Callum Simpson (born 11 April 2007) is an Australian

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 ...

. He competed at the 2024 Paris Paralympics, where he won two gold and one silver medal.

Personal life

Simpson was born with

microdeletion syndrome In genetics, a deletion (also called gene deletion, deficiency, or deletion mutation) (sign: Δ) is a mutation (a genetic aberration) in which a part of a chromosome or a sequence of DNA is left out during DNA replication. Any number of nucleoti ...

– a chromosomal abnormality and genetic disorder which causes learning delay and physical flow-on effects – which causes his left and right side not to work in unison. He also has

dyspraxia Developmental coordination disorder (DCD), also known as developmental motor coordination disorder, developmental dyspraxia, or simply dyspraxia (from Ancient Greek ''praxis'' 'activity'), is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impair ...

, neurological disorders, and cerebral palsy. Simpson attends Matthew Flinders Anglican College,

Buderim, Queensland Buderim ( ) is a town in the Sunshine Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. It sits on a mountain which overlooks the southern Sunshine Coast communities. The name "Buderim" is usually believed to be derived from a local Gubbi Gubbi people, ...

. His parents are Bec and

Nigel Simpson Nigel Tausie Ashton Simpson (born 25 April 1975) is a former English rugby union player. Biography Simpson was born in Suva, Fiji and is of Rotuman and English descent. His mother is Rotuman from Malha'a, Rotuma and his father is English. Rug ...

, who represented and captained the England rugby sevens team for many years. Callum has a brother Henry, who is a talented water polo player, and is representing Australia in the surf life saving World Championships in 2024. Callum is of Rotuman heritage from his paternal side which makes him the second Rotuman swimmer to medal at an

Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games (Olympics; ) are the world's preeminent international Olympic sports, sporting events. They feature summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a Multi-s ...

event after Greg Fasala.

Swimming

Simpson was encouraged to take up swimming to strengthen his body and as part of his weekly therapy. Olympian and swim coach Janelle Pallister played an important role in his early swimming development. After strong performances at national swimming championships, he was selected as a member of The Para Flippers Development Squad for 2023. He was selected on the Australian Swim Para Team to compete at Para Swimming European Open Championships in

Madeira, Portugal Madeira ( ; ), officially the Autonomous Region of Madeira (), is an autonomous region of Portugal. It is an archipelago situated in the North Atlantic Ocean, in the region of Macaronesia, just under north of the Canary Islands, Spain, wes ...

in 2024. At the 2024 Paris Paralympics, Simpson won gold medals in the Men's 100 m freestyle S8 and Mixed medley 34 pts (heat) and silver medal in the Mixed freestyle 34 pts. He is an active member of the Alexandra Headland Surf Lifesaving Club. He is coached by Olympic swimmer

Chris Wright Christopher Allen Wright (born January 15, 1965) is an American government official, engineer, and businessman serving as the 17th United States Secretary of Energy, United States secretary of energy since 2025. Before his appointment, he was th ...

at the Flinders Aquatic Academy in

Recognition

* 2018 - School Sport Australia Sportsmanship Award for Swimming. * 2024 - Sport Australia Hall of Fame Scholarship and Mentoring Program Tier 2 Scholarship. * 2024 -

Australian Institute of Sport The Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) is a high performance sports training institution in Australia. The institute's headquarters were opened in 1981 and are situated in the northern suburb of Bruce, Canberra. The AIS is a division of the ...

Discovery of the Year. * 2024 -

Commonwealth Games Australia Commonwealth Games Australia (CGA) is the Commonwealth Games Association for Australia, and is responsible for representing and promoting the Commonwealth Sport movement in the country, and organises the participation of athletes at the Commonwe ...

’s Emerging Athlete of the Month for August. * 2025 - Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for service to sport as a gold medallist at the Paris Paralympic Games 2024.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Simpson, Callum Living people 2007 births Australian male freestyle swimmers S8-classified para swimmers Swimmers at the 2024 Summer Paralympics Medalists at the 2024 Summer Paralympics Paralympic gold medalists for Australia Paralympic silver medalists for Australia Paralympic medalists in swimming Sportsmen from Queensland 21st-century Australian sportsmen Recipients of the Medal of the Order of Australia