Suzanna Hext (born 11 September 1988) is a British Paralympic swimmer and equestrian, who won three gold medals in dressage at the

2017 FEI European Championships The 2017 FEI European Championships was held in Gothenburg, Sweden, from 21 to 27 August 2017. Equestrian competitions were held in four disciplines: jumping, dressage, driving and para-dressage. The main venues were Ullevi, Heden and Slotts ...

, and two medals at both the

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

and

2023 World Para Swimming Championships The 2023 World Para Swimming Championships was the 12th edition of the World Para Swimming Championships, an international swimming competition for swimmers with disabilities. It was held in Manchester, Great Britain from 31 July to 6 August 202 ...

. She finished fourth in two S5 swimming events at the

2020 Summer Paralympics The , branded as the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, was an international multi-sport parasports event held from 24 August to 5 September 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. They were the 16th Summer Paralympic Games as organized by the International Paralym ...

Personal life

Hext is from Truro, Cornwall. and has also lived near

Sherston, Wiltshire Sherston is a village and civil parish about west of Malmesbury in Wiltshire, England. The parish is bounded to the north by the county boundary with Gloucestershire, and to the southeast by the Fosse Way, a Roman road. The parish includes th ...

. In 2012, she was paralysed in a horse riding accident, and required the use of a wheelchair. She watched the

2012 Summer Paralympics The 2012 Summer Paralympics, branded as the London 2012 Paralympic Games, were an international multi-sport parasports event held from 29 August to 9 September 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. They were the 14th Summer Paralympic Gam ...

from her hospital bed. In November 2021, she had a cochlear implant, which allowed her to hear again. In her spare time, Hext volunteers for the Wiltshire Air Ambulance.

Equestrian career

In equestrian, Hext competes in the Grade III classification. She won three gold medals in dressage at the

, winning the individual, team and freestyle events. She competed in the team event alongside Sophie Wells, Erin Orford and Julie Payne, and it was her first European Championship. In 2018, she was part of the British team that won the team event at the .

Swimming career

Hext started swimming in 2017, and has trained at

Swindon Swindon () is a town and unitary authority with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Wiltshire, England. As of the 2021 Census, the population of Swindon was 201,669, making it the largest town in the county. The Swindon un ...

swimming club, and at the Manchester Aquatics Centre. As of 2024, Hext trained at the University of Bath. Hext is the British record holder in S5 50 metre and 100 metre

freestyle Freestyle may refer to: Brands * Reebok Freestyle, a women's athletic shoe * Ford Freestyle, an SUV automobile * Coca-Cola Freestyle, a vending machine * ICD Freestyle, a paintball marker * Abbott FreeStyle, a blood glucose monitor by Abbott La ...

events, and in S4 100 metre backstroke. At the

2019 World Para Swimming Championships The 2019 World Para Swimming Championships is the 2019 edition of the World Para Swimming Championships run by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC). The championships were held from February to June in seven countries across five continent ...

, Hext came second in the 50 metre freestyle event, and third in the 100 metre freestyle competition. In 2020, she decided to participate in swimming qualifying for the

, rather than equestrian. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she turned her parents' house into a gym, and was able to use jockey AP McCoy's private pool, as well as swimming in the Cornish sea. At the 2020 Summer Paralympics, Hext had an

asthma attack Asthma is a long-term inflammatory disease of the airways of the lungs. It is characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and easily triggered bronchospasms. Symptoms include episodes of wheezing, cou ...

that caused her to be hospitalised. As a result, she was withdrawn from the British team for the mixed 4 × 50 metre freestyle relay 20pts. She came fourth in the finals of the 200 metre freestyle S5 and 100 metre freestyle S5 events. After further asthma attacks, Hext withdrew from the 100m breaststroke SB4 and 50m backstroke S5 events. Hext did not compete at the

2022 World Para Swimming Championships The 2022 World Para Swimming Championships was the 11th edition of the World Para Swimming Championships, an international swimming competition for athletes with a disability. It was held in Madeira from 12 to 18 June. The competition was origin ...

after developing sepsis whilst training in

Lanzarote Lanzarote (, , ) is a Spanish island, the easternmost of the Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean. It is located approximately off the north coast of Africa and from the Iberian Peninsula. Covering , Lanzarote is the fourth-largest of the i ...

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; es, Canarias, ), also known informally as the Canaries, are a Spanish autonomous community and archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, in Macaronesia. At their closest point to the African mainland, they are west of Morocc ...

. She was included in the British squad for the

. She won the 50 metre freestyle S5 event at the World Championships, and finished second in the 100 metre freestyle S5 competition. Hext was selected for the

2024 Summer Paralympics The 2024 Paralympic Games, Summer Paralympics (french: Jeux paralympiques d'été de 2024), commonly known as the Games of the XVII Paralympiad, and commonly known as Paris 2024, is an upcoming international Multi-sport event, multi-sport paraspo ...

in Paris.

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hext, Suzanna 1988 births Living people British female freestyle swimmers British female equestrians Paralympic swimmers for Great Britain Swimmers at the 2020 Summer Paralympics Sportspeople from Truro Medalists at the World Para Swimming Championships S5-classified para swimmers People educated at Millfield