Sophie Pascoe

Dame Sophie Frances Pascoe (born 8 January 1993) is a retired New Zealand para-swimmer. She represented New Zealand at four Summer Paralympic Games from 2008, winning a total of eleven gold medals, seven silver medals and one bronze medal, making her New Zealand's most successful Paralympian. She also represented New Zealand at the Commonwealth Games.

Early life Born in Christchurch on 8 January 1993 to Garry and Jo Pascoe, Pascoe grew up on a lifestyle block near Halswell on the south-western outskirts of the city. Pascoe was accidentally run over by her father on the family ride-on lawnmower. As a result of the accident, her left leg was amputated below the knee, while the rear of her right leg was left with severe scarring. She attended Halswell Primary School, She trains at the QEII swim club, which has been based at Jellie Park in Burnside since the facilities at Queen Elizabeth II Park were damaged in the 2011 Christchurch earthquake.

Swimming career Pascoe is classified S10 for freestyle, backstroke and butterfly, SB9 for breaststroke, and SM10 for individual medley.

At the 2008 Summer Paralympics, Pascoe won a gold and a silver medal for the 100 m breaststroke and 100 m butterfly respectively and later a gold for the women's 200 m individual medley. Pascoe then shared a gold medal for the 100 m backstroke when she drew with South African Shireen Sapiro. At 15 years of age, Pascoe was New Zealand's youngest athlete at the Paralympics, and the youngest ever New Zealander to win a medal.

Following the 2008 Paralympics, Pascoe was voted New Zealand's favourite Paralympian in a nationwide voting competition run by Mitsubishi Motors. For this she won a Mitsubishi VRX Outlander. Pascoe was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the 2009 New Year's Honours, for services to swimming. In February 2012, Pascoe became the inaugural winner of the Disabled Sportsperson of the Year award at the 2011 Halberg Awards.

At the 2012 Summer Paralympics, Pascoe competed in six events – the four in which she won medals at the 2008 Paralympics, plus the 50m freestyle (S10) and 100m freestyle (SM10) events. She also won gold medals in the 100 m butterfly (S10), where she bettered her silver at Beijing and in the process setting a new world record with a time of 1:04.43, and in the 100 m freestyle (S10), setting a new Paralympic record with a time of 1:00.89. Pascoe won silver medals in the 50 m freestyle (S10), 100 m backstroke (S10), and 100 m breaststroke (SB9).

In March 2013, Pascoe broke her own world record for the 50m butterfly at the New Zealand Swimming Championships in Auckland, setting a time of 29.21 seconds.

At the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Pascoe competed in five events, dropping the 100 m breaststroke SB9. She won gold medals in the 100 m backstroke, 100 m butterfly and 200 m individual medley, the latter in world record time. She also won silver medals in the 50 m freestyle and 100 m freestyle, both behind Canada's Aurélie Rivard. Her 50 m freestyle medal holds the distinction as the 200th medal won by New Zealand at the Paralympic Games (both summer and winter editions). Her success took her gold medal count to nine and her total medal count to 15, overtaking Eve Rimmer's eight gold medals and 14 total medals to become New Zealand's most successful Paralympian. and Women's 100 metre backstroke S9, winning the bronze medal.

In the 2022 New Year Honours, Pascoe was promoted to Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to swimming.

Pascoe announced her retirement on 30 January 2025.

Personal bests Event Time Date Location Notes 50 m freestyle (S10) 27.78 18 August 2013 Montreal, Canada 200 m freestyle (S10) 2:12.35 19 December 2015 Auckland, New Zealand 50 m backstroke (S10) 31.62 10 August 2014 Auckland, New Zealand 100 m backstroke (S10) 1:05.95 17 August 2013 Montreal, Canada 100 m breaststroke (SB9) 1:17.53 14 August 2013 Montreal, Canada 100 m freestyle (S10) 59.50 30 September 2013 Wellington, New Zealand 50 m butterfly (S10) 28.38 19 March 2013 Auckland, New Zealand 100 m butterfly (S10) 1:02.60 31 March 2016 Auckland, New Zealand 200 m individual medley (SM10) 2:24.90 11 September 2016 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 400 m individual medley (SM10) 5:23.67 19 December 2015 Auckland, New Zealand

Major achievements 2022: One gold medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games (100 m freestyle) 2019: Four gold medals at the World Para Swimming Championships in London. 2018: Two gold medals at the 2018 Commonwealth Games (4x50m individual medley, 100m Breaststroke) 2017: Winner of the Halberg Award for Disabled Sportsperson of the Year 2016: Five medals at the 2016 Paralympics, three gold and two silver. 2015: Winner of the Halberg Award for Disabled Sportsperson of the Year 2014: Two gold medals at the 2014 Commonwealth Games (4x50m individual medley, 100m Breaststroke) 2013: Winner of the Halberg Award for Disabled Sportsperson of the Year 2012: Three gold medals (100 m freestyle-S10, 100 m butterfly-S10, 200 m individual medley-SM10); three silver medals (50 m freestyle-S10, 100 m backstroke-S10, 100 m breaststroke-SB9) – International Paralympic Committee (IPC) – Paralympic Games, London, United Kingdom; Winner of the Halberg Award for Disabled Sportsperson of the Year. Named as an ambassador for Beef and Lamb New Zealand. 2011: Winner of the Halberg Award for Disabled Sportsperson of the Year 2010: Gold medal (100 m butterfly-S10); three silver medals (50 m freestyle-S10, 100 m backstroke-S10, 200 m individual medley-SM10); bronze medal (100 m breaststroke-SB9) – IPC World Championships, Eindhoven, Netherlands 2009: Four gold medals (100 m backstroke-S10, 100 m butterfly-S10, 100 m individual medley-SM10, 200 m individual medley-SM10); three bronze medals (100 m freestyle-S10, 400 m freestyle-S10, 100 m breaststroke-SB9) – IPC World Championships – 25 m, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 2008: Three gold medals (100 m backstroke-S10, 100 m breaststroke-SB9, 200 m individual medley-SM10); Silver (100 m butterfly-S10) – International Paralympic Committee (IPC) – Paralympic Games, Beijing, China 2006: Bronze (200 m individual medley-SM10) – IPC World Championships, Durban, South Africa