Keira
Stephens

Keira Stephens is among the most exciting young talents to emerge for Australia since the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games.

Having only started competing in Para-swimming in 2015, it took Keira just three years to earn her first Australian cap, receiving her call-up to the Dolphins for the 2018 Pan Pacific Para-swimming Championships in Cairns, QLD.

In Cairns, Keira won a silver medal in the women’s 100m breaststroke SB9, both justifying her selection to the Australian team and laying the foundation for her return to the world stage the following September for the 2019 World Para-swimming Championships.

That return saw Keira place fourth in the women’s 100m breaststroke SB9, fifth in the women’s 4x100m medley 34 Points, sixth in the women’s 200m individual medley SM10 – smashing her personal best by six seconds! – and eighth in the women’s 50m freestyle S10. It was an impressive performance, particularly for a rookie, and one which took Keira one giant step closer towards achieving her dream of competing at the Paralympic Games.

At her Paralympic debut at Tokyo 2020, 18-year-old Keira claimed bronze in her pet event – the women’s 100m breaststroke SB9. A personal best time of 1:17.59 saw her not only secure a spot on the dais, but she also broke the Australian record (1:17.93) which has been held by Madeleine Scott since Rio 2016.