The official retirement of Paralympian #166 Dame Sophie Pascoe DNZM – the most decorated New Zealand Paralympian in history – on Thursday (30 January) brought the curtain down on an incomparable career. We pay tribute to the Para swimming sensation by reflecting on her medal-laden Paralympic Games journey, which gleaned a staggering 19 medals including 11 gold medals.
In a Paralympic career which spanned four Paralympic Games over a 13-year period the “Princess of the Pool” from Christchurch reigned supreme like few others. Gold medals and world records became the norm. Barriers were consistently broken and over time her accomplishments successfully transcended Para sport to become a household name in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Losing the bottom half of her left leg in a lawn mower accident at the age of two – she describes the accident as “the best thing that happened to me and my family.”
Admitting it brought her mum, dad and sister closer together, Sophie says the accident offered a range of opportunities. One of those was swimming. Taking up the sport aged just seven, Sophie possessed a rare talent coupled with a fierce determination. At the age of just nine she sat on the edge of her beloved “Gragra’s” bed and promised her dying grandfather John Goodman she would win a Paralympic gold in his honour.
Fuelled by this motivation aged just 13 she represented New Zealand at the 2006 Para Swimming World Championships in Durban, South Africa winning a bronze medal in the Women’s 200m Individual Medley SM10 before making her debut appearance for the NZ Paralympic Team at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games aged 15.
Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games
Inside the iconic Water Cube the Kiwi arrived as a world-class swimming talent by winning three gold medals and a silver medal with a mind-boggling display. Sophie opened her account with a silver medal in the Women’s 100m Butterfly S10 finishing behind American Anna Eames before going on to grab a trio of gold medals. Claiming comfortable victories in the Women’s 100m SB9 Breaststroke and Women’s 200m Individual Medley SM10 she completed the gold rush in a dead heat with South African Shireen Sapiro in the Women’s 100m Backstroke S10 – the pair jointly setting a new world record mark.
London 2012 Paralympic Games
Now aged 19 and an established star Dame Sophie secured a stunning six-medal haul at London 2012 with three gold and three silver medals. Competing in front of 17,000 spectators the Kiwi set world record marks in both the Women’s 200m Individual Medley SM10 and the Women’s 100m Butterfly S10 – winning the events by a combined margin of more than ten seconds. She also clinched gold with a Paralympic record in the Women’s 100m Freestyle S10 by two tenths of a second edging out Elodie Lorandi of France in a titanic tussle. To further bolster her incredible Games, she also banked silver medals in the Women’s 50m Freestyle S10, Women’s 100m Backstroke S10, rounding out her Games with another silver in the Women’s 100m Breaststroke SB9.
“I’m incredibly rapped to finish the games off like that,” she said following her final event in London. “I’m finished and had a great campaign,” she said.
Rio 2016 Paralympic Games
Her glittering success continued in Rio, as the now New Zealand sporting icon clinched three gold medals with emphatic victories in the Women’s 100m Backstroke S10, Women’s 100m Butterfly S10 and the Women’s 200m Individual Medley SM10 – achieving a world record time in the latter event. Silver medals were also added in the Women’s 50m Freestyle S10 and Women’s 100m Freestyle S10 as she surpassed Paralympian #13 Eve Rimmer BEM as the most bemedalled New Zealand Paralympian of all time.
Post her final event in Rio, Sophie said: “I gave it everything, I’ve left everything out in that last race and that’s all I can give. To be able to back up race after race in five days, which equals 10 races, is challenging in itself. It’s been a tough week and it’s been an amazing week also.”
Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games
Struggling “mentally” following the postponement of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, Sophie experienced “a rollercoaster” of emotions on her way to two more gold medals, a silver and a bronze medal.
Opening her medal quest in the Japanese capital with a silver medal in the Women’s 100m Breaststroke SB8 she followed this up with bronze in the Women’s 100m Backstroke S9. Overcome with emotion when winning gold in the Women’s 100m Freestyle S9 she later secured her 11th and final Paralympic gold medal in the Women’s 200m Individual Medley SM9 – repelling the challenge of Hungary’s Zsofia Konkoly.
Collapsing post-race and requiring oxygen she added: “All I could think about before this race, was to go for the legacy and do it for the kids to remember and everyone to be able to remember my career and what I’ve done for Para sport, and just to do it for myself in that last 10m. I really, really wanted it. So, to turn around and see it [that I had won gold on the screen] was just incredible.”
In a stunning career, Dame Sophie also won 13 gold, four silver and four bronze medals at the long course World Para Swimming Championships, four gold and three bronze medals at the short course World Para Swimming Championships as well as five Commonwealth Games gold medals. She was also a seven-time Halberg Awards winner and was made a Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2022.
Thanks for the memories, Dame Sophie. We could not be prouder of you.
