Australia is sending a team of 160 athletes across 17 of the 22 sports on offer at the Paralympics. Here are five Aussie Paralympians to watch in Paris over the next two weeks.
Alexa Leary
You might remember Leary from the Australian swimming trials.
This Aussie Paralympian is making her debut in Paris. The 22-year-old was a triathlete until a 2021 cycling accident left her with a traumatic brain injury. She spent six months in hospital re-learning how to talk and walk before taking up para-swimming.
Leary is destined for greatness in Paris after winning gold in the women’s 100m freestyle S9, and silver in the women’s 50m freestyle S9, at the most recent World Championships last year.
Brenden Hall
Brenden Hall is one of two flag-bearers for the opening ceremony.
Hall debuted at the Beijing Paralympics in 2008. This will be his fifth Games. The swimmer has won six Paralympic medals (including two gold) and is the current world record holder for the 400m freestyle S9, 800m freestyle S9, and 1500m freestyle S9.
Hall had his right leg amputated at the age of six due to chickenpox.
At the flag-bearers announcement in July, Hall said: “There’s an immense amount of pride being able to represent Australia, so being asked to carry the flag, I’m over the bloody moon.”
Madison de Rozario
De Rozario is the other one of Australia’s flag bearers and also made her Paralympics debut in Beijing in 2008. Paris will be de Rozario’s fifth Paralympics. The 30-year-old has won six Paralympic medals (two gold, three silver and one bronze). Her most successful Games was in Tokyo, where she won gold in the wheelchair 800m T53 and the wheelchair marathon T54.
De Rozario has a neurological condition called transverse myelitis which damaged her spinal cord. At this year’s Games, de Rozario will be looking to defend her Olympic gold in the marathon as well as race in the 5000m and 1500m.
At the flag-bearer’s announcement, De Rozario said: “I love our Paralympic team because of who we are as athletes. But, also, the personalities that we see come out of it, they are some of the best. Those post-race interviews, the interviews leading in, the integrity with which our Paralympians approach sport, it’s unlike anything else.”
Telaya Blacksmith
Telaya Blacksmith is one of four First Nations athletes who will compete at the Paris Paralympics, and the first Warlpiri para-athlete to represent Australia. Remarkably, she is making her Paralympics debut at just 16 years old.
Blacksmith is competing in the T20 400m and long jump. The T20 classification sees athletes with intellectual disabilities compete. Blacksmith has an intellectual disability which impacts her memory.
Alistair Donohoe
Alistair Donohoe is a para-cyclist competing at his third Games. This Aussie Paralympian will race in the team sprint pursuit, the road race, and the individual road time trial. Donohoe turned to para-cycling at the age of 15 after the muscles in his right arm were severed in an accident.
In Rio and Tokyo, Donohoe won medals in both the individual pursuit and the road time trial but a medal in the road race has eluded him due to crashes in both events four years apart.
Donohoe is determined not to let history repeat itself. He recently told the ABC: “Unfortunately, it’s kind of scary coming towards Paris. If I don’t win it, it’s going to f—ing hurt. I’m just going to have to prepare myself, that might be the outcome.”