Lakeisha Patterson
2016 Australian Paralympic team portrait of Patterson
Personal information
Full nameLakeisha Patterson
NicknameLucky
NationalityAustralian
Born (1999-01-05) 5 January 1999
Wodonga, Victoria
Sport
SportSwimming
ClassificationsS9
ClubBelgravia Swim Team
CoachHarley Connolly
Medal record
Women's paralympic swimming
Representing  Australia
Paralympics
Gold medal – first place2016 Rio de Janeiro400 m freestyle S8
Gold medal – first place2016 Rio de Janeiro4×100 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place2020 Tokyo400 m freestyle S9
Silver medal – second place2016 Rio de Janeiro50m freestyle S8
Silver medal – second place2016 Rio de Janeiro100m freestyle S8
Silver medal – second place2016 Rio de Janeiro4×100 m medley
Bronze medal – third place2016 Rio de Janeiro200m individual medley S8
World Championships
Gold medal – first place2015 Glasgow4×100 m freestyle
Gold medal – first place2019 London400 m freestyle S9
Gold medal – first place2023 Manchester400 m freestyle S9
Silver medal – second place2015 Glasgow50 m freestyle S8
Silver medal – second place2015 Glasgow4×100 m medley
Bronze medal – third place2015 Glasgow100 m freestyle S8
Bronze medal – third place2015 Glasgow400 m freestyle S8
Commonwealth Games
Gold medal – first place2018 Gold Coast50 m freestyle S8
Gold medal – first place2018 Gold Coast100 m freestyle S9
Bronze medal – third place2014 Glasgow100 m freestyle S8

Lakeisha Dawn Patterson, OAM (born 5 January 1999) is an Australian Paralympic swimmer. She won medals at the 2014 Commonwealth Games and 2015 IPC Swimming World Championships. At the 2016 Rio Paralympics, she won Australia's first gold medal of the Games in a world record time swim in the Women's 400m freestyle S8. At the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics, she won the gold medal in the Women's 400 m Freestyle S9.[1]

Personal

Patterson was born on 5 January 1999 in Wodonga, Victoria.[2] She has early onset Parkinson's disease, epilepsy and cerebral palsy left hemiplegia.[3][4] In 2020, she is undertaking a Bachelor of Communication (majoring in Digital Media) at University of Queensland.

She lives at Caboolture, Queensland.

Career

Patterson started swimming at the age of three as part of her rehabilitation to overcome muscle stiffness.[5] She is classified as an S9 swimmer. She initially trained under Steve Hadler at Southern Cross Swimming Club, Scarborough and Suellyn Fraser at the Bribie Island Aquatic Leisure Centre.[5]

Patterson after winning the 400m freestyle at the Rio Paralympics

At the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, she won the bronze medal in the Women's 100 m Freestyle S8.[3] Competing at the 2015 IPC Swimming World Championships in Glasgow, she won a