33 Facts About Elizabeth Edmondson

Elizabeth Edmondson became a paraplegic after contracting polio as a small child.

Elizabeth Edmondson won several medals in the 1964 and 1968 Summer Paralympics.

Elizabeth Edmondson subsequently retired from swimming, only taking up the sport again in 2006 to compete in the 2008 FINA World Masters Championships in Perth.

Elizabeth Edmondson was born on 1 July 1950 in Perth, Western Australia.

Elizabeth Edmondson's father made changes to the house to make it easier for her to get around, including the addition of parallel bars to help her learn to walk.

Elizabeth Edmondson was given a jelly bean for every length she walked.

Elizabeth Edmondson started swimming when she was five years old, at Crawley Baths in the Swan River.

Elizabeth Edmondson first placed in a swimming competition during a competition in year one at school, where she finished third in a dog paddle swim.

Elizabeth Edmondson was excited to receive her first calliper that allowed her knee to bend when she was ten years old.

Elizabeth Edmondson won a gold medal in the 50m backstroke class e event with a time of 51.8 seconds, 15.2 seconds faster than the previous Commonwealth record time that she beat.

Around the time that Elizabeth was starting to prepare for the Paralympics, she was a student at St Hilda's Anglican School for Girls, a member of the West Perth Swimming Club, and an avid surfer.

Elizabeth Edmondson put her surfing on hold to spend more time training.

At the age of 14 years and 4 months, Elizabeth Edmondson was an Australian Paralympic competitor.

Elizabeth Edmondson was the youngest competitor at the 1964 Summer Paralympics in Tokyo among athletes from all nations.

Elizabeth Edmondson was the youngest Paralympic gold medallist for Australia for 48 years, until Maddison Elliott won a bronze medal at the 2012 London Paralympics.

Elizabeth Edmondson won three gold medals in the 1964 Summer Paralympics in the following events: the women's class 5 50-metre breaststroke with a world record time of 1.04.6; women's class 5 50-metre backstroke with a world record time of 0.50.8; women's class 5 complete 50-metre freestyle with a world record time of 0.39.7.

Elizabeth Edmondson did not compete in the 1966 Commonwealth Paraplegic Games, due to difficulty finding funding to go to Jamaica, a plight common to many Western Australian athletes.

Elizabeth Edmondson won a gold medal at the 1968 Summer Paralympics in Tel Aviv in the 50-metre freestyle class 4 incomplete swimming event with a world record time of 0.44.1 and a gold medal in the 100-metre open freestyle swim event with a world record time of 1.33.0.

Elizabeth Edmondson won a silver medal in Women's 50m Backstroke class 4 incomplete in a time of 52.3.

Elizabeth Edmondson competed with limited mobility in the water, during the Paralympics and the rest of her swimming career: She could only use her arms and shoulders to move through the water.

Elizabeth Edmondson stopped competing after the 1968 Games for financial reasons, and was employed at Telstra.

Elizabeth Edmondson won a bronze medal in a member of a team in an abled bodied relay event.

Elizabeth Edmondson competed at the 2010 Australian National Masters Swimming Championships, held in Launceston, Tasmania.

Elizabeth Edmondson competed in twelve individual events, and set eleven individual personal records.

Elizabeth Edmondson competed at the 2011 X111 Australian Masters Games held in Adelaide, South Australia.

Elizabeth Edmondson competed as a disabled swimmer in six individual events and four relays and won ten gold medals.

Elizabeth Edmondson competed at the 2013 X1V Australian Masters Games held in Geelong, Victoria.

Elizabeth Edmondson competed as a disabled swimmer in seven individual events and two relays and won nine gold medals.

Elizabeth Edmondson was awarded the Australian Sports Medal in 2000, in recognition of her work as a swimmer.

Elizabeth Edmondson was inducted into the Swimming Western Australia Hall of Fame in 2008.

In 2009, Elizabeth Edmondson was inducted into the Wheelchair Sports WA Hall of Fame.

Elizabeth Edmondson was awarded a Certificate of Commendation in 2012 by Masters Swimming Western Australia for her services to Masters Swimming.

In 2024, Elizabeth Edmondson was inducted into Australian Paralympic Hall of Fame.