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Full name | Jacqueline Rose Freney | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Nationality | Australia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Born | Brisbane, Queensland, Australia | 6 June 1992||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sport | Swimming | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Strokes | Backstroke, Freestyle, Medley | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Classifications | S7, SB7, SM7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Club | Richmond Valley | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Coach | Michael Freney | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Jacqueline Rose "Jacqui" 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.
Jacqueline Rose Freney was born in Brisbane, Queensland with cerebral palsy diplegia. [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 8 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, 4 × 100 m freestyle relay 34 pts, and the 4 × 100 m medleyrelay event. 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 Skenners Head, 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] Freney's grandfather now assists in her career development. 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]
Freney was unable to compete at the 2016 Summer Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro due to a medical issue. Freney had been suffering from electromagnetic sensations triggered by strenuous training and was unable to find an answer as to why this issue occurred. [7]
In February 2012 Freney was named Ballina Shire's Sportsperson of the Year. [8] She was a finalist for the 2012 Australian Paralympian of the Year, [5] and won both best female and the top overall honour. [9] In 2012, Freney was declared Paralympian of the Year by Australia Post and this achievement was celebrated with the release of a commemorative stamp which featured the inspirational athlete. [10] In November 2013 she was named New South Wales Young Australian of the Year for 2014. [11] On 25 January 2014 she was named Young Australian of the Year. [12] 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] In October 2014 she was inducted into the Path of Champions at the Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre. [13]
Freney earned her Young Australian of the Year award in 2014 by being actively involved in the community, working with Swimming Australia as a motivational speaker to help people with disabilities to reach their true potential. [14]