Jessica-Jane celebrates her silver medal at Rio 2016

Jessica-Jane Applegate

Athlete Information

  • Region

    Great Yarmouth

  • Date of Birth

    21/08/1996

  • Classification

    S14, SB14, SM14

Athlete main content

At just 16 years old, Jessica-Jane marked her Paralympic debut in style – having qualified fastest in her main event (the 200m freestyle S14) she found herself lying in bronze medal position as she entered the final length. However, she finished the race on top of the podium to become Paralympic Champion, having taken two seconds from her personal best with a Paralympic record time of 2:12.63. She was also the first British S14 swimmer to stand at the top of the Paralympic podium at London 2012.

Since London 2012, Jessica-Jane has continued to impress on the international stage, securing medals at every major championship.

At the 2013 IPC Swimming World Championships in Montreal, Canada, she came home with gold, silver and bronze.

In 2015 she went on to become world champion in the 100m backstroke S14 with silvers in the 200m freestyle S14 and 200m individual medley SM14.

At Rio 2016 she managed to cope with the setback of surgery earlier in the year to claim three medals with two silver medals in the 200m freestyle and medley races and bronze in the 100m backstroke.

In Tokyo, she claimed two bronzes and a gold as part of the S14 Mixed Freestyle relay team. At the next two World Championships in Madeira and Manchester between 2022 and 2023, the British S14 relay team she was in remained unbeaten and Applegate is currently the S14 200m freestyle World Champion.

In her Commonwealth Games debut for England in 2022, Applegate won a silver medal in the S14 200m freestyle.

The Tokyo Cycle

At the 2019 World Para Swimming Championships in London, Applegate claimed a quartet of medals on home soil including gold as part of the Mixed S14 4x100m Freestyle Relay team. She also took silver in the S14 100m butterfly while claiming bronze medals in both the S14 100m and 200m freestyle events.

In recognition of her achievements at London 2012, Jessica-Jane was shortlisted for the BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year in December 2012. In the 2013 New Year’s Honours, she was awarded a MBE.

Major Results

Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games

  • 200m freestyle S14: Bronze
  • 100m backstroke S14: Bronze
  • 4x100m mixed freestyle relay S14: Gold
  • 200m individual medley SM14: 4th

Rio 2016 Paralympic Games

  • 100m backstroke S14: Bronze
  • 200m freestyle S14: Silver
  • 200m individual medley SM14: Silver

London 2012 Paralympic Games

  • 200m freestyle S14: Gold
  • 100m backstroke S14: 4th

Manchester 2023 World Para Swimming Championships

  • 200m freestyle S14: Silver
  • Mixed 4x100m freestyle relay S14: Gold
  • 100m backstroke S14: Bronze
  • 200m individual medley SM14: Silver
  • 100m butterfly S14: Silver

Madeira 2022 World Para Swimming Championships

  • 200m freestyle S14: Gold
  • Mixed 4x100m freestyle relay S14: Gold
  • Mixed 4x100m medley relay S14: Silver

**Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games **

  • 200m freestyle S14: Silver

London 2019 World Para Swimming Championships

  • 100m butterfly S14: Silver
  • 100m breaststroke S14: Bronze
  • 200m freestyle S14: Bronze
  • 4x100m freestyle relay S14: Gold

Glasgow 2015 IPC Swimming World Championships

  • 100m backstroke S14: Gold
  • 200m freestyle S14: Silver
  • 200m individual medley SM14: Silver

Montreal 2013 IPC Swimming World Championships

  • 100m backstroke S14: Bronze
  • 200m freestyle S14: Gold
  • 200m individual medley SM14: Silver

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