Jonathan Andrew Fox (born 30 May 1991) is a British

Paralympic swimmer Para swimming is an adaptation of the sport of swimming (sport), swimming for athletes with disability, disabilities. Para swimmers compete at the Swimming at the Summer Paralympics, Summer Paralympic Games and at other sports competitions through ...

Personal life

Fox was born on 30 May 1991 in

Plymouth Plymouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Devon, South West England. It is located on Devon's south coast between the rivers River Plym, Plym and River Tamar, Tamar, about southwest of Exeter and ...

, Devon, England. He was educated at

Cornwall College Cornwall College may refer to: * The Cornwall College Group, in Cornwall and Devon, England * Cornwall College, Jamaica * Cornwall Collegiate and Vocational School, Cornwall, Ontario, Canada {{Disambiguation ...

, earning a BTEC in Sport and Science in 2007. He was born with

cerebral palsy Cerebral palsy (CP) is a group of movement disorders that appear in early childhood. Signs and symptoms vary among people and over time, but include poor coordination, spasticity, stiff muscles, Paresis, weak muscles, and tremors. There may b ...

and competes in the S7 Paralympic classification.

Swimming

Fox was introduced to

Paralympic swimming Para swimming is an adaptation of the sport of swimming for athletes with disabilities. Para swimmers compete at the Summer Paralympic Games and at other sports competitions throughout the world. The sport is governed by the International Paral ...

at a Regional Disability Swimming meet in 2001. He represented

Great Britain at the 2008 Summer Paralympics Great Britain competed at the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing, People's Republic of China. Great Britain sent a delegation of around 400, of which 212 were athletes, to compete in eighteen sports at the Games. The team was made up of athletes ...

held in Beijing, China. Fox won a silver medal in the 100-metre backstroke S7 event. He also finished fifth in the

100-metre freestyle The 100 metre freestyle is often considered to be the highlight (Blue Ribbon event) of the sport of swimming, like 100 metres in the sport of Athletics, symbolizing the pinnacle of speed and athleticism in swimming competitions. The first swimm ...

, eighth in the 50-metre freestyle and ninth in the 400-metre freestyle. In 2009 at the

International Paralympic Committee The International Paralympic Committee (IPC; ) is an international non-profit organisation and the global governing body for the Paralympic Movement. The IPC organizes the Paralympic Games and functions as the international federation for nin ...

(IPC) European Swimming Championships held in

Reykjavík Reykjavík is the Capital city, capital and largest city in Iceland. It is located in southwestern Iceland on the southern shore of Faxaflói, the Faxaflói Bay. With a latitude of 64°08′ N, the city is List of northernmost items, the worl ...

, Iceland, he won three gold medals and two silver medals. At the 2010

IPC Swimming World Championships The World Para Swimming Championships, known also as the IPC Swimming World Championships, are the world championships for swimming where athletes with a disability compete. They are organised by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC). Prev ...

Fox won a gold medal in the 100-metre backstroke event and a bronze in the 400-metre freestyle. In the same year he won two gold medals and two bronze at the British Championships. In 2011 Fox won three gold, a silver and two bronze medals at the European Championships in

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

as well as two gold medals at the British Championships. Fox was selected to compete for

Great Britain at the 2012 Summer Paralympics Great Britain competed at the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London, United Kingdom, from 29 August to 9 September 2012 as the host nation. A total of 288 athletes were selected to compete along with 13 other team members such as sighted guides. The c ...

in the 50-metre freestyle,

, 400-metre freestyle and 100-metre backstroke events in the S7 classification. In the heats of the 100 m backstroke he broke his own

world record A world record is usually the best global and most important performance that is ever recorded and officially verified in a specific skill, sport, or other kind of activity. The book ''Guinness World Records'' and other world records organizatio ...

, setting a time of one minute 9.86 seconds to qualify fastest for the final. He went on to win the final in a time of one minute 10.46 seconds to take Great Britain's first swimming gold medal at the Games. , he holds S7 world records in

long course An Olympic-size swimming pool is a swimming pool which conforms to the regulations for length, breadth, and depth made by World Aquatics (formerly FINA) for swimming at the Summer Olympics and the swimming events at the World Aquatics Champion ...

200-metre freestyle, 800-metre freestyle, 50 metres backstroke and 100 metres backstroke events.

Honours

Fox was appointed

Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(MBE) in the

2013 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 2013 were appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Honours are awarded as part of the New Year celebrati ...

for services to swimming.
Cabinet Office

References

External links

*
Jonathan Fox - Montreal 2013 IPC Swimming World Championships
at the International Paralympic Committee {{DEFAULTSORT:Fox, Jonathan Swimmers at the 2008 Summer Paralympics Living people Swimmers at the 2012 Summer Paralympics Paralympic swimmers for Great Britain Paralympic silver medalists for Great Britain Sportspeople from Plymouth, Devon 1991 births English male freestyle swimmers British male freestyle swimmers Paralympic gold medalists for Great Britain Swimmers with cerebral palsy World record holders in paralympic swimming People from St Stephen-in-Brannel Members of the Order of the British Empire Medalists at the 2008 Summer Paralympics Medalists at the 2012 Summer Paralympics S7-classified para swimmers Medalists at the World Para Swimming Championships Medalists at the World Para Swimming European Championships Paralympic medalists in swimming People with type 1 diabetes English male backstroke swimmers British male backstroke swimmers 21st-century English sportsmen

Personal life

Swimming

Honours

See also

References

External links