Tully Kearney Para-Swimmer

  • DOB

    11 Apr 1997
  • Coach

  • Club

    Loughborough University
  • Main event

    Freestyle
  • Best result

    Paralympic Champion
  • Medals (INT/NAT)

    • 17
    • 7
    • 5
Tully Kearney 2023 cut

Tully Kearney became a Paralympic champion at her maiden Games in 2021, two years on from sealing a hat-trick of freestyle golds at the 2019 World Para Swimming Championships in London.

Ahead of the 2022 World Para Swimming Championships in Madeira, Kearney set a new world record in the Women's S5 50m Freestyle during a preparatory meet at the Para Swimming World Series in Berlin.

The previous year, at Tokyo 2020, a superb swim in the Women's S5 200m Freestyle saw Tully narrowly pipped to the title as she took silver - and that race preceded a spectacular, world-record breaking effort to take the title in the 100m Freestyle event later in the Games. 

At the most recent Worlds in London, Kearney was unbeaten in the finals of the S5 50m, 100m and 200m Freestyle events to claim the victories, breaking the British record in the first two of those categories.

In 2018, the City of Manchester Aquatics athlete made her full return to elite level racing after two years away from major competitions and claimed a medal of each colour at the British Para-Swimming International Meet, a haul that earned her a call-up to the British team bound for Dublin and the European Para Swimming Championships. 

Kearney left Dublin with two medals and three British records in tow, including her maiden European title with gold in the S5 100m Freestyle, plus a bronze in the 50m event. 

Kearney previously had time away from the pool following the 2015 Worlds due to a deterioration in her condition that led to a reclassification into the S5 category.

Earlier that year, Kearney set a series of personal bests and won MC 100m Butterfly bronze at the British Para-Swimming International Meet earning her a spot at the World Championships in Glasgow.

It would prove to be her most prolific competition to date. Having been reclassified to S9 at the time, Kearney was one of the stars of the entire event, winning four golds - in the S9 400m Freestyle, S9 100m Butterfly, SM9 200m Individual Medley and 34pt 4x100m Medley Relay - one silver and one bronze medal, setting European records in each of her individual victories in the process. 

Illness during the British Para-Swimming International Meet the previous year curtailed Kearney's progress as she missed out on the team for the European Para Swimming Championships in 2014.

Her first senior British team appearance came in 2013, travelling to the World Para Swimming Championship in Montreal and winning S10 400m Freestyle bronze.

Kearney initially made her potential clear back in 2011 and 2012, when she finished fourth in the MC 400m Freestyle at consecutive British Championships.

Long Course
Event Year Time/Score Record
S5 50m Freestyle 2022 34.07 WR
S5 100m Freestyle 2022 1:11.71 WR
S5 200m Freestyle 2022 2:42.36 WR
S5 50m Backstroke 2024 40.99 BR
SB4 100m Breaststroke 2018 2:23.50
Paralympic Games
Event Year Time/Score Result
S5 100m Freestyle 2024 - Paris 1:15.10 Gold
S5 200m Freestyle 2024 - Paris 2:46.50 Gold
S5 50m Backstroke 2024 - Paris 43.40 5th
S5 100m Freestyle 2021 - Tokyo 1:14.39 Gold
S5 200m Freestyle 2021 - Tokyo 2:46.65 Silver
Mixed 4x50m Freestyle 20pts 2021 - Tokyo 2:48.34 8th
IPC World Championships
Event Year Time/Score Result
S6 100m Freestyle 2023 - Manchester 1:16.72 6th
S5 50m Freestyle 2022 - Madeira 34.07 Gold
S5 100m Freestyle 2022 - Madeira 1:13.34 Gold
S5 200m Freestyle 2022 - Madeira 2:42.36 Gold
Mixed 34pts 4x100m Freestyle Relay 2022 - Madeira 4:11.52 4th
Mixed 20pts 4x50m Medley Relay 2022 - Madeira 2:54.05 5th
S5 50m Freestyle 2019 - London 36:28 Gold
S5 100m Freestyle 2019 - London 1:17.83 Gold
S5 200m Freestyle 2019 - London 2:46.92 Gold
S9 100m Freestyle 2015 - Glasgow 1:05.79 5th
S9 400m Freestyle 2015 - Glasgow 4:39.29 Gold
S9 100m Backstroke 2015 - Glasgow 1:10.52 Silver
S9 100m Butterfly 2015 - Glasgow 1:09.04 Gold
SM9 200m Individual Medley 2015 - Glasgow 2:31.08 Gold
34pt 4x100m Freestyle Relay 2015 - Glasgow 4:29.83 Bronze
34pt 4x100m Medley Relay 2015 - Glasgow 4:52.89 Gold
S10 100m Freestyle 2013 - Montreal 1:06.43 9th
S10 400m Freestyle 2013 - Montreal 4:42.37 Bronze
S10 100m Backstroke 2013 - Montreal 1:15.87 8th
S10 100m Butterfly 2013 - Montreal 1:17.90 9th
SM10 200m Individual Medley 2013 - Montreal 2:52.60 11th
European Championships
Event Year Time/Score Result
S5 50m Freestyle 2018 - Dublin 39.77 Bronze
S5 100m Freestyle 2018 - Dublin 1:18.79 Gold
SB4 100m Breaststroke 2018 - Dublin 2:30.49 5th
Aquatics GB Swimming Championships
Event Year Time/Score Result
MC 50m Backstroke 2024 - London 40.99 Gold
MC 100m Freestyle 2024 - London 1:15.68 Gold
British Para-Swimming International Meet
Event Year Time/Score Result
MC 50m Freestyle 2023 - Sheffield 35.53 18th
MC 100m Freestyle 2023 - Sheffield 1:28.25 28th
MC 50m Freestyle 2021 - Sheffield 36.52 Silver
MC 50m Freestyle 2018 - Sheffield 39.91 33rd
MC 100m Freestyle 2018 - Sheffield 1:17.27 Bronze
MC 200m Freestyle 2018 - Sheffield 2:44.73 Gold
MC 50m Backstroke 2018 - Sheffield 46.87 Silver
MC 400m Freestyle 2015 - Glasgow 4:56.17 8th
MC 100m Backstroke 2015 - Glasgow 1:12.06 6th
MC 100m Breaststroke 2015 - Glasgow 1:31.18 24th
MC 100m Butterfly 2015 - Glasgow 1:11.05 Bronze
MC 100m Freestyle 2014 - Glasgow 1:08.26 37th
MC 100m Backstroke 2014 - Glasgow 1:14.46 23rd
MC 200m Individual Medley 2014 - Glasgow 2:45.52 28th
MC 50m Freestyle 2013 - Sheffield 31.87 32nd
MC 100m Freestyle 2013 - Sheffield 1:07.25 10th
MC 400m Freestyle 2013 - Sheffield 4:49.23 Silver
MC 100m Backstroke 2013 - Sheffield 1:12.03 9th
MC 200m Individual Medley 2013 - Sheffield 2:38.00 9th
MC 400m Freestyle 2012 - Sheffield 4:55.05 6th