Items20The creator’s order
  1. 1Trischa ZornTrischa ZornBorn 1 Jun 1964Zorn, who is legally blind, won 55 Paralympic medals, 41 of them gold, across seven Games from 1980 to 2004, still the most by any Paralympian. She raced in the visually impaired classes when fields were smaller than today, which matters when comparing totals, but her range from backstroke to…0i
  2. 2David Roberts (swimmer)David Roberts (swimmer)Born 25 May 1980Roberts, from Pontypridd, swam in the S7 class for athletes with cerebral palsy and won 11 Paralympic golds between Sydney 2000 and Beijing 2008, a British record he shares with Tanni Grey-Thompson. His strength was freestyle over 50m to 400m, a rare spread for one class, built on an efficient…0i
  3. 3Sascha KindredSascha KindredBorn 13 Dec 1977Kindred, who has cerebral palsy, competed at six Paralympic Games from 1996 to 2016 in the S6 and SM6 classes and won seven golds, most famously three straight 200m individual medley titles from Athens to London. Medley is the hardest test of all-round technique in any class, and his ability to…0
  4. 4Natalie du ToitNatalie du ToitBorn 29 Jan 1984Du Toit lost her left leg below the knee in a road accident as a teenager, raced in the S9 class and won 13 Paralympic golds across Athens, Beijing and London. She also qualified for the Beijing 2008 Olympic 10km open water race, swimming without a prosthesis and finishing 16th. That double shows…0i
  5. 5Daniel DiasDaniel DiasBorn 24 May 1988Dias, born with malformed arms and legs, swam in the S5 class and won 27 Paralympic medals, 14 of them gold, between Beijing 2008 and Tokyo 2020, the most by any male Para swimmer at the time. He won across freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke and individual medley, a breadth that reflects…0i
  6. 6Ellie SimmondsEllie SimmondsBorn 11 Nov 1994Simmonds won two S6 golds at Beijing 2008 aged 13, then delivered under home pressure at London 2012 with world records in the 400m freestyle and 200m SM6 medley. She won five Paralympic golds in all, the last in Rio, and her longer-distance range, unusual in a class where races are often decided…0i
  7. 7Jessica LongJessica LongBorn 29 Feb 1992Long, a double below-knee amputee who swims in the S8 class, has competed at every Paralympics since Athens 2004, when she won three golds aged 12. By Paris 2024 she had 31 Paralympic medals, 18 of them gold, the latest a 100m butterfly title in Paris. Two decades at the top in an S8 class whose…0i
  8. 8Matt CowdreyMatt CowdreyBorn 22 Dec 1988Cowdrey, born without most of his left arm, swam in the S9 class and won 13 Paralympic golds and 23 medals from Athens 2004 to London 2012, Australia's most successful Paralympian. S9 is among the most competitive classes because the impairments are relatively mild, so his long run of freestyle and…0i
  9. 9Ihar BokiIhar BokiBorn 28 Jun 1994Boki, who swims in the S13 class for visually impaired athletes with the most remaining sight, has been close to unbeatable since London 2012. At Paris 2024, competing as a neutral athlete because of sanctions on Belarus, he won all five of his events, taking his Paralympic tally to 21 golds. His…0i
  10. 10Bethany FirthBethany FirthBorn 14 Feb 1996Firth swims in S14, the class for intellectual impairment, which returned to the Paralympics in 2012 after being removed following a cheating scandal at Sydney 2000. She won backstroke gold for Ireland at London 2012, then switched to Great Britain and won several more golds from Rio onwards,…0i