Julia Gaffney

Julia Kay Gaffney (born January 5, 2000) is an American Paralympic swimmer who competes in international level events. She was born with proximal femoral focal deficiency and had her right leg with amputated above the knee and her left leg amputated below the knee due to fibular hemimelia when she was born.[1][2]

Julia Gaffney

Personal information
Full name	Julia Kay Gaffney
Born	5 January 2000 Russia
Home town	Mayflower, Arkansas, United States
Height	5 ft 3 in (160 cm) (with prosthetics)
Weight	100 lb (45 kg)
Sport
Country	United States
Sport	Paralympic swimming
Disability	Proximal femoral focal deficiency Fibular hemimelia
Disability class	S7
Club	AquaKids Swim Team, Conway, Arkansas
Coached by	Tony Marleneanu
Medal record Paralympic swimming Representing  United States World Championships 2019 London Women's 200m individual medley SM7 2017 Mexico City Women's 50m freestyle S8 2017 Mexico City Women's 400m freestyle S8 2017 Mexico City Women's 100m backstroke S8 2017 Mexico City Women's 100m breaststroke SB6 2017 Mexico City Women's 200m individual medley SM8 2019 London Women's 50m butterfly S7 2017 Mexico City Women's 100m freestyle S8

Gaffney was brought up in a Russian orphanage before being adopted by an American family from Arkansas when she was five years old.

Sporting career

Gaffney wanted to play softball but due to her disability circumstances she found it too difficult, she was then encouraged to take swimming lessons and she started competing in 2014. Her first international debut in competitive swimming was in California at the World Para Swimming World Series, she met her idol Jessica Long and Paralympic swimming coach Queenie Nichols who both inspired and influenced her to continue her swimming efforts.[3]

At the 2017 World Para Swimming Championships in Mexico City, Gaffney won her first medals in the pool: five silver medals. In London, two years later at the 2019 World Para Swimming Championships, Gaffney became a world champion in the women's 200m individual medley SM7 where she was 0.02 seconds ahead of defending champion Tess Routliffe and Mallory Weggemann.[4]

References

1. "Julia Gaffney - IPC Athlete Bio". ipc.infostradasports.com. 29 June 2020.
2. "Julia Gaffney - Team USA". United States Olympic Committee. 29 June 2020.
3. "Julia Gaffney - Move United". Move United. 29 June 2020.
4. "At Just 18, Swimmer Julia Gaffney is Already a Six-Time World Championship Medalist". United States Olympic Committee. 7 August 2018.