Rachael Watson

Personal

Watson was born on 30 January 1992 with cerebral palsy diplegia resulting from a premature birth. She is a triplet with brothers James and Jonathon. Her brother James also has cerebral palsy, while Jonathan is unaffected. She attended Cannon Hill Anglican College in Brisbane, Queensland. At the age of 21, she acquired Guillain Barre Syndrome that led to rapid muscle weakness and peripheral nervous system damage. In 2011, she was awarded the Queensland Young Volunteer of Year - Art and Culture category.

Swimming

Watson took up swimming as part of her rehabilitation. She was originally classified as a S8 swimmer but was reclassified as a S4 swimmer as a result of Guillain Barre Syndrome. At the 2016 Australian Swimming Championships, she nearly broke the S4 world record for the Women's 100m Freestyle. At the 2016 IDM Berlin Open, she won the Women's 50m Freestyle in an S4 Oceania record time of 39.97.

At the 2016 Rio Paralympics, she won the gold medal in the Women's 50 m freestyle S4 in a Paralympic record time of 40.13. She also competed in Mixed 4x50m Freestyle (20 points) and finished seventh in the final. Watson further competed in Women's 50m Breaststroke SB3 and Women's 150m Individual Medley SM4 but didn't progress to the finals.

In preparation for Rio, Watson shared "If I was to win a medal, it won’t just me who has won, it’s them as well. They have done so much for me. My mum has taught me so much about how to be a young woman and my dad has taught name how to deal with the punches that life throws at you."

Watson was awarded AIS Discovery of the Year at the 2016 Swimming Australia Awards and Most Improved Athlete at the 2016 Sporting Wheelies and Disabled Association Awards. She was awarded the Order of Australia Medal in 2017.

She trains at the Chandler Swimming Club in Brisbane.