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3444-Esther Overton photo

Esther Overton

Australia flag
Australia
Swimming
2

Biography

Impairment information

Origin of Impairment
Congenital
Classification
S1, SB1, SM1

Further personal information

Residence
Adelaide, SA, AUS
Occupation
Student
Languages
English
Higher education
Commerce - University of Adelaide: Adelaide, SA, AUS

Sport specific information

When and where did you begin this sport?
She began swimming at age 12 in Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
Why this sport?
She started swimming as a form of physiotherapy.

International debut

Year
2006
Competing for
Australia
Tournament
World Championships
Location
South Africa

General interest

Hobbies
Reading, music, collecting teddy bears. (Athlete, 29 Apr 2011)
Memorable sporting achievement
Competing at the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing. (Athlete, 29 Apr 2011)
Most influential person in career
Her mother. (paralympic.org.au, 6 Jan 2010)
Hero / Idol
Australian swimmers Petria Thomas, Grant Hackett. (vis.org.au, 03 Aug 2011)
Injuries
She has broken her arms more than 40 times as a result of her impairment. In 2008 she broke her arm at a staging camp just a day before the Australian team arrived in Beijing. She had also had a collapsed lung seven weeks earlier. (paralympic.org.au, 6 Jan 2010)
Superstitions / Rituals / Beliefs
Her toenails must be painted and she must eat Weet-Bix the morning of the race. (Athlete, 29 Apr 2011)
Sporting philosophy / motto
"There's nothing I can't do, I'll just try a different way." (paralympic.org.au, 6 Jan 2010)
Impairment
She has arthrogryposis multiplex congenita, a disorder which affects the joints and makes bones more susceptible to breaking. (paralympic.org.au, 6 Jan 2010)
Other information
RETIREMENT
She announced her retirement in April 2013, after a lack of competitors in her classification led to the cancellation of her event at the 2013 World Championships in Montreal, Canada. "My swimming career has provided me with many amazing opportunities and experiences. Even though it has been extremely tough at times, I wouldn't trade it for anything." (london2012.paralympic.org.au, 24 Apr 2013)

Results

Unit Date Rank
IPC Swimming World Championships Durban 2006 (Durban, South Africa)
Event Medal Unit Date Rank
Women's 50 m Butterfly S3 Final Round 2
Women's 50 m Freestyle S3 Final Round 6
Women's 50 m Freestyle S3 Heats 6
Women's 100 m Freestyle S3 Heats 5
Women's 100 m Freestyle S3 Final Round 5
Women's 50 m Backstroke S3 Heats 2
Women's 50 m Backstroke S3 Final Round 2
IPC Swimming World Championships Eindhoven 2010 (Eindhoven, Netherlands)
Event Medal Unit Date Rank
Women's 50 m Butterfly S3 Final Round 4
Women's 50 m Backstroke S3 Final Round 5
Women's 50 m Backstroke S3 Heat 1 3
Women's 4x50 m Medley 20pts Final Round 7
Women's 4x50 m Medley 20pts Heat 2 4
Women's 100 m Freestyle S3 Final Round 6
Women's 100 m Freestyle S3 Heat 2 3
Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games (Beijing, China)
Event Medal Unit Date Rank
Women's 50 m Backstroke S3 Final Round 5
Women's 50 m Backstroke S3 Heat 2 3
Women's 50 m Freestyle S3 Final Round 6
Women's 50 m Freestyle S3 Heat 1 3
London 2012 Paralympic Games (London, Great Britain)
Event Medal Unit Date Rank
Women's 50 m Backstroke S2 Final Round 2012-09-05 5