Siobhan Paton

in Sydney.|247x247px Siobhan Paton only competed in one Paralympics in her career where she managed to set many world records; some of which remain unbroken. Siobhan remained composed during the 2000 Paralympics because she had the mentality that it was 'just another meet'. Paton won six Paralympic medals during the 2000 Sydney Paralympic Games. She won gold in the 50m freestyle, 200m freestyle, 50m backstroke, 50m butterfly, 100m freestyle and 200m individual medley. Paton was identified as one of the highest individual gold medalist at a single Games. The 2000 Summer Paralympic Games in Sydney were the final Paralympic Games which Paton was eligible to compete in. Having an intellectual disability meant that Paton was never allowed to better her initial Paralympic achievements after the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) banned all athletes in her class after the Spanish basketball scandal at the 2000 Games. ==After 2000==

In 2004, Paton competed in the INAS-FID (International Sports Federation for People with an Intellectual Disability) World Championships, where she won fourteen gold medals and three silver. That same year, she won three gold medals, two silver and two bronze at the Global Games. Paton could not compete in the 2004 or 2008 Paralympics due to the International Paralympic Committee's decision to suspend the participation of all athletes with intellectual disabilities. The decision by the IPC caused Paton to sink into depression from 2004 on since she felt as though she "wasn't disabled enough" even though it was accelerated by a cover all banning of all athletes with intellectual disability after the 2000 gold medal-winning Spanish basketball team had only two players with an intellectual disability. Her sister Sarah Paton competed in the Women's 800m Freestyle at the 2004 Summer Olympics. Siobhan had hoped that she would be competing at the Athens Games alongside her sister after the testing by the IPC. However, this was not the case and as a result escalated her all-ready depressed state. In October 2014, she was inducted into the Path of Champions at the Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre. ==References==