Stephanie Dixon, (born February 10, 1984) is a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

swimmer Swimming is an individual or team racing sport that requires the use of one's entire body to move through water. The sport takes place in pools or open water (e.g., in a sea or lake). Competitive swimming is one of the most popular Olympic ...

. Prior to the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing, Dixon had accumulated fifteen Paralympic medals and is considered to be one of the best swimmers with a disability in the world. Born missing her right leg and hip and with an

omphalocele Omphalocele or omphalocoele also called exomphalos, is a rare abdominal wall defect. Beginning at the 6th week of development, rapid elongation of the gut and increased liver size reduces intra abdominal space, which pushes intestinal loops out of ...

, she began to swim at the age of two. At the age of 13, she began competitive swimming against athletes without disabilities. At the age of 14, she joined Canada's national Paralympic team. She uses underarm crutches.

Sporting career

She represented Canada at the

2000 Summer Paralympics The 2000 Summer Paralympic Games or the XI Summer Paralympics were held in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, between 18 and 29 October. The Sydney Paralympics was last time that the Summer Paralympics which were organized by two different ...

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

, at the age of 16, and won five gold medals. With 5 golds, she set the Canadian record for most golds at a single Games. Representing her country again at the

2004 Summer Paralympics ) , nations = 136 , athletes = 3,806 , events = 519 in 19 sports , opening = 17 September , closing = 28 September , opened_by = President Costis Stephanopoulos , cauldron = Georgios Toptsis , stadium = Olympic ...

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

, she won one gold, six silver, and one bronze, In the ParaPan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, she won 7 gold medals. She participated in the

Paralympic Games The Paralympic Games or Paralympics, also known as the ''Games of the Paralympiad'', is a periodic series of international multisport events involving athletes with a range of physical disabilities, including impaired muscle power and impaire ...

for the third time in

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

. Dixon has also won several medals and set several world records at World Championships and at the

Commonwealth Games The Commonwealth Games, often referred to as the Friendly Games or simply the Comm Games, are a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930, and, with the exce ...

. She has been added to the

Canadian Disability Hall of Fame The Canadian Disability Hall of Fame (formerly the Terry Fox Hall of Fame), recognizes "outstanding Canadians who have made extraordinary contributions to enriching the quality of life for people with physical disabilities". It is run by the Canadia ...

. and the

Canada's Sports Hall of Fame Canada's Sports Hall of Fame (french: Panthéon des sports canadiens; sometimes referred to as the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame) is a Canadian sports hall of fame and museum in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Dedicated to the history of sports in Canad ...

Post-competition career

She earned a B.A. in Psychology from the

University of Victoria The University of Victoria (UVic or Victoria) is a public research university located in the municipalities of Oak Bay and Saanich, British Columbia, Canada. The university traces its roots to Victoria College, the first post-secondary instit ...

. In 2021, Dixon began pursuing a master's degree in kinesiology at the University of Toronto.

References

External links

Stephanie Dixon
at

Swimming Canada Swimming Canada is the Canadian national governing body for competitive swimming in the country. Swimming Canada oversees the management of all swim programs throughout the nation and provides the foundation for beginner-level athletes to train ...

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dixon, Stephanie 1984 births Living people Canadian female medley swimmers Canadian female backstroke swimmers Canadian female freestyle swimmers Canadian amputees Sportspeople with limb difference Paralympic swimmers of Canada Paralympic gold medalists for Canada Paralympic silver medalists for Canada Paralympic bronze medalists for Canada Swimmers at the 2000 Summer Paralympics Swimmers at the 2004 Summer Paralympics Swimmers at the 2008 Summer Paralympics Medalists at the 2000 Summer Paralympics Medalists at the 2004 Summer Paralympics Medalists at the 2008 Summer Paralympics World record holders in paralympic swimming Place of birth missing (living people) Members of the Order of Canada S9-classified Paralympic swimmers Canadian Disability Hall of Fame Medalists at the World Para Swimming Championships Paralympic medalists in swimming