Andrea Cole
# Andrea Cole

Andrea Cole is a Canadian former Paralympic swimmer. She competed as a member of Team Canada at the 2000 Summer Paralympics, 2004 Summer Paralympics, and 2008 Summer Paralympics. She set a Canadian record in the women's SM8 200-m individual medley in 2002 with a time of 3:03.04, which was beaten in 2016.

## Early life

Cole was born and raised in Thunder Bay, Ontario. She began swimming after her mother read an article about a Paralympic swimmer.

## Career

Cole was selected to compete with Team Canada's National Swimming Team during the 2000 Summer Paralympics. In 2002, Cole set a new Canadian women's record for fastest SM8 200-m individual medley with a time of 3:03.04. This record was later beaten in 2016 by Abi Tripp. Cole was named to Team Canada's National Swimming Team for the 2004 Summer Paralympics where she won a silver medal in the 4X100m freestyle relay and bronze in the 100m butterfly. As a result, she was named a co-recipient of the 2005 Janet Dunn Award from the Canadian Cerebral Palsy Sport Association.

In 2007, Cole qualified for the Parapan American Games with a time of one minute, 26.32 seconds in the 100-metre butterfly. During the 2007 Parapan American Games, she won two gold medals while competing in the women's S8 disability category 100-freestyle and 100 backstroke. The next year, she was selected to compete at the 2008 Summer Paralympics in the S8 200m IM.

In 2013, Cole was inducted into the Northwestern Ontario Sports Hall of Fame.

