Savchenko cemented her position as the world’s fastest Paralympic swimmer at London 2012 by winning gold in all five events she competed in and setting new world records in four of them.
Born with glaucoma, the Russian took up swimming aged six, and made a big impression at her first IPC Swimming World Championships in 2006. Aged just 15 she left Durban, South Africa with one gold medal and four silvers.
Two years later at her first Paralympics, the S12 swimmer won three gold medals and set two new world records.
She did even better at the 2010 IPC Swimming World Championships in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, taking home four gold medals. The big question now is whether her closest rival Natali Pronina of Azerbaijan, who finished second behind her in four out of five events in London, can finally beat her at the 2013 IPC Swimming World Championships.
