cooper cooper born october australian world champion disabled swimmer winning paralympic gold medals world records world championships competed australian summer paralympics swimming team classification twice captain australian paralympic team including paralympic games sydney carried australian flag closing ceremonies summer paralympics cooper cerebral spends time wheelchair attended university working course health management ended competitive paralympic career commentator covered swimming events commonwealth games early life cooper born october perth western australia born cerebral spends time wheelchair mother encouraged try sports including tap dancing ballet father encouragement cooper started swimming backyard pool years old bikini father taught swim making wear big yellow started competitive swimming school competed finished sixth division butterfly informed disabled athletes teacher school initial reaction learning disabled sport question disabled compete national team appearance year school winning gold medals national swimming meets time cooper begun training waking pool time competitive athletic career cooper world champion disabled swimmer winning paralympic gold medals world records world championships represented national wheelchair games winning gold medals home pool swan park leisure centre western australia number coaches course competitive career including cooper paralympic debut barcelona age danger going paralympics funding issues federation emergency appeal funding public order cover cost transporting australian team barcelona variety small donations allowed cooper australian athletes compete won gold silver medals broke world records paralympic records offered non residential disability swimming scholarship supported captain australian team summer paralympics competed individual events relay events class winning gold medals individual team silver bronze medal set world records paralympic games atlanta medley freestyle swimming events set personal freestyle world record time freestyle time freestyle time cooper competed paralympic swimming world championships new_zealand set world record freestyle event set world record classification freestyle time seconds faster previous record won gold medal individual medley finish half second away beating previous world record cooper competed disabled association sponsored swimming events invited attend special guest competitors attending cooper hosted coaching clinic thomas cooper moved sydney location summer paralympics prepare games living eighteen months time games family continued live perth adjustment period helped videos olympic games help train volunteers games preparation paralympics australian created help fundraising participated choosing song ashes singing onstage launch summer paralympics games captain australian paralympic team coming games concerns able compete shoulder injury worried receptive australians world terms disabled sport prior paralympics hosted australia surprised paralympic games started supportive australians international visitors athletes paralympic games won freestyle took bronze medals freestyle freestyle relay medley relay events games cooper believed long reaching societal impact terms creating better image disabled people country helping increase acceptance australian society believed games help increase paralympic sports country cooper swimming style relied upper body strength legs trailing despite love water cooper fear swimming open water ocean help overcome fear competed open water kilometres channel swim western_australia recognition cooper selected carry australian flag closing ceremonies summer paralympics awarded medal order australia named year year sport received australian sports medal inducted cooper won dairy farmers sporting chance award swimming year won won merit award cooper chosen officially open perth hockey stadium attended tenth anniversary celebrations sydney olympic held sydney olympic park october fourth inducted personal life cooper studied graduated degree health promotion media public speaker attending events talk disabilities cooper volunteer position worked radio station perth age cooper commentator commonwealth games covering swimming events therapy focus ambassador member actively involved raising funds charities great push event held western_australia charity event raised funds children cancer research foundation cooper married paralympic swimmer children
Priya Cooper