The Paris 2024 Paralympics are now underway and I can’t wait to cheer on our Paralympians – especially those with a connection to our city.
The incredibly versatile Jess Gallagher makes her return to the Paralympics in Paris, eight years since she made history at Rio 2016.
The Highton Paralympian became the first Australian to win a medal at both the summer and winter Paralympics when she won bronze in the women’s vision impaired 1km cycling time trial at Rio.
This followed her winning bronze in the slalom skiing at the Vancouver winter Paralympics in 2010 and again at Sochi 2014.
Jess has also competed for Australia in the long jump and javelin, including at London 2012.
Hopefully she can again make the podium in the cycling or go one better for silver or gold at Paris 2024.
Fellow Geelong-based athlete Jeremy Peacock will also aim to improve on his third-place finish at the 2022 Para Triathlon World Championships.
The 33-year-old from Leopold was born three months premature, which resulted in him being diagnosed with hemiplegia cerebral palsy.
He competed in running throughout school but only made his domestic para triathlon debut in 2020 and his international debut in 2022, making his podium finish that year even more impressive.
Also seeking his first medal is Ocean Grove wheelchair sprinter Sam McIntosh, who narrowly missed the podium at Rio and Tokyo.
Sam came agonisingly close in the T52 100m finishing fourth by less than half a second at Rio and 0.83 of a second at Tokyo.
The 34-year-old has already done well just to qualify for Paris, his fourth Paralympics, after finding himself in hospital in late this January for internal bleeding caused by medical complications from his disability.
Whittington wheelchair tennis player Martyn Dunn will take on the world’s best in both the singles and doubles at Paris 2024 – his second Paralympics.
Martyn worked as an apprentice carpenter and played tennis and Aussie Rules on the weekend before he acquired incomplete paraplegia in a motorbike accident in 2015.
He took up wheelchair tennis as part of his rehabilitation and soon caught the attention of Tennis Australia’s talent scouts.
And Tasmanian-born, Hawthown-based rower Alexandra Viney also has a Geelong connection, having worked here as a sport scientist and a strength and conditioning coach.
We will be cheering her on too as she and the women’s mixed coxed four strive to improve on their fourth-placed finish at Tokyo 2020.
And while we celebrate Greater Geelong’s contribution to this year’s Paralympics, it is fitting to include the latest update on works at our city’s premier athletics facility – Landy Field.
Currently the contractor is preparing to lay the new rubber surface for the pole vault and long jump run up areas.
We expect the resurfacing of the running track to follow next month, pending good weather conditions.
This is all part of a $1.5 million council project to renew the track – allowing it to retain its World Athletics Class 2 accreditation – and relocate the hammer throw and discuss cage to allow more events to run simultaneously.
I look forward to seeing our local Paralympians compete at Paris 2024 and hope they will inspire the next group of athletes and para-athletes striving for their best at the revamped Landy Field.
