Triple Paralympic medallist Ellie Cole is one of Australia’s fastest rising stars in the swimming pool.

Born in 1991, Ellie was diagnosed with cancer at the age of two and underwent chemotherapy. After the round of treatment did not reduce the cancer, her parents made the agonising decision to amputate Ellie’s leg to save her life.

Eight weeks after the surgery, as part of her rehabilitation, Ellie’s mother enrolled her in swimming lessons. Instructors predicted she would take up to a year to learn to swim in a straight line but, to their surprise, it took Ellie only two weeks. Ellie’s swimming went from strength to strength and, in 2006, she made her debut into the world of elite swimming at the 2006 IPC Swimming World Championships where she won a silver medal. At the 2006 Telstra Australian Swimming Championships, Ellie also won the 100m backstroke.

In 2008, Ellie made her Paralympic debut as one of the youngest members of the 2008 Australian Paralympic swimming squad. At just 16 years of age, Ellie brought home silver in the women’s 100m butterfly (S9) and two bronze medals — one for the 400m freestyle and the other in the 100m backstroke.

Having had a taste of victory at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games, Ellie now has her sights set on winning gold at the Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games and London 2012 Paralympic Games.