I was born in 1989 in Newcastle. Mum had a beautiful pregnancy until 36 weeks when her uterus ruptured and she could have died. They couldn't find my heartbeat and the doctors asked Dad who they should save – Me or Mum. Thank God Dad said both and they did. But unfortunately a part of my brain didn't regenerate and I was left with Epilepsy, Cerebellar Ataxia and Gross Motor Retardation. But with intense therapy I turned out OK.
I began cycling in October 2004 after seeing a post Athens Paralympic interview with Claire McLean (Silver Medallist) who said Australia needed more female Para-cyclists. I was a swimmer but decided I needed a change. So on the day of the Welcome Home Parade for our Athens Paralympians, I met with Tom Skulander and started cycling at the Dunc Gray Velodrome. My progress was slow to begin with because my balance is not really good and I often had shaking attacks.
Eventually I improved and in 2006 was selected in the NSW team for the National Track Championships in Adelaide. I had only one event, the 500m Time Trial, but came away with the Silver Medal and a smile from ear to ear.
At the 2007 National Track Championships I won the Gold Medal and broke the CP3 World Record (unofficially, as my classification needed to be sanctioned internationally) in the 500m Time Trial. I did a Personal Best Time in the 3000m Individual Pursuit and got the Gold Medal.
I was part of the Australian Team at the Arafura/Oceania Paralympic Games Road Races in Darwin in May 2007 where I won six bronze medals. I represented Australia at the World Championships in France in August 2007 where I broke the CP3 500m Time Trial World Record (officially) and rode a personal best time in the 3000m Individual Pursuit.
In 2008 I was named Blacktown City Young Citizen of the Year. In the National Track Championships I broke my own World Record in the 500m Time Trial and won Gold in this and the 3000m Individual Pursuit. I was named AWD Champion of Champions.
In June 2008 I was selected in Australia’s Paralympic Team for the Beijing Games. I again broke the CP3 500m Time Trial World Record