Mary Fisher (swimmer)

{{short description|New Zealand Paralympic swimmer}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}

{{Infobox swimmer

| name= Mary Fisher

| fullname = Mary Elizabeth Fisher

| image = Mary Fisher 2020 (cropped).jpg

| caption = Fisher in 2020

| club = Capital Swimming club

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=y|1993|01|16}}

| birth_place = Lower Hutt, New Zealand

| classification = S11, SB11, SM11

| medaltemplates =

{{Medal|Sport | Women's para swimming}}

{{Medal|Country |{{NZL}} }}

{{Medal|Competition| Paralympic Games}}

{{Medal|Gold| 2012 London| 200m medley SM11}}

{{Medal|Gold| 2016 Rio| 100m backstroke S11}}

{{Medal|Silver| 2012 London| 100m freestyle S11}}

{{Medal|Silver| 2012 London| 100m backstroke S11}}

{{Medal|Bronze| 2012 London| 50m freestyle S11}}

{{Medal | Competition | World Championships}}

{{Medal | Gold | 2013 Montreal | 100m backstroke S11}}

{{Medal | Gold | 2013 Montreal | 50m freestyle S11}}

{{Medal | Gold | 2013 Montreal | 100m freestyle S11}}

{{Medal | Gold | 2013 Montreal | 100m butterfly S11}}

{{Medal | Gold | 2013 Montreal | 200m medley SM11}}

{{Medal | Gold | 2015 Glasgow | 100m backstroke S11}}

{{Medal | Gold | 2015 Glasgow | 100m freestyle S11}}

{{Medal | Gold | 2015 Glasgow | 200m medley SM11}}

{{Medal | Silver | 2013 Montreal | 400m freestyle S11}}

{{Medal | Silver | 2015 Glasgow | 400m freestyle S11}}

{{Medal | Silver | 2015 Glasgow | 50m freestyle S11}}

| show-medals = yes

}}

Mary Elizabeth Fisher {{post-nominals|country=NZL|MNZM}} (born 16 January 1993) is a New Zealand para swimmer. She represented New Zealand at the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London and the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, combined winning two gold medals, two silver medals and a bronze medal.{{cite web |url= http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/london-games-2012/115381/wellington-swimmer-wins-gold|title= Wellington swimmer wins gold |publisher= Radio New Zealand |date=2012-09-09 |accessdate= 2012-09-09}}{{cite news |first= Lincoln |last= Tan |date= 10 September 2016 |title= Paralympics: Mary Fisher wins gold - 'it's all for them' |url= http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=11707316 |publisher= The New Zealand Herald |accessdate= 10 September 2016}}

Fisher was born in Lower Hutt and grew up in the nearby Upper Hutt suburb of Silverstream. She was born with the rare genetic condition aniridia, resulting in low vision which deteriorated as a teenager. She attended Silverstream Primary School, Maidstone Intermediate and Heretaunga College.{{cite news |title= She now has London on the agenda |url= http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/sport/college-sport/3164976/She-now-has-London-on-the-agenda |date= 16 December 2009 |publisher= The Dominion Post |accessdate= 10 September 2016}} She is a student at the Wellington campus of Massey University.{{cite web |url= http://www.newswire.co.nz/2011/03/hutt-swimmer-aims-for-a-medal/|title= Hutt swimmer aims for a medal in Turkey |publisher= NewsWire.co.nz |date=2011-03-31 |accessdate= 2012-09-02}}{{cite web |url= http://www.massey.ac.nz/massey/about-massey/news/article.cfm?mnarticle_uuid=6558B856-EE60-5194-5999-BBA465ECACD4|title= Fisher makes Paralympic pool her own with 3 medals |publisher= Massey.ac.nz |date=2012-09-03 |accessdate= 2012-09-09}}

