Andrea Cole

{{Infobox sportsperson

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| sport = Paralympic swimming

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|disability_class = S8

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| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1984|1|29|df=y}}

| birth_place = Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada

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| education = University of Western Ontario
Lakehead University
Queen's University

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Andrea Cole (born 29 January 1984) is a Canadian former Paralympic swimmer. She competed as a member of Team Canada at the 2000 Summer Paralympics, 2004 Summer Paralympics, and 2008 Summer Paralympics. She set a Canadian record in the women's SM8 200-m individual medley in 2002 with a time of 3:03.04, which was beaten in 2016.

Early life

Cole was born and raised in Thunder Bay, Ontario. She began swimming after her mother read an article about a Paralympic swimmer.{{cite web |title=Andrea Cole - 2008 Paralympian |url=http://www.swimontario.com/page.php?id=1681 |website=swimontario.com |accessdate=December 10, 2019 }}{{Dead link|date=January 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

Career

Cole was selected to compete with Team Canada's National Swimming Team during the 2000 Summer Paralympics.{{cite web |last1=Dunick |first1=Leith |title=Paralympic gold medalist Andrea Cole to be inducted into NWO sports hall of fame |url=https://www.tbnewswatch.com/local-sports/paralympic-gold-medalist-andrea-cole-to-be-inducted-into-nwo-sports-hall-of-fame-395060 |website=tbnewswatch.com |accessdate=December 10, 2019 |date=July 25, 2013}} In 2002, Cole set a new Canadian women's record for fastest SM8 200-m individual medley with a time of 3:03.04. This record was later beaten in 2016 by Abi Tripp.{{cite web |title=Abi Tripp |url=https://paralympic.ca/team-canada/abi-tripp |website=paralympic.ca |accessdate=December 10, 2019}} Cole was named to Team Canada's National Swimming Team for the 2004 Summer Paralympics where she won a silver medal in the 4X100m freestyle relay and bronze in the 100m butterfly.{{cite web |title=Paralympic team comes through for Canada |url=https://www.piquenewsmagazine.com/whistler/paralympic-team-comes-through-for-canada/Content?oid=2148446 |website=piquenewsmagazine.com |accessdate=December 10, 2019 |date=October 1, 2004}} As a result, she was named a co-recipient of the 2005 Janet Dunn Award from the Canadian Cerebral Palsy Sport Association.{{cite web |title=Paralympians Andrea Cole and Paul Gauthier Receive the Janet Dunn Award |url=http://wm.p80.ca/Common/Group/conDisplayItem.asp?OrgID=23&ItemID=10974&LangID=1 |website=p80.ca |accessdate=December 10, 2019 |date=June 21, 2005}}

In 2007, Cole qualified for the Parapan American Games with a time of one minute, 26.32 seconds in the 100-metre butterfly.{{cite web |last1=Whitman |first1=Brian |title=Swimmer off to Paralympics |url=http://slam.canoe.com/Slam/Athletics/Games/2004/Paralympics/2004/05/16/pf-462240.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191210213741/http://slam.canoe.com/Slam/Athletics/Games/2004/Paralympics/2004/05/16/pf-462240.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 10, 2019 |website=slam.canoe.com |accessdate=December 10, 2019 |date=May 16, 2004}} During the 2007 Parapan American Games, she won two gold medals while competing in the women's S8 disability category 100-freestyle and 100 backstroke.{{cite news |title=Double gold for Cole at Para Pan American Games |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/double-gold-for-cole-at-para-pan-american-games/article1080414/ |accessdate=December 10, 2019 |publisher=The Globe and Mail |date=August 13, 2007}} The next year, she was selected to compete at the 2008 Summer Paralympics in the S8 200m IM.{{cite web |last1=Harrington |first1=Scott |title=Canadian Paralympic Swim Team ready for Paralympic Games |url=http://www.independentsportsnews.com/1969/12/31/canadian-paralympic-swim-team-ready-for-paralympic-games/ |website=independentsportsnews.com |accessdate=December 10, 2019 |archive-date=December 10, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191210214358/http://www.independentsportsnews.com/1969/12/31/canadian-paralympic-swim-team-ready-for-paralympic-games/ |url-status=dead }}{{cite news |last1=Christie |first1=James |title=Paralympic swimmers emerge from the shadows |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/paralympic-swimmers-emerge-from-the-shadows/article18448168/ |accessdate=December 10, 2019 |publisher=The Globe and Mail |date=April 7, 2008}}

In 2013, Cole was inducted into the Northwestern Ontario Sports Hall of Fame.