Jacqueline Freney was eight years old when she watched Australian swimmer Siobhan Paton win six gold medals at the Sydney Paralympics and decided she wanted to do the same.
Last night, she surpassed that goal, winning her seventh gold in London and becoming Australia’s most successful Paralympian at a single Games.
Jacqueline, 20, blitzed the field in the women’s S7 freestyle final, finishing 20 seconds ahead of the silver medallist and smashing her own world record.
“Seven? I’m in heaven,” she gushed after the race. “It’s just unbelievable how good this meet has been for me. It’s probably been one of my best meets to date. I couldn’t be more proud of myself.”
Jacqueline has been on excellent form in London. She won individual gold in the 100m backstroke, 200m individual medley, 100m freestyle, 50m freestyle and 50m butterfly finals and team gold in the women’s 400m freestyle relay.
She was born in Brisbane, Queensland, but now lives in Ballina, NSW.
Jacqueline was born with cerebral palsy and made her Paralympic debut in Beijing in 2008, winning a trio of bronze medals.
