Rachael Watson

Started: She was classified as a Para swimmer in 2015. (Athlete, 17 Jun 2021) Reason: She first took up swimming as a form of physiotherapy and pain relief. She was spotted by national team coaches at the 2016 Australian national championships, and made her international debut a few months later at a meet in Berlin, Germany. (paralympic.org.au, 2016; activehands.com, 01 Jun 2016) Ambition: To compete at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. (Instagram profile, 20 Apr 2024) Awards: She was named Para Swimmer of the Meet at the 2023 Queensland Sprint Championships in Australia. (Swimming Queensland Facebook page, 20 Feb 2023) In 2022 she was named Sportswoman of the Year at the University of Queensland Alumni Awards in Australia. (UQ Sport Facebook page, 05 Oct 2022) In January 2017 she received the Medal of the Order of Australia [OAM] in recognition of her gold medal at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. (paralympic.org, 28 Jan 2017) In 2016 she received the Australian Institute of Sport [AIS] Discovery of the Year award at the Swimming Australia gala dinner. (couriermail.com.au, 24 Nov 2016) Additional Info: OTHER ACTIVITIES She has served as a high-performance advisory member at the Australian Institute of Sport [AIS], an advisor to the Queensland Disability Advisory Council, and an ambassador for the Guillain-Barre Syndrome Foundation of Australia. She has also volunteered at Queensland Children's Hospital in Brisbane, QLD, Australia, and was named the 2011 Queensland Young Volunteer of the Year. (business.uq.edu.au, 06 Mar 2024; idpwd.com.au, 24 Aug 2021; Athlete, 17 Jun 2021; Facebook profile, 15 Apr 2019; paralympic.org.au, 2016) FURTHER EDUCATION She has studied for a postgraduate degree at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, QLD, Australia. (Instagram profile, 15 Mar 2024; business.uq.edu.au, 06 Mar 2024)