It was after transferring to a Nippers Program in Coffs Harbour when Maddie McTernan first fell in love with the water. In 2014 she decided to get serious about Para-swimming, and her progress in the pool has been impressive ever since.
The 20-year-old now calls Queensland home, training under Ken Malcolm’s tutelage at St Hilda’s Aquatics Club since 2019.
Her most memorable sporting moment came when she was surprised to win two gold medals at the 2019 INAS Global Games in Brisbane.
Impressive results at both the 2019 Hancock Prospecting Australian Swimming and Age Championships (where she won eight gold medals) earned her a spot on the national team. Maddie represented Australia at the 2019 World Para Swimming Championships in London, where she placed fifth in the women’s 100m backstroke S14.
In 2020, Maddie broke a world record in the women’s 400m freestyle S14 at the 2020 Australian Short Course Championships with a time of 4:35.56 seconds.
Maddie qualified for Tokyo 2020 during the Australian Swimming Trials in Adelaide. At the Games, she claimed a silver medal in the mixed 4x100m freestyle relay S14 with her teammates Ricky Betar, Benjamin Hance and Ruby Storm. In the women’s 100m backstroke S14, she finished in fourth position with a time of 1:09.82, producing a time sub 1:10 for the second time in her career.
When she’s not in the pool, Maddie loves running, hiking, cross country running, and walking her dog, Lucy.
Show less
Join AUS Squad
Para-swimming
