Stephanie Dixon, (born February 10, 1984) is a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

swimmer Swimming is an individual or team racing sport that requires the use of one's entire body to move through water. The sport takes place in pools or open water (e.g., in a sea or lake). Competitive swimming is one of the most popular Olympic ...

. She is a three-time Paralympian and competed at the

2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

and 2008 Paralympic Games prior to retiring from competitive swimming in 2010. During her career, Dixon won nineteen Paralympic medals and seven

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 ...

medals, and was a 10-time world champion. She is one of Canada's most successful Paralympians.

Early life and education

Dixon was born in

Brampton, Ontario Brampton is a city in the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario, and the regional seat of the Regional Municipality of Peel. It is part of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and is a List of municipalities in Ontario#L ...

to parents Mark Dixon and Joanne MacDonald, and has an older brother, Matthew. She was born missing her right leg and hip and with an

omphalocele An omphalocele or omphalocoele, also known as an exomphalos, is a rare abdominal wall defect. Beginning at the 6th week of development, rapid elongation of the gut and increased liver size reduces intra abdominal space, which pushes intestinal lo ...

and began to swim at the age of two. She uses underarm crutches. She moved to Victoria in 2003 to study psychology from the

University of Victoria The University of Victoria (UVic) is a public research university located in the municipalities of Oak Bay, British Columbia, Oak Bay and Saanich, British Columbia, Canada. Established in 1903 as Victoria College, British Columbia, Victoria Col ...

, where she earned a

B.A. A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree ...

and swam for the University of Victoria Vikes. In 2021, Dixon began pursuing a master's degree in kinesiology at the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...

. She finished her master’s degree from the Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education in November 2023.

Career

Para Swimming

At the age of 13, Dixon began competitive swimming against athletes without disabilities. At the age of 14, she joined Canada's national Paralympic team, competing in the S9 classification. At age 13, she set a Canadian record in the women’s 100-metre backstroke with a time of 1:21.69. She won five medals at the

1997 Canada Games Events January * January 1 – The Emergency Alert System is introduced in the United States. * January 11 – Turkey threatens Cyprus on account of a deal to buy Russian S-300 missiles, prompting the Cypriot Missile Crisis. * January 16 ...

and five medals at the 1997 United States National Championships for Swimmers with a Disability. At the 1998 National Youth Championship in Sherbrooke, she set her first world record, racing the women’s 200-metre backstroke in 2:39.39. She won five gold medals at the 1998 International Paralympic Committee (IPC) World Swimming Championships and set two world records (women’s 100-metre backstroke and women’s 4x100-metre medley relay). She represented 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 ...

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

, at the age of 16, and won five gold medals and two silver medals. With 5 golds, she set the Canadian record for most golds at a single Games. Representing her country again at the

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 ...

Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

, she won one gold, six silver, and one bronze. At 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 ...

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

, she won six gold and one silver medals. She participated in the

Paralympic Games The Paralympic Games or Paralympics is a periodic series of international multisport events involving athletes with a range of disability, disabilities. There are Winter Paralympic Games, Winter and Summer Paralympic Games, which since the 1988 ...

for the third time in

Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

. Dixon has also won several medals and set several world records at World Championships and at the

Commonwealth Games The Commonwealth Games is a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations, which consists mostly, but not exclusively, of territories of the former British Empire. The event was first held in 1930 ...

. In 2010, Dixon retired from competitive swimming.

Post-competition

In 2011, Dixon moved to the

Yukon Yukon () is a Provinces and territories of Canada, territory of Canada, bordering British Columbia to the south, the Northwest Territories to the east, the Beaufort Sea to the north, and the U.S. state of Alaska to the west. It is Canada’s we ...

and became head coach of the Yukon Graylings Master Swim Club. Dixon was a TV host for the 2013 IPC Swimming World Championships and part of the Canadian Paralympic Committee's broadcast team for the 2014 Winter Paralympic Games. She was part of CBC's broadcasting team for the 2016 and 2018 Paralympic Games. After serving as Team Canada’s assistant chef de mission for the Toronto 2015 Parapan American Games, she was Canada's

chef de mission In diplomatic usage, head of mission (HOM) or chief of mission (COM) from the French "chef de mission diplomatique" (CMD) is the head of a diplomatic representation, such as an ambassador, high commissioner, nuncio, chargé d'affaires, permanen ...

for the

2019 Parapan American Games The 2019 Parapan American Games (), officially the VI Pan American Games and commonly known as the Lima 2019 ParaPan-Am Games, were an international multi-sport event for athletes with disabilities, celebrated in the tradition of the Parapan Am ...

and Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.

Awards and recognition

She was added to the

Canadian Disability Hall of Fame The Canadian Disability Hall of Fame (formerly the Terry Fox Hall of Fame), recognizes "outstanding Canadians who have made extraordinary contributions to enriching the quality of life for people with physical disabilities". It is run by the Canadi ...

in 2013 and the Brampton Sports Hall of Fame in 2015. In 2016, she was awarded the

Order of Sport The Order of Sport is a national level award established in 2019 by Canada's Sports Hall of Fame. It is awarded alongside induction into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame, and regarded as Canada's highest sporting honour. Overview Canada’s Sp ...

, marking her induction into

Canada's Sports Hall of Fame Canada's Sports Hall of Fame (; sometimes referred to as the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame) is a Canadian sports hall of fame and museum in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Dedicated to the history of sports in Canada, it serves as a hall of fame and mu ...

. She was appointed to the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada () is a Canadian state order, national order and the second-highest Award, honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the Canadian Centennial, ce ...

in 2018.

References

External links

Stephanie Dixon
at

Swimming Canada Swimming Canada is the national governing body for competitive swimming in Canada. It was established in 1909, as the Canadian Amateur Swimming Association. Swimming Canada oversees the management of all swim programs throughout the nation and ...

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dixon, Stephanie 1984 births Living people Canadian female medley swimmers Canadian female backstroke swimmers Canadian female freestyle swimmers Canadian amputees Congenital amputees Sportspeople with limb difference Paralympic swimmers for Canada Paralympic gold medalists for Canada Paralympic silver medalists for Canada Paralympic bronze medalists for Canada Swimmers at the 2000 Summer Paralympics Swimmers at the 2004 Summer Paralympics Swimmers at the 2008 Summer Paralympics Medalists at the 2000 Summer Paralympics Medalists at the 2004 Summer Paralympics Medalists at the 2008 Summer Paralympics World record holders in paralympic swimming Place of birth missing (living people) Members of the Order of Canada S9-classified para swimmers Canadian Disability Hall of Fame Medalists at the World Para Swimming Championships Paralympic medalists in swimming Medalists at the 2007 Parapan American Games Parapan American Games gold medalists for Canada Parapan American Games silver medalists for Canada Swimmers at the 2007 Parapan American Games 21st-century Canadian sportswomen University of Victoria alumni University of Toronto alumni 20th-century Canadian sportswomen Parapan American Games medalists in swimming