Born in Perth, Australia to Kiwi parents, Gabriella “Gaby” Smith has been wedded to the water almost her entire life since she was first taken for swimming lessons at the age of three months.
Relocating with her family back to Christchurch in 2014, Gaby was introduced to competitive racing through Parafed Canterbury as an 11-year-old.
“I love the competition but also the environment and the people around me,” explains Gaby who was born missing half a hand. “To be surrounded by like-minded people who will support you no matter what, is a great thrill.”
A member of the Vikings Swim Club, Gaby says a “huge turning point” in her career came at the 2022 World Series meet in Indianapolis, USA when she won a medal in the 100m breaststroke SB9.
Later that year on her debut appearance at the World Para Swimming Championships in Madeira, the Rangi Ruru Girls’ School student impressed to finish fifth in the Women’s 400m Freestyle S10 on the day of her 16th birthday.
“It was such a cool experience. I raced against my hero Aurelie Rivard of Canada (a five-time Paralympic champion) who wished my happy birthday and good luck. It was one of the hardest races of my life, but I pleased to finish fifth at my first Worlds.”
Struggling with a bout of pneumonia and sinus surgery in the countdown to the 2023 World Para Swimming Championships, she nonetheless performed solidly in Manchester, finishing seventh in the Women’s Breaststroke SB9 and eighth in the 400m Freestyle S10.
Training eight swim sessions per week plus an additional two gym sessions and one pilates session, Gaby is great friends with fellow Christchurch-based New Zealand Para swimming international Lili-Fox Mason.
Possessing good natural rhythm, the Kiwi swimmer says, “I have the mental ability to get myself into a nice stroke and maintain the pace, especially in the 400m freestyle.”
Selected for the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, Gaby describes the moment she received confirmation of her selection as “surreal.”
“I was in class when I received the call and everyone in class was staring at me,” she explains. “I was in disbelief. My teacher asked me what was wrong, but I told her nothing was wrong, ‘I have been selected for the Paralympics’. I’m proud of how far I’ve come.”
