A standard-bearer for Para sport in New Zealand, Paralympian #166 DNZM Dame Sophie Pascoe is a national treasure. The most decorated New Zealand Paralympian in history with a total haul of 19 medals including 11 gold – the Cantabrian also snared 17 world titles and five Commonwealth Games gold medals during an incomparable career.
A below the knee amputee following a lawnmower accident aged two, Sophie first revealed her future ability competing the at the CCS Independence Games when Paralympians #49 Roly Crichton ONZM and #4 Graham Condon QSM impressed by Sophie’s potential asked her to join the QEII Swim Club.
From there, the Kiwi star made rapid progress bagging a bronze medal aged just 13 at the IPC Swimming World Championships in South Africa. It was this performance which “fast-forwarded” her career and just two years later she surprised many to truly emerge on the international stage by securing three gold – posting a world record in the Women’s 100m Backstroke S10 – and one silver medal at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games.
Thrust into the public spotlight, Dame Sophie has continued to flourish. At the 2009 IPC World Short Course Championships in Rio, the Kiwi captured seven medals including four gold before adding five medals – including one gold at the 2010 IPC Swimming World Championships in Eindhoven. An established star at the London 2012 Paralympic Games, the Christchurch swim sensation bagged three gold and three silver medals – setting world records in the Women’s 200m Individual Medley SM10 and the Women’s 100m Butterfly S10.
Her staggering level of success continued at the 2013 IPC Swimming World Championships in Montreal when climbing the top of the podium on five occasions before two gold medals were banked at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games. Six medals – including three gold – were added to her tally at the 2015 IPC Swimming World Championships in Glasgow.
She continued her eye-popping accomplishments at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games, winning three gold and two silver medals – setting a world record time of 2.24.90 in the Women’s 200m Individual Medley SM10 – to surpass Paralympian #13 Eve Rimmer BEM as the most bemedalled New Zealand Paralympian of all time.
In 2018 Sophie had the honour of being selected as the flagbearer for the New Zealand Team at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games. There she snagged two more gold medals before claiming a quartet of golds at the 2019 World Para Swimming Championships in London.
Sophie’s legacy continued to grow at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games where she added a further four Paralympic medals to her sizeable collection. Despite the challenge of competing at Tokyo 2020 – which had been postponed by a year because of the pandemic – she claimed two further gold medals in the Women’s 200m Individual Medley SM9 and Women’s Freestyle S9.
Sophie was also named as Hāpai Kara of the New Zealand Paralympic Team, a fitting acknowledgement to the leadership and inspiration Sophie provides to her fellow Paralympians and Para athletes.
Competing at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, she clinched gold for New Zealand in the 100m freestyle S9.
Sophie was appointed a Dame in the 2022 New Year’s Honours for her services to swimming. Giving birth to her first child in 2024, later that year she showed her versatility by co-presenting the TVNZ coverage of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.
