Lucky’s Rio Haul

F-Teamer Lakeisha Patterson's nickname might be 'Lucky', but there was nothing lucky about her gutsy performance at the 2016 Rio Paralympics.

The 17-year-old S8 category swimmer came away with an impressive medal haul of two gold, three silver and one bronze, as well as a world record. Lucky secured her first gold for Australia in her pet event, the 400m freestyle S8 where she also set the world record time of 4:40.33. The 400m freestyle was the race Lucky had gone to Rio to win, and to do so was a huge accomplishment.

"As I watched all my competitors glide into the wall after me, I didn't know whether to cry or yell, I was numb. I had stuck to my race plan and made every stroke count," Lucky says.

Despite the excitement that came with the realisation of what she had done, it was a bittersweet moment for Lucky as her success meant she had beaten the previous six-year World Record which was set by her idol and friend, American swimmer Jessica Long.

"I admire Jess so it was difficult to know how to react after I had beaten her World Record - not only is she a friend but she is someone I look up to as well," Lucky says.

After the whirlwind of post-race media, it wasn't long until Lucky's name was called and she stepped up onto the podium to accept her medal. After all the hard training, it was a special moment for Lucky.

"To hold the medal in my hand and have the national anthem play made me so proud to be an Aussie. It was the best reward for four years of determination and hard work. I didn't want to let it out of my sight, I even slept with it that night!" Lucky says.

Lucky's medal haul came from a mixture of individual and team events. Her second gold and world record came from the 4 x 100m freestyle relay, she grabbed silver in both the 50m and 100m freestyle S8, and the 4 x 100m medley relay. In the 200m individual medley S8 she won bronze.

For the girl from Lawnton in Queensland, the medal collection is in stark contrast to the opinions of medical professionals that had told her she couldn't achieve such success.

"Their doubt in my ability made me more determined to prove them wrong. Having a disability isn't a sentence, but the path you choose to live your life is," she says.

As Lucky enjoyed her time in Rio, she was oblivious to the hype that was building around her. She was nominated in the Women's Health Australia 'I Support Women in Sport' awards in the 'Best Moment' category.

After a much-deserved holiday in Thailand, Lucky is back home and ready for her next goal. We can't wait to see what she has in store for us!

Lucky's family travelled to Rio to watch her compete and had a blast!