Jamie-Lee
Getson

From the moment Jamie-Lee Getson arrived earthside with her twin brother Patrick, 15 weeks prematurely, she has only known one speed. Fast.

And since deciding to pursue Para-swimming competitively in 2014, her rise in the sport has been meteoric.

Jamie-Lee made her international debut in 2018 at the Pan Pacific Para-swimming Championships in Cairns, QLD, where she won a gold medal in the mixed 4x100m freestyle S14 with Paralympians Liam Schluter, Daniel Fox and Taylor Corry.

To race alongside such experienced competitors was the opportunity of a lifetime for Jamie-Lee, and she was a better swimmer because of it. So much so, that at last September’s World Para-swimming Championships in London, England, Jamie-Lee reached the final of the women’s 100m backstroke S14, placing sixth in 1:11.81.

This result is particularly significant given that Jamie-Lee’s ultimate goal in sport is not to win a Paralympic gold medal – or a medal of any colour, in fact – but to reach a Paralympic final. With the World Championships delivering some of the greatest S14 swimmers in the world, many of whom are likely to return to the pool for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, there is every chance that Jamie-Lee will have achieved this dream come September.

As fast as she is, Jamie-Lee is also a fierce believer in greatness taking time. With her star well and truly on the rise, it is exciting to consider where she might be with a Games campaign and another one or two World Championships under her belt.