Born in 1987 in Perth, Jeremy McClure was an avid water polo and hockey player when he was diagnosed with Leber hereditary optic neuropathy at age 15. Forced to accept the fact that he had become legally blind over the course of ten weeks, he began swimming at his local club in an attempt to continue his sporting dreams.
Less than a year after he began competitive swimming, Jeremy qualified for the Athens 2004 Paralympic Games. He competed in the 100m backstroke, 100m breaststroke and 400m freestyle events, and achieved 6th place in the 100m backstroke final.
In 2006 and 2007 Jeremy studied remedial massage therapy at the Central Institute of Technology in Perth, and was selected to participate in the Queen’s Baton Relay in the lead up to the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne.
At the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games, Jeremy competed in the 100m backstroke, 100m breaststroke and 50m freestyle events. Again he advanced to the 100m backstroke final, where he achieved the 7th fastest time.
2012 was a standout year for Jeremy. After medalling in four events at the WA State Swimming Championships, a series of strong performances representing Australia helped to solidify his place as a medal contender at the London Games.
In the lead-up to his third Paralympic campaign, Jeremy was ranked 3rd in the world in the 50m backstroke, 4th in the 50m breaststroke, and 5th in the 100m backstroke events. At the Games he was awarded 8th place in the 100m backstroke final, but also contested the 100m breaststroke and 50m freestyle heats.
In 2013 Jeremy represented Australia in the sprint-distance ITU Paratriathlon World Championships in London, where he placed 8th in the TRI6a classification for vision impaired athletes.
Reclassified as a S11 swimmer in 2015 due to worsening vision, Jeremy swam at the 2016 Australian Swimming Championships where he achieved an A-qualifier time in the 100m backstroke event, securing nomination for a place in the 2016 Australian Paralympic Team.
Later that week Jeremy made headlines when he broke the 50m backstroke world record in 32.22 seconds. Although the race is not included in the Paralympic program, he expects it to stand him in good stead for a strong first lap in Rio.
At the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games, Jeremy placed fifth in the 100m backstroke, and also competed in the 50m freestyle, and 100m freestyle.
In his free time Jeremy enjoys going to the gym, watching movies and eating good food.
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