Pioneer of the
Australian Iron Ore
Industry

As the Paralympics draw to a close we finally say goodbye to Paris, but the incredible stories of these athletes and their triumphs will live long in the memory.

Australia sent 160 athletes to the Games and while not all of them stepped on the podium, often just getting there has meant overcoming hardships few will ever have to go through.

While the overall medal tally may not have been as strong as Tokyo in 2021, our Aussies still provided a swath of highlights and record-breaking performances. Before attention inevitably turns to Los Angeles in 2028 we take a look at the five best Australian moments in Paris.

Slice of history a breeze for Parker 

Winning one gold medal is already a pinnacle few athletes reach. Snaring more than one puts you on track for superstardom. But winning multiple gold over different disciplines at the same Games launches an athlete into the stratosphere.

It’s a wonder then how Lauren Parker made it look so simple.

Having started off her campaign with a silver in the time trial, she claimed a dominant gold in the women’s triathlon — finishing more than a minute in front of her nearest challenger, American Kendall Gretsch.

It was already a huge redemption arc after Gretsch had beaten Parker to gold in Tokyo by a solitary second with the emotion plain to see.

But the best was yet to come as Parker achieved a 48-year-first by claiming the women’s H1-4 road race in a dominant fashion with a winning margin of more than four minutes.

In doing so she became the first Australian athlete to claim multiple golds across different sports since Eric Russell, who triumphed in shot put, javelin and pentathlon at the 1976 Toronto Paralympics.

Seven years on from a horrific bike crash that left the ironwoman athlete with a broken back and changed her life forever; and three years on from heartbreak in Tokyo, Parker’s triumph is a story of incredible resilience.

“I never thought I’d be able to get back into sport let alone compete at the Paralympic Games and winning a gold medal,” she said.

“It means everything. I’ve been through so much since then as well, the emotional rollercoaster I’ve been through, pushing through every single day, every single second just to be here.”

Fate is written for Alexa Leary

When Alexa Leary fell off her bike in 2021 her parents were told to prepare to say goodbye as she spent 111 days in hospital recovering from major brain damage.

Looking for hope, her parents turned to a fortune teller who told them that Alexa wanted to go to the Paralympics.

Three years on Leary not only fulfilled the prophecy foretold that day but reached new heights no one had ever achieved.

Leary was already set to go down in Paralympic folklore after producing an anchor leg like no other to carry Australia to 4x100m gold — having entered the water in fifth place, 25 metres behind first-placed Netherlands before overhauling everyone to set a new Paralympic record.

But the best was yet to come for the 23-year-old.

Competing in the S9 100m freestyle event, Leary broke the world record in her heat setting a time of 59.60.

That still wasn’t enough for Leary who then beat her world record in the final with a time of 59.53 to complete a dominant meet.

“It’s a miracle that I’m living, and I’m walking and I’m talking. I was told that I never would three years ago, and I’ve just come so far,” she said.

If her incredible feats weren’t already enough, her infectious personality including breaking out to dance on the podium and even pulling out the robot won plenty more hearts.

Turner more than a step ahead 

Many of Australia’s most dominant Olympic athletes come from the pool, but for the past eight years James Turner has been untouchable on the track.

The 28-year-old, who was born with cerebral palsy, originally represented Australia as part of the Paralympic soccer team but after funding for the team fell through, he sought to use his pace on the track.

He won gold in the 800m in Rio then took gold in the 400m in Tokyo before defending his title in emphatic fashion at the Stade de France. Turner blitzed the field bettering his previous 51.71 world record (which he set in Dubai five years ago) to win in a time of 51.54 — more than a second clear of silver.

His performance was made all the more remarkable after a battle with glandular fever threatened to derail his Paralympic campaign.

“I went through phases. I’d have waves of exhaustion, where I could barely walk and I was stumbling around in a bit of a delirium,” he said.

“I obviously wasn’t able to train and as soon as I’d start training, I’d get worse, so we had to be really careful and come back really slowly.

“I didn’t think I’d be able to break a world record here today. I just thought maybe if I do everything right, I can scrape across the line first.”

His third Olympic gold will sit alongside his seven World Cup triumphs. And what’s more, he shows no sign of slowing down anytime soon.

Gallagher finally steps on a podium 

Every Paralympian has had to overcome some form of hardship in one way or another, but Thomas Gallagher’s close call had several family and friends calling him to quit sport altogether.

After winning 400m bronze in Tokyo, a medical drama meant it would be three years before Gallagher would actually get to step foot on a Paralympic podium.

The para swimmer was rushed to hospital just minutes after he came third due to an acute bout of pancreatitis which was so severe he almost lost his life.

“I did all the interviews, it was all sweet, and then it hit me like a train,” he said.

“My heart rate went up to 240. All my internal organs started shutting down. It wasn’t good. My blood started clotting.

“It was at the stage where I’d been close to dying many times, so I could understand why everyone wanted me to quit. People were saying ‘You’ve got to put your life first’.”

Thankfully Gallagher, who was born in Perth, survived and since then reinvented himself as a sprinter determined to actually stand on the podium in Paris.

In the S10 50m freestyle, Gallagher edged out defending champion and Australian teammate Rowan Crothers to win his first Paralympic gold and Australia’s first of the Games.

From the brink of death to Paralympic gold, the relief was palpable.

“Standing there I tried to enjoy the moment. (My setbacks) made me a better person. It made my pain tolerance go through the roof.”

Low’s mighty leap

Much was made of Matthew Richardson’s defection to the UK following his cycling gold medal in Paris. But there’s still plenty who want to come to our shores. Vanessa Low’s leap into the history books in Paris proved that.

The German-born Low lost both her legs at the age of 15 after she was hit by a train which she barely survived. Having won gold in the long jump with a world record in Rio, Low switched allegiances before Tokyo where she won another gold after breaking the world record three times.

In Paris, she was the only double amputee competing in the final but she had the gold sewn up after her first jump — setting a new world record of 5.45m. For reference, the silver medal was a 5.06m jump from Italian Martina Caironi.

Low credited her two-year-old baby boy Matteo for allowing her to reach new heights.

“I came back because Matteo changed me as a person.

“I think he made me stronger physically as well as mentally and he really put things in perspective,” she said.

“To have him there reminding me of all these tough days but also those rewarding moments when I see his face light up because he sees mummy run down the runway and do long jump, and then copies everything when he goes to gymnastics, is just so special. It is definitely a pinch-me moment.”