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New Year Honours - Honour for Mary Fisher

Wellington Paralympic swimmer Mary Fisher has been awarded the Member of the New Zealand order of Merit in the New Year’s Honours list.

The Capital club swimmer, coached by Luke Clark, earned the award for her performances in the 2012 Paralympics in London where she won four medals – a gold, two silver and a bronze.

Mary, a Massey University student, won her gold medal on the final day of competition in the 200m individual medley, setting a new world record in the process in the S11 blind category.

She had qualified second fastest in 2:51.90 in the morning but produced a stunning swim in the final to clock 2:46.91, beating home top qualifier Daniela Schulte (GER) by more than two seconds.

On the way Mary set a world record for the 50m backstroke in the lead-off leg of the medley, in 35.12.

She plans to compete in the Rio Games in 2016.

“The biggest thing is having confidence I can achieve my dreams,” Mary said.

Sophie Pascoe, who won six medals in London, had already been honoured earlier. However Sophie, Mary and fellow Paralympics medallist Cameron Leslie are finalists for the disabled sportsperson of the year category for February’s Halberg Awards.