Ashley Owens is an American Paralympic swimmer. Ashley Owens began swimming in middle school and credits her athletic accomplishments to her first swim coach, Judy Burdette. Owens says Burdette pushed her to excel in the sport and, consequently, she qualified for and competed in the 2004 Paralympic Games at the age of 14.[1]

Ashley Owens
Personal information
Nationality United States
Sport
SportSwimming
StrokesFreestyle, medley
CoachDoug Gjertsen
Medal record
Athletics
Paralympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2004 Athens 4x100m freestyle relay 34pts
Gold medal – first place 2008 Beijing 100m freestyle S10
Silver medal – second place 2008 Beijing 400m freestyle S10
Bronze medal – third place 2004 Athens 400m freestyle S10
IPC World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2006 Durban 100m freestyle S10
Gold medal – first place 2006 Durban 400m freestyle S10
Gold medal – first place 2006 Durban 4x100m freestyle relay 34pts
Gold medal – first place 2006 Durban 4x100m medley relay 34pts
Gold medal – first place 2010 Eindhoven 400m freestyle S10
Gold medal – first place 2010 Eindhoven 4x100m freestyle relay 34pts
Gold medal – first place 2010 Eindhoven 4x100m medley relay 34pts
Silver medal – second place 2006 Durban 50m freestyle S10
Silver medal – second place 2010 Eindhoven Women's freestyle swimming

Biography

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Owens participated in the 2004 Summer Paralympics in Athens, Greece where she won one gold and one bronze medal at the age of 14 for swimming. Four years later in Beijing, China she got awarded with one gold and one silver medal for 100 meter freestyle in S10 category.[2] In 2006, she set a new Pan-American record in the 1500 meter freestyle which let her participate in IPC Swimming World Championships which was hosted in Durban, South Africa. During the same year she also got a silver medal for 50 meter freestyle and four gold ones (one of which was for medley). In 2008, she graduated from Stockbridge High School and during the same year got into first place in U.S. Paralympic Swimming Trials which were hosted in Minneapolis, Minnesota. During the same year she also set world record in two freestyles; One was 200 metre while the other one was 400 meter, all of which were Can-Am Championships and were hosted at Victoria, British Columbia. Two years later she competed in Eindhoven, Netherlands where she got another gold medal in 400 meter freestyle swim following by another silver one for the same sport in the same year.[3] She is a graduate of Stockbridge High and of Catawba College[4] where she studied psychology.[5]

References

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  1. ^ "Team USA | Ashley Owens".
  2. ^ "Big names, thrilling victories lighten Water Cube". China Daily. Xinhua. September 9, 2008. Retrieved April 18, 2018.
  3. ^ "Ashley Owens". Team USA. United States Olympic Committee. Archived from the original on April 25, 2012. Retrieved April 18, 2018.
  4. ^ "Owens Qualifies For United States Paralympic Swim Team". April 6, 2010. Archived from the original on March 25, 2018. Retrieved April 18, 2018.
  5. ^ "Ashley Owens". Official Website of the Paralympic Movement. Retrieved September 26, 2020.