Liz Johnson (swimmer)
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| Nickname(s) | Lizard, Showbiz, Johno | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nationality |
 United Kingdom | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born |
3 December 1985 Newport, South Wales | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country | Great Britain | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Paralympic swimming | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | Team Bath | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coached by | Mark Skimming | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Elizabeth "Liz" Johnson (born 3 December 1985) is a British swimmer who has won gold medals in the Paralympic Games and IPC world championships. She has cerebral palsy, placing her in the S6 classification.
Personal life
Johnson was born in Newport on 3 December 1985.[1][2] She has cerebral palsy and, at the age of three, was encouraged by her mother to join a group for disabled swimmers to strengthen and relax her muscles. She came to love the sport, competing as an S6 swimmer,[1][3][2] and was selected to swim for Team GB at the age of 14.[4] Johnson attended Swansea University and completed a degree in business management and finance. She currently lives in Bath, Somerset and trains with the University of Bath training group, Team Bath.[3][2]
While Johnson was on the plane to the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing, her mother died after a long battle with cervical cancer. She decided to continue with the Games when she was told that the funeral could be held when she returned home.[4][5]
Johnson spends one day a week studying accountancy and is considering a career in that field when she retires from competitive swimming.[3][2]
Swimming career
At the 2006 IPC World Championships in Durban, Johnson won an individual gold medal in the 100 m breaststroke and two relay golds. She repeated her breaststroke success at the 2009 event, breaking the world record in the process, and also picked up two individual medley bronze medals.[2] She won gold in the 100 m breaststroke at the 2008 Summer Paralympics eleven days after the death of her mother, dedicating the victory to her memory.[4][5]
Johnson's successes were recognised when, in April 2011, she was given the honour of laying the final tile in the competition pool at the London Aquatics Centre.[3][6] She was also selected as the Paralympic Oath taker for the 2012 Games.[7]
Johnson added to her Paralympic medal collection at London 2012 as she set a new Paralympic record en route. Johnson recorded a season's best time of 1:40.90 to take the bronze medal in the 100m Backstroke (SB6). In the build up towards her fourth Paralympics, Johnson underwent an operation for a hernia. While recovering, she found herself falling behind in her training, which impacted on her preparation for the 2016 Paralympic trials. Her failure to make the trials resulted in her decision to retire from competitive swimming.[8]
References
- 1 2 "Elizabeth Johnson". Channel 4. Retrieved 30 August 2012.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Liz Johnson" (PDF). Threshold Sports. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 May 2010. Retrieved 30 August 2012.
- 1 2 3 4 "Meet the Team - Elizabeth Johnson". Swimming.org. British Swimming & The ASA. Retrieved 30 August 2012.
- 1 2 3 "Liz Johnson". The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group Limited. Retrieved 30 August 2012.
- 1 2 De Lacey, Martha (28 August 2012). "'I won my gold medal for mum': The Team GB Paralympic hope who swam to victory in Beijing just 11 days after her mother's death". Daily Mail. Associated Newspapers Ltd. Retrieved 30 August 2012.
- ↑ "Final tile laid in London 2012 pool". Department for Culture, Media and Sport. April 2011. Retrieved 30 August 2012.
- ↑ Frampton, Ben (31 August 2012). "Swim coach speaks of pride as Newport star takes Paralympic oath". South Wales Argus. Newsquest Media (Southern) Ltd. Retrieved 2 September 2012.
- ↑ "Swimmer Liz Johnson retires ahead of Rio 2016 after injuries". BBC Sport. 20 April 2016. Retrieved 24 April 2016.
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