Rachael Watson

Rachael Elizabeth Watson, OAM (born 30 January 1992) is an Australian Paralympic swimmer. Watson represented Australia at the 2016 Rio Paralympics winning gold in the 50m Freestyle S4,[1] a feat she repeated at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics.[2]

Rachael Watson
2016 Australian Paralympic team portrait of Rachael Watson
Personal information
Full nameRachael Watson
NationalityAustralian
Born (1992-01-30) 30 January 1992
Brisbane, Queensland
Sport
SportSwimming
ClassificationsS4
ClubChandler Swimming Club
Medal record
Women's paralympic swimming
Representing  Australia
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
Paralympic Games 2 0 0
World Championships 0 1 1
Pan Pacific Para Championships 1 0 0
Total 3 1 1
Paralympics
2016 Rio de Janeiro50 m freestyle S4
2020 Tokyo50 m freestyle S4
World Para Swimming Championships
2019 London 50 m freestyle S4
2019 London 100 m freestyle S4
Pan Pacific Para Swimming Championships
2018 Cairns 50 m freestyle S4

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.[3] Watson has a university degree in Early Childhood Education.

Swimming

Watson took up swimming as part of her rehabilitation.[3] 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.[3] 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.[4]

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.[5] 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. [6]

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.

  • Volunteer with the Children's Hospital Foundation (2014 - present)
  • Chandler Swim Club Captain (2017 - present)
  • Ambassador for the Guillain Barre Syndrome Foundation of Australia (2017 - present)
  • Member of the Queensland Health Disability Advisory Committee (2019 - present)
  • Member of the Paralympics Australia Leadership Group (2021 - present)

Recognition

2016 – Australian Institute of Sport Discovery of the Year [7]

2016 – Sporting Wheelies and Disabled Association Most Improved Athlete [8]

2017 – Medal of the Order of Australia[9]

2021 - University of Queensland Blue (university sport) Award for Sporting Excellence

2022 - University of Queensland Sportswoman of the Year

References
  1. "Australian Paralympic Swimming Team announced". Australian Paralympic Committee News, 1 August 2016. Archived from the original on 29 August 2016. Retrieved 1 August 2016.
  2. "Paralympics Australia Names Powerful Para-Swimming Team For Tokyo". Paralympics Australia. 16 June 2021. Retrieved 17 June 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  3. "Rachael Watson". Australian Paralympic Committee. Archived from the original on 29 August 2016. Retrieved 2 August 2016.
  4. "Rachael Watson". Rio Paralympics Official site. Archived from the original on 23 September 2016. Retrieved 18 September 2016.
  5. "Rachael Watson". 2019 World Para Swimming Championships Results. Retrieved 14 September 2019.
  6. "Rahael Watson". Tokyo Paralympics Official Results. Retrieved 8 October 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  7. "SWIMMING AUSTRALIA GALA DINNER 2016". Swimming Australia. Archived from the original on 16 March 2017. Retrieved 6 November 2016.
  8. "2016 Annual Awards winners". Sporting Wheelies and Disabled Association website. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 15 December 2016.
  9. "Medal (OAM) of the Order of Australia in the General Division" (PDF). www.gg.gov.au. Archived (PDF) from the original on 29 January 2017. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
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