Helena Brunner

As a teenager, Brunner represented her state of New South Wales in national able-bodied swimming competitions, but she quit swimming at the age of seventeen; she was then briefly interested in water polo.[2] After finishing school, she attended Goulburn College of Advanced Education.[2]

In 1978 at the age of 20, she had a severe motorcycle accident while delivering mail for Australia Post; as a result, her right leg was amputated below the knee two years later. During her rehabilitation, she met someone who suggested that she take up swimming again.[2]

Eighteen months after the 1984 Paralympics, she had a daughter. She also worked as a teacher.[2]

At the 1984 New York/Stoke Mandeville Paralympics, Brunner won five gold medals in the Women's 100 m Backstroke A4, Women's 100 m Freestyle A4, Women's 400 m Freestyle A4, Women's 4x100 m Freestyle Relay A1–A9, and Women's 4x100 m Individual Medley Relay A1–A9 events, a silver medal in the Women's 200 m Individual Medley A4 event, and a bronze medal in the Women's 100 m Breaststroke A4 event.[2][3][4] She broke five world records at the 1984 games and fourteen throughout her career. Some of them still stand; however, the classification system for swimming has since been changed.[2]

In 1985, Brunner received a Medal of the Order of Australia "in recognition of service to the sport of swimming".[1] She presented the floral tributes to medallists in the amputee swimming events at the 2000 Sydney Paralympics.[2]