Twenty year old Esther Overton represented Australia for the first time at the World Championships in Durban in 2006. Training with coach Samantha Bloder in Melbourne, Esther’s best event is the 50m backstroke, which she has held an Australian record for as well as Australian records in the S3 50m freestyle, 100m freestyle,100m backstroke and 50m butterfly.

Esther was born with a condition called arthrogryposis multiplex congenita, which affects her from the neck down. All of her joints are fixed, meaning her bones break easily. This has caused her to break her arms more than 40 times. Esther needs full assistance with everyday activities however she refuses to let her disability prevent her from achieving her goals.

Swimming at the Beijing Paralympic Games was a dream come true for Esther despite the setbacks she suffered in the lead up to the Games. She broke her arm at a staging camp just one day before the team arrived in Beijing and seven weeks earlier her lung collapsed. Incredibly Esther was able to compete but was disappointed with her results. She finished fifth in the 50m backstroke and sixth in the 50m freestyle.