Meet the Paralympians you should wake up at 3am for
Well, the Paris Olympic Games 2024 have come and gone. Thankfully for all sporting enthusiasts, the Paris Paralympic Games 2024 are right around the corner!
The Paralympic Games take place between 28 August and 8 September, and Australia has some phenomenal athletes heading to Paris to make us proud as punch.
For those who love a good stat, here are some insights shared by the Paralympics Australia official website about the upcoming Games:
- 160 athletes across 17 sports will be competing
- Of those, 38% will be making their Paralympic debut
- The average age of the athletes is 31.3 years
- The team includes four Indigenous athletes
With that said, let’s meet some of the team!
Angie Ballard (2024 Australian team co-captain)
Angie Ballard is no stranger to the Paralympics, having competed in every Paralympic Games since Sydney 2000. She’s a silver and bronze medal-winning para-athlete whose disciplines include the 400m and 800m, and she also has a cheeky degree in Psychology (Honours), from Sydney University. Angie is gunning to win her first Paralympic gold this year, and we’re rooting for her!
Curtis McGrath (2024 Australian team co-captain)
Curtis McGrath is a para-canoeist who has won consecutive golds at Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020. He considers his greatest sporting highlight to be carrying the Australian flag at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games Closing Ceremony, but I reckon that moment could soon be topped with his impending co-captaincy. Curtis competes in the Singles 200m and was awarded Sportsman of the Year at the 2016 World Paddle Awards.
Tristan Knowles
Tristan Knowles made his Paralympic debut in Athens 2004 and has been competing ever since. He won gold in Beijing, and silver in Athens and London. Tristan is a wheelchair basketball player, captain of the Australian Wheelchair Basketball Team, and a huge Hawthorn Football Club supporter (which I won’t hold against him).
Telaya Blacksmith
Making her Paralympics debut in Paris is Telaya Blacksmith, the 16(!!!)-year-old para-athlete who competes in the 400m and Long Jump. A proud Walpiri woman, originally from the Northern Territory and now living in Sydney, Telaya considers Olympian Cathy Freeman to be her idol, and while running is her chosen discipline, she also loves a game of footy.
Ahmed Kelly
Ahmed Kelly is a para-swimmer who specialises in 50m Freestyle, 50m Backstroke and the 150m Individual Medley. He’s been competing at the Paralympic Games since London 2012, and lists making the team that year as his career highlight. He secured a silver medal in the men’s 150m individual medley in Tokyo, and considers his mum as his hero (BLESS).
Amanda (AJ) Jane Jennings
AJ Jennings has done the old switcheroo, transitioning from canoeing in the Rio (where she won silver) and Tokyo Paralympics to representing Australia in archery this year in Paris. Pretty impressive if you ask me! After suffering an injury post-Tokyo, AJ fell in love with archery during her rehabilitation post surgeries, and decided to make the change. Imagine being that good at multiple sports? I can’t, tbh.
What’s that I hear you ask? More stats, please?
- 27 team members (16.8%) were born overseas, from eight different countries
- 54 (36%) of the athletes were identified or supported via Paralympics Australia’s Talent and Pathway initiatives
- Australia has competed at every Paralympic Games since the first in Rome in 1960.
- Prior to Paris, Australia had produced 1,126 Paralympians. They had won 1,272 medals – 1,237 at the Summer Games and 35 at the Winter Games.
You guys, I’m pumped!
Coverage of the Paris Olympic Games 2024 will air across Channel 9, 9Now and Stan.
Written by Lil Friedmann, who’s in the running to get a gold medal in couch commentary. You can follow her at @lilfriedmann on socials.
Image credit: Getty + Punkee