
Swimmer Claire Pearson has won four medals for this country; three golds and silver, to be exact. The Sydney woman's haul for New South Wales is even bigger, and she's both captained and assisted the coach of her state's team.
It's likely, though, that you've never heard her name.
Claire, 25, is among 3,000 Australian athletes who participate in Special Olympics, a global sporting program for people with an intellectual disability.
Watch: How Special Olympics and NAB have helped Claire become a champion.
Founded in 1968 by the late Eunice Kennedy Shriver, philanthropist and sister of US President John F. Kennedy, the not-for-profit organisation offers year-round accessible training, coaching and competition opportunities, the pinnacle of which is the World Games, held every four years.
Claire, who was diagnosed with a global developmental delay at the age of two, has been a Special Olympics athlete since 2006.
She trains four days a week with her local swim squad, on top of a weekly session under the Special Olympics program and a weekly gym workout with Stellar Experiences, a local organisation that offers recreational outings for people with disabilities.
Claire is now also focused on improving her downhill skiing technique, having earned a bronze medal at the Special Olympics Winter National Games last year — her first competition in the sport.
"What I like about Special Olympics is making new friends and keeping myself fit," she told Mamamia. "I like going to compete because I can see my friends around the state and the country.
"Special Olympics has given me confidence and independence to learn new skills."
"All of a sudden, at the age of nine, she just spoke up."
Claire's mother, Louise, has watched the ways in which her daughter's sporting endeavours have translated to success in other areas of her life.
"Each time she goes away [for Special Olympics competitions] she comes back with new skills," she said.
"Money skills or just being able to pack her bags, and the way she talks. You can see an independent aura about her, like she's grown up overnight. It's amazing to watch."
But Louise acknowledges that it's been a "long road" to reach this point.