Personal life
Johnson was born in Newport, South Wales, on 3 December 1985.[[3][28] She has cerebral palsy,][ and, at the age of three, was encouraged by her mother to join a group for disabled swimmers to strengthen and relax her muscles. She came to love{{weasel inline|date=September 2016}} the sport, competing as an S6 swimmer,][[3][28] and was selected to swim for Team GB at the age of 14.[2] Johnson attended Swansea University and in 2008, completed a degree in business management and finance.][[3] She currently lives in Bath, Somerset,[3] and trains with the University of Bath training group, Team Bath.][[3]]
While Johnson was on the aeroplane to the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing, her mother died after a long battle with cervical cancer. She decided to continue with the Games when she was told that the funeral could be held when she returned home.[2][40]
Johnson spends one day a week studying accountancy, and is considering a career in that field when she retires from competitive swimming.[[3]]
She has been in a relationship with Brazilian para-swimmer Phelipe Rodrigues since 2011.[1]
In July 2016, Johnson appeared in the eleventh series of Celebrity Masterchef on BBC One.
Even after experience on celebrity Masterchef she once set fire to a hotel, at a wedding, whilst cooking toast.
Career
Swimming
Johnson is significant within the British Para Swimming Team; specialising in breaststroke, she is one of a select few to have won gold medals in the Paralympics, World Championships, and European Championships.[[2]]
At the 2006 IPC Swimming World Championships in Durban South Africa, Johnson won an individual gold medal in the 100 metre breaststroke, and two relay golds.[3] She repeated her breaststroke success at the 2009 event, breaking the world record in the process,[3] and also picked up two individual medley bronze medals.[3] She won gold in the 100 metre breaststroke at the 2008 Summer Paralympics,[[3] eleven days after the death of her mother, dedicating the victory to her memory.][[3][2][40]]
Johnson's successes were recognised when, in April 2011, she was given the honour of laying the final tile in the competition pool at the London Aquatics Centre.[[56] She was also selected as the Paralympic Oath taker for the 2012 Paralympic Games.[57]]
Johnson added to her Paralympic medal collection at London 2012 Paralympics, as she set a new Paralympic record en route. Johnson recorded a season's best time of 1:40.90, to take the bronze medal in the SB6 100 m backstroke. In the buildup towards her fourth Paralympics at Rio, Johnson underwent an operation for a hernia. While recovering, she found herself falling behind in her training, which impacted on her preparation for the 2016 Paralympic trials. Her failure to make the trials resulted in her decision to retire from competitive swimming.[3]
Entrepreneurship
In August 2018, Johnson announced starting "The Ability People" an organization that is aimed at recruiting disabled people beside the able-bodied people without discrimination.[4][5] [6]
References
{{Portal|Swimming|Paralympics}}1. ^{{cite web|last=Rebello|first=Helena|date=25 April 2015|url=http://globoesporte.globo.com/paralimpiadas/noticia/2015/04/fora-das-piscinas-britanica-aproveita-open-para-rever-namorado-brasileiro.html|title=Fora das piscinas, britânica aproveita Open para rever namorado brasileiro|publisher=globo.com|language=Portuguese|trans-title=Outside the pool, Briton takes Open to review Brazilian boyfriend|accessdate=10 September 2016}}
2. ^{{Cite web|url=http://www.mtc-uk.com/wp-content/uploads/Liz-Johnson1.pdf|title=Liz Johnson biography|website=|publisher=MTC|access-date=17 September 2016}}
3. ^{{cite web|url=http://www.BBC.co.uk/sport/wales/36095491|title=Swimmer Liz Johnson retires ahead of Rio 2016 after injuries|publisher=BBC|date=20 April 2016|accessdate=24 April 2016}}
4. ^{{Cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/indyventure/disability-employment-gap-unemployment-liz-johnson-ability-people-a8463016.html|title=The UK's first disability-led employment agency is about to launch|work=The Independent|access-date=2018-08-31|language=en-GB}}
5. ^{{Cite news|url=https://recruitingtimes.org/news/23864/liz-johnson-ex-paralympian-starts-the-uks-first-disability-led-employment-agency/|title=Liz Johnson, ex-Paralympian, starts the UK's first disability-led employment agency - RECRUITING TIMES|date=2018-08-13|work=RECRUITING TIMES|access-date=2018-08-31|language=en-US}}
6. ^{{Cite news|url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/paralympian-liz-johnson-makes-splash-in-jobs-market-hht7gm2bq|title=Paralympian Liz Johnson makes splash in jobs market|last=Evans|first=Peter|date=2018-07-15|work=The Sunday Times|access-date=2018-08-31|language=en|issn=0956-1382}}
7. ^1 2 {{cite web|url=http://Paralympics.Channel4.com/the-athletes/athleteid=328/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120828225317/http://paralympics.channel4.com/the-athletes/athleteid%3D328/ |dead-url=yes |archive-date=28 August 2012 |title=Elizabeth Johnson |publisher=Channel 4 |accessdate=30 August 2012 |df= }}
8. ^1 2 3 4 {{cite news|url=http://www.Telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/paralympic-sport/paralympics-gb/8725576/Liz-Johnson-Paralympics-GB-London-2012-Olympics.html|title=Liz Johnson – Paralympics GB – London 2012 Olympics|work=The Daily Telegraph|publisher=Telegraph Media Group Limited|accessdate=13 September 2016}}
9. ^1 2 {{cite news|last=De Lacey|first=Martha|date=28 August 2012|url=http://www.DailyMail.co.uk/femail/article-2194693/Team-GB-Paralympic-swimmer-Liz-Johnson-cerebral-palsy-won-gold-Beijing-mothers-death-cancer.html|title='I won my gold medal for mum': The Team GB Paralympic hope who swam to victory in Beijing just 11 days after her mother's death|work=Daily Mail|accessdate=30 August 2012}}{{unreliable source?|reason=In Britain, the Daily Mail is frequently slated for publishing blatant inaccuracies, and for being generally un-trustworthy, on a par with the red top tabloids|date=September 2016}}
10. ^1 {{cite web|url=http://www.culture.Gov.uk/news/news_stories/8059.aspx|title=Final tile laid in London 2012 pool|publisher=Government of the United Kingdom|date=April 2011|accessdate=30 August 2012}}
11. ^1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 {{cite web|url=http://www.ThresholdSports.co.uk/images/LizJohnsonCV.pdf|title=Liz Johnson CV|publisher=Threshold Sports|format=pdf|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100525061402/http://www.thresholdsports.co.uk/images/LizJohnsonCV.pdf|archivedate=25 May 2010|accessdate=12 September 2016}}
12. ^1 {{cite news|last=Frampton|first=Ben|date=31 August 2012|url=http://www.SouthWalesArgus.co.uk/news/9903709.Swim_coach_speaks_of_pride_as_Newport_star_takes_Paralympic_oath/|title=Swim coach speaks of pride as Newport star takes Paralympic oath|work=South Wales Argus|publisher=Newsquest Media (Southern) Ltd|accessdate=2 September 2012}}