29 Facts About Ellie Cole

Ellie Cole began competitive swimming in 2003 and first competed internationally at the 2006 IPC Swimming World Championships, where she won a silver medal.

Ellie Cole subsequently represented Australia at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Paralympics, the 2018 Commonwealth Games, and the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics.

In claiming her seventeenth Paralympic medal in Tokyo, Ellie Cole became Australia's most decorated female Paralympian with six gold, five silver and six bronze medals from four Paralympic Games.

Ellie Victoria Cole was born in Lilydale, Victoria, on 12 December 1991.

Ellie Cole's instructors expected her to take up to a year to learn how to swim in a straight line, but it took her two weeks.

Ellie Cole attended Mount Eliza North Primary school and Frankston High School, both in the outer Melbourne suburb of Frankston.

Ellie Cole has completed a Bachelor in Health and Exercise Science at the Australian Catholic University.

Ellie Cole was featured in the 2020 documentary film Rising Phoenix on Netflix, which focused on the Paralympic Games.

Ellie Cole announced her retirement from swimming at the August 2022 Duel in the Pool.

Ellie Cole was the general manager of the Australian team at the 2023 Commonwealth Youth Games.

On 1 April 2024, Ellie Cole was appointed to Paralympics Australia Board.

Ellie Cole is classified in the S9 category in swimming due to her amputation, a classification that includes swimmers who have joint restrictions in one leg and those with double below-knee amputations.

Ellie Cole began competitive swimming in 2003 and, at the 2006 IPC Swimming World Championships in Durban, she won a silver medal in the women's 100m backstroke S9 event.

Also in 2006 Ellie Cole won the 100m backstroke at the Telstra Australian Swimming Championships.

On 12 August 2009 Ellie Cole participated in the 100m freestyle multi-disability event in the 2009 Australian Short Course Swimming Championships in Hobart, where she broke the world record with a time of 1:04:06.

Ellie Cole has participated in national championships such as the Australian Age Multi Class Swimming Championships and the New South Wales State Open championships.

Ellie Cole then participated in the 2012 New South Wales State Open Championships in multi-class events.

Ellie Cole trained with Teigan Van Roosmalen, a blind and deaf S13 swimmer.

At the 2012 London Paralympics, Ellie Cole participated in eight events and won six medals.

Ellie Cole became the first S9 swimmer to break 29 seconds in the 50m freestyle in winning the gold medal at the 2016 Australian Swimming Championships in Adelaide in the 50m Freestyle Multiclass event.

At the 2016 Rio Paralympics, Ellie Cole won two gold medals in the Women's 100 m backstroke S9 and Women's 4 x 100 Freestyle Relay 34 points, three silver medals in the Women's 50 m and 400m Freestyle S9, Women's 4 x 100 Medley Relay 34 points and the bronze medal in the Women's 100m Freestyle S9.

Ellie Cole faced a challenging time in the lead-up to Rio Paralympics.

Ellie Cole won a bronze medal in the 34pts Women's 4x100m Medley 34 pts.

Ellie Cole competed in the 100 m freestyle S9, the 400 m freestyle S9, and the 100 m backstroke S9.

Ellie Cole played wheelchair basketball for Victoria in the Women's National Wheelchair Basketball League in 2013 and 2014 as a 4.0 point player, taking out the league's award for Best New Talent in 2013.

In 2011, Ellie Cole was nominated for The Age Sport Performer Award in the Performer with a Disability category.

Ellie Cole was the flag bearer for Australia at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games Closing Ceremony.

Ellie Cole was promoted to Member of the Order of Australia in the 2024 Australia Day Honours for her "significant service to sport as an advocate for diversity and inclusion".

Ellie Cole was awarded the Rising Star Award at the 2024 Australian Sports Commission Media Awards.