Former Paralympic champion Fisher calls time on career

WELLINGTON: Paralympic gold medallist Mary Fisher is retiring from the sport.

Fisher won gold at the London 2012 Paralympics, setting a world record and winning four medals — gold, two silver and a bronze. She then went on to set another world record and win gold at the Rio 2016 Games.

Born in Lower Hutt and raised in nearby Silverstream, Fisher first took up competitive swimming in Upper Hutt at the age of 9 and made her international debut in Australia in 2007.

This was followed by a plethora of World and Pan Pacific Championship medals.

Fisher is known for her work as an advocate over disability and environmental issues, and for her support of developing Para swimmers and for mentoring of youth with vision impairment, and their families.

She is now a parttime volun teer and recreation coordinator at the Blind Foundation.

Through distance study through Massey University, supported by a High Performance Sport New Zealand Prime Minister’s Scholarship, she earned a BA.

Fisher is undertaking postgraduate psychology papers and learning te reo Maori.

‘‘My dream goal as a 9yearold was to represent New Zea land at the Paralympics. Competing in highperformance Para swimming means relentless training, which I’ve loved and wholeheartedly committed to.

‘‘However, eking hundredths of a second from a race isn’t enjoyable or satisfying any more. I thrive on researching each component of a situation, so I’ve taken time in making sure stepping away from racing is the right decision.’’ — RNZ