Timothy
Disken

Timothy Disken propelled himself into the international spotlight when he won a gold medal in the men’s 100m freestyle S9 at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games.

Since then, he has won the hearts of thousands of sport fans across Australia with more outstanding performances in the pool, including an unbelievable resurgence off the back of a horrifying medical emergency in October 2017 that was just minutes from ending his life.

Set to contest the Canadian Open after the 2017 World Para-swimming Championships were cancelled, Timothy came down with a headache around lunchtime on the day before competition began. That night, the pain became worse. And later, unbearable.

Timothy woke the next day in the intensive care unit at St Michael’s Hospital in Toronto to be told he had undergone emergency surgery, after the shunt which diverts excessive cerebrospinal fluid away from his brain had broken.

Over the following six months, Timothy worked tirelessly to return to the blocks in time to compete at the 2018 Commonwealth Games on QLD’s Gold Coast, and went on to claim incredible victories in the men’s 100m freestyle S9 and men’s 100m breaststroke SB7. From death’s door to the top of the podium.

In his second Paralympic Games campaign at Tokyo 2020, Timothy contested in three events. He finished seventh in both the men’s 50m freestyle S9 and 100m breaststroke SB8.  Tim was part of the 4x100m medley relay team that claimed the silver medal, only three days after the heartbreaking passing of his mother, Jenny. The team, consisting of fellow teammates Timothy Hodge, William Martin, and Ben Popham, finished with a time of 4:07.70 in second behind the RPC.