Andrea Cole (born 29 January 1984) is a Canadian former Paralympic swimmer. She competed as a member of Team Canada at the

2000 Summer Paralympics The 2000 Summer Paralympic Games or the XI Summer Paralympics were held in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, between 18 and 29 October. The Sydney Paralympics was the last time that the Summer Paralympics were organized by two different Organ ...

2004 Summer Paralympics The 2004 Summer Paralympics (), the 12th Summer Paralympic Games, were a major international multi-sport event for athletes with disabilities governed by the International Paralympic Committee, held in Athens, Greece, from 17 to 28 September ...

, and

2008 Summer Paralympics The 2008 Summer Paralympic Games (), the 13th Summer Paralympic Games, took place in Beijing, China, from September 6 to 17, 2008. As with the 2008 Summer Olympics, equestrian events were held in Hong Kong and sailing events in Qingdao. It was ...

. She set a Canadian record in the women's SM8 200-m individual medley in 2002 with a time of 3:03.04, which was beaten in 2016.

Early life

Cole was born and raised in

Thunder Bay Thunder Bay is a city in and the seat of Thunder Bay District, Ontario, Canada. It is the most populous municipality in Northwestern Ontario and the second most populous (after Greater Sudbury) municipality in Northern Ontario. Its population i ...

, Ontario. She began swimming after her mother read an article about a Paralympic swimmer.

Career

Cole was selected to compete with Team Canada's National Swimming Team during the

. In 2002, Cole set a new Canadian women's record for fastest SM8 200-m individual medley with a time of 3:03.04. This record was later beaten in 2016 by Abi Tripp. Cole was named to Team Canada's National Swimming Team for the

where she won a silver medal in the 4X100m freestyle relay and bronze in the 100m butterfly. As a result, she was named a co-recipient of the 2005 Janet Dunn Award from the Canadian Cerebral Palsy Sport Association. In 2007, Cole qualified for the

Parapan American Games The Parapan American Games is an international multi-sport event for athletes with physical disabilities held every four years after every Pan American Games. The first Games were held in 1999 in Mexico City, Mexico. The 2003 Parapan American Ga ...

with a time of one minute, 26.32 seconds in the 100-metre butterfly. During the

2007 Parapan American Games The 2007 Parapan American Games, officially the III Parapan American Games, were a major international multi-sport event for Disabled sports, athletes with disabilities, celebrated in the tradition of the Parapan American Games as governed by the ...

, she won two gold medals while competing in the women's S8 disability category 100-freestyle and 100 backstroke. The next year, she was selected to compete at the

in the S8 200m IM. In 2013, Cole was inducted into the

Northwestern Ontario Sports Hall of Fame The Northwestern Ontario Sports Hall of Fame, established in 1978 in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada, is dedicated to the people of Northwestern Ontario who have achieved greatness in sport. It is located on 219 South May Street in Downtown Fort Wil ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cole, Andrea 1984 births Living people Sportspeople from Thunder Bay Swimmers with cerebral palsy Paralympic gold medalists for Canada Paralympic silver medalists for Canada Paralympic bronze medalists for Canada Cerebral palsy-category Paralympic competitors University of Western Ontario alumni Paralympic medalists in swimming Medalists at the 2000 Summer Paralympics Medalists at the 2004 Summer Paralympics Swimmers at the 2000 Summer Paralympics Swimmers at the 2004 Summer Paralympics Swimmers at the 2008 Summer Paralympics Paralympic swimmers for Canada Medalists at the 2007 Parapan American Games Medalists at the World Para Swimming Championships Canadian female freestyle swimmers Canadian female backstroke swimmers Canadian female medley swimmers S8-classified para swimmers 20th-century Canadian sportswomen 21st-century Canadian sportswomen Parapan American Games medalists in swimming Parapan American Games gold medalists for Canada Parapan American Games silver medalists for Canada