Fisher began swimming for enjoyment as a nine year old and trained at the Upper Hutt Swim Club until completing high school in 2010. Her goal of swimming at the London 2012 Paralympics was bolstered by meeting coach Luke Clark and she moved to Wellington city to train under his guidance. After his departure overseas Fisher relocated to the North Shore in Auckland following the 2015 IPC Swimming World Championships in Glasgow. She is classified S11 for totally blind swimmers in freestyle, backstroke and breaststroke; SB11 for breaststroke, and SM11 for individual medley.{{cite web |title= Classification Master List, Summer Season 2016 – New Zealand |url= https://db.ipc-services.org/sdms/web/cml/sw/html/season/S16/npc/NZL |publisher= IPC Swimming |accessdate= 13 September 2016}}

At the 2012 Summer Paralympics, Fisher won the gold medal in the 200 m individual medley SM11 in a world record time of 2:46.91. She also won silver medals in the 100 m freestyle and the 100 m backstroke, and the bronze medal in the 50 m freestyle S11.

She won five gold medals and a silver at the 2013 IPC Swimming World Championships in Montreal.{{cite web |url= http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=10913745|title= Swimming: Kiwi's continue IPC dominance |publisher= NZ Herald |date= 17 August 2013|accessdate= 17 August 2013}}{{cite web |url= http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/sport/9059706/Pascoe-Fisher-both-claim-fifth-golds-in-Montreal|title= Pascoe, Fisher both claim fifth golds in Montreal |publisher= The Press |date= 19 August 2013|accessdate= 19 August 2013}}

In 2015, she won three gold and two silver medals at the IPC Swimming World Championships in Glasgow,{{cite web |url= http://www.odt.co.nz/sport/swimming/349767/swimming-nz-claim-five-places-rio|title= Swimming: NZ claim five places for Rio|publisher= Otago Daily Times |date= 21 July 2015|accessdate= 5 June 2016}} qualifying her for the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro. She was officially confirmed to represent New Zealand at the Paralympics on 5 May 2016.{{cite news |title= Sophie Pascoe and Mary Fisher head powerful New Zealand swimming team for Paralympics |url= http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/other-sports/79641307/Sophie-Pascoe-and-Mary-Fisher-head-powerful-New-Zealand-swimming-team-for-Paralympics |date= 5 May 2016 |publisher= Stuff.co.nz |accessdate= 6 June 2016}}

At the 2016 Summer Paralympics, Fisher won the gold medal in the women's 100m backstroke S11 in a world record time of 1:17.96.{{cite news |title= Results -- Women's 100 metre backstroke S11 -- Rio 2015 Paralympic Games |url= https://smsprio2016-a.akamaihd.net/_odf-documents/S/W/SWW431101_Results_2016_09_09_9c4ccc77_b256_44a6_9011_af08393defcc.pdf |publisher= International Paralympic Committee |accessdate= 10 September 2016 |url-status= dead |archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20160921133912/https://smsprio2016-a.akamaihd.net/_odf-documents/S/W/SWW431101_Results_2016_09_09_9c4ccc77_b256_44a6_9011_af08393defcc.pdf |archivedate= 21 September 2016 }}

In the 2013 New Year Honours, Fisher was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to swimming.{{cite web | url=https://www.dpmc.govt.nz/publications/new-year-honours-list-2013 | title=New Year honours list 2013|date=31 December 2012 | publisher=Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet | accessdate=10 January 2018}} She was named 2014 Disabled Sportsperson of the Year at the annual Halberg Awards.{{cite web |url= http://www.voxy.co.nz/sport/more-accolades-paralympian/5/213706|title= More accolades for paralympian |publisher= Voxy.co.nz |date= 12 February 2015|accessdate= 12 February 2015}}

Fisher announced her retirement from competitive swimming in November 2018.{{cite news |title= National Portrait: Mary Fisher, swimmer and disability advocate|url= https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/other-sports/108936470/national-portrait-mary-fisher-swimmer-and-disability-advocate |date= 1 December 2018 |publisher= Stuff.co.nz |accessdate= 8 December 2018}}