Kelley Becherer
American Paralympic swimmer
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Kelley Becherer (born July 3, 1990) is an American Paralympic swimmer. At the 2008 Summer Paralympics she won a gold medal and two bronze medals.[1] She also competed at the 2004 Summer Paralympics and won two gold medals for the United States at the 2012 Summer Paralympics.
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| Nationality | American | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | July 3, 1990 Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Home town | Sheboygan, Wisconsin, U.S. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (173 cm) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Swimming | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Strokes | Freestyle, Breaststroke | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Early life and education
Becherer was born with bilateral coloboma and microphthalmia[2] and grew up in Sheboygan, Wisconsin.[3] She began swimming at age six or seven.[4]
She attended Northeastern University from 2009 to 2015 in their physical therapy program.[2] While at Northeastern, Becherer competed as a Division 1 swimmer.[5]
Career
Becherer made her Paralympic debut at age 14 at the 2004 Summer Paralympics.[2] She competed at the 2008 Summer Paralympics and won a gold medal in the 50m freestyle and bronze medals in the 100m freestyle and one in the 400m freestyle.[6]
At the 2012 Paralympic Nationals, Becherer won the 100m and 50m freestyle and 50m backstroke and set a world record in the 50m backstroke.[7] At the 2012 Summer Paralympics, she won gold in women’s S13 50 freestyle, setting an American Paralympic record with a time of 27.46.[8] She also won gold in the 100m freestyle S13,[5] and bronze in the 200m individual medley SM13 and 100m breaststroke SB13.[9]
Becherer announced her retirement from competitive swimming in 2013, citing a desire to focus on school.[10] She was inducted into the Wisconsin Swimming Hall of Fame in 2018.[3] She went to the 2024 Summer Paralympics as an orthopedic physical therapist for Team USA and practices as a physiotherapist at UC San Diego Health’s outpatient sports clinic.[2]
Personal life
After graduating from Northeastern, Becherer moved to San Diego.[2]