Versatile Cameron Leslie has excelled both in the pool as a medal-laden Paralympic swimmer and international representative for the Wheel Blacks in the sport of Wheelchair rugby. Across four Paralympic Games, the Northland-based athlete has claimed three gold medals in the Men’s Individual Medley 150m SM4.
Born and raised in Whangarei, Leslie took up swimming aged 11 but after he was soundly beaten on his debut appearance at the 2006 IPC Swimming World Championships he admits he “nearly gave the sport away“ only to be persuaded to carry on by his parents. It proved an inspired decision as Cameron relocated to Auckland to connect with a new coach, Simon Mayne, and the pair opted to try a new event – the Men’s 150m Individual Medley SM4.
In their first full year together, Cameron blitzed to “a shock“ gold medal in a world record time in their new event at the Beijing 2008 Paralympics – a feat he was to repeat at the London 2012 and Rio 2016 Paralympic Games.
With a gold medal and world record at the Rio 2016 Paralympics, Cameron played his part in a NZ Paralympic Team (NZPT) which secured a stunning 21 medals to rank first in the world per capita and 13th in the world overall.
Cameron was selected for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, but with the birth of his second child imminent and strict COVID restrictions in place, he knew he would not be able to return home quickly if needed. As a result, he made the difficult decision to withdraw from the team.
In 2022, Cameron showed that he had no intentions of slowing down, however, as he won a gold and three silver medals at the World Para Swimming Championships in Madeira. He also set a new world record, though this was later beaten by another competitor.
He followed this up with four medals in the 2023 World Para Swimming Championships, despite being ill in the build-up to the event. His medals included gold in the Men’s 50m Backstroke S4.
At his fourth Paralympic Games at Paris 2024 – for which he was one of two official Opening Ceremony flagbearers for the NZ Paralympic Team – he reached the final of all four events he entered. He finished fourth in both the Men’s 50m Freestyle S4 and Men’s 50m Backstroke S4 narrowly missing a medal in both.
At the 2025 World Para Swimming Championships in Singapore, he excelled winning silver medals in the Men’s 50m Backstroke S4 and Men’s 50m Freestyle S4 events – finishing just 0.01 shy of gold in the latter event.
Cameron’s first got involved in wheelchair rugby following a Have a Go Day in 2007 and so loved “the energy“ of the sport he started training twice a week with the Auckland team before later graduating to the Wheel Blacks.
He insists the pros outweigh the cons of training across in two sports and believes Wheelchair rugby can complement his swimming training.
Cameron is also a co-founding member of the Wheel Blacks’ unofficial ‘Tea Club’ – a light-hearted club for team members who appreciate a good cup of tea.
Cameron is also now the Disability and Para Swimming Participation Manager for Swimming New Zealand. He supports 172 clubs to foster, develop and grow Para swimming to ensure a continuous stream of Para swimmers achieving on the world stage.
Cameron Leslie officially received his ‘numbered’ Paralympic pin as part of The Celebration Project in Whangarei in May 2019. He was a Halberg Award winner in 2024, and was nominated among only six Para athletes globally for a Laureus Award in 2023.
