister for Sport Kate Lundy

In February 2012, Freney was named Ballina Shire's Sportsperson of the Year.^[7] She was a finalist for the 2012 Australian Paralympian of the Year,^[5] and won both best female and the top overall honour. ^[8] In November 2013, she was named New South Wales Young Australian of the Year for 2014.^[9] On 25 January 2014, she was named Young Australian of the Year.^[10] The following day she was also awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia "For service to sport as a gold medallist at the London 2012 Paralympic Games".^[2]

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Jacqueline Freney.

Wikinews has related news: Paralympic swim world records tumble at Australian championships

Wikinews has related news: 2012 Australian Paralympic swim team announced

External links

• Jacqueline Freney's profile on paralympic.org
• APC Profile

Awards
Preceded by Jessica Long	World Disabled Swimmer of the Year 2012	Succeeded by Sophie Pascoe
Preceded by Akram Azimi	Young Australian of the Year 2014	Succeeded by Incumbent