Tasmania had a Paralympic or Olympic swimmer for the first time in more than two decades, thanks to Jacob Templeton who made his Paralympic debut at Rio 2016.

Born with retinitis pigmentosa, a degenerative eye disease, Jacob has been determined to become the best swimmer he can since learning to swim as a child.  Early in 2013 Jacob was nationally and internationally classified as a legally blind, visually impaired athlete.

Jacob caught the attention of Australian selectors at the 2013 Australian Short Course Championships where he won gold in the 50m and 100m multi-class freestyle, just missing both S13 world records. He also took silver in the 100m butterfly and a bronze medal in the 50m butterfly.

These performances saw Jacob join the Australian Bronze Squad and the Road to Rio Paralympic Development Squad for the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games. It also saw him join the high performance  Paralympic program …

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Date of birth
24 May 1995
Sport
Para-swimming
Past Paralympic Games

Rio 2016

Impairment
Vision Impairment – Retinitis pigmentosa
How acquired
Congenital condition
Residence
Buderim, QLD
Occupation
Student - Bachelor of Sport and Exercise Science
Started competing
2003
First competed for Australia
2015
Sport career highlights

Final of the S13 400m freestyle at the 2015 IPC Worlds

Greatest sporting moments

Australian MC 100m and 50m freestyle Short Course Champion - 2013

Heroes/role models

Ian Thorpe and Michael Phelps

Disciplines

  • Sport: Para-swimming Discipline: 100m butterfly Classification: S13
  • Sport: Para-swimming Discipline: 100m freestyle Classification: S13
  • Sport: Para-swimming Discipline: 200m individual medley Classification: SM13
  • Sport: Para-swimming Discipline: 400m freestyle Classification: S13
  • Sport: Para-swimming Discipline: 50m freestyle Classification: S13

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