Monica Vaughan

Monica Vaughan (15 April 1952) is a retired British athlete and multiple gold medal-winning paralympic swimmer. She was Britain's most successful Paralympian at the 1976 Games in Toronto, winning five gold medals in swimming and a silver medal as the only woman in the British volleyball team.^[3][4] She returned for the 1980 Games in Arhnem, winning a further four gold medals and a silver.^[2]

Monica Vaughan

Personal information
Born	(1952-04-15) 15 April 1952 (age 72)
Sport
Country	United Kingdom
Sport	Paralympic swimming, volleyball
Medal record Paralympic Games Swimming 1976 Toronto[1] Women's 100 m Freestyle D 1976 Toronto Women's 100 m Backstroke D 1976 Toronto Women's 100 m Breaststroke D 1976 Toronto Women's 100 m Butterfly D 1976 Toronto Women's 4x50 m Individual Medley D 1980 Arnhem[2] Women's 100 m Freestyle C-D 1980 Arnhem Women's 100 m Breaststroke D 1980 Arnhem Women's 100 m Butterfly D 1980 Arnhem Women's 4x50 m Individual Medley D 1980 Arnhem Women's 100 m Backstroke C-D Volleyball 1976 Toronto[3] Men's Standing

Early life

Vaughan grew up in Cosham, Hampshire. She had a leg amputated at the age of four, after she fell under a trolleybus. At primary school, she had swimming lessons every summer, but never learned to swim. The lessons started with the breaststroke, which was difficult to swim as a mid-thigh amputee. A science teacher at secondary school taught her the front crawl and within weeks she was able to swim.

Vaughan joined the local swimming club, Portsmouth Northsea SC. In 1966, Vaughan was disqualified from a butterfly race, because she didn't move her legs together and simultaneously. Northsea's protests against the lack of inclusion, lead to a meeting with the Amateur Swimming Association and a change of the rules. The news was covered in newspapers as far away as California and Singapore.^[5]

Vaughan worked as a podiatrist before retiring.^[3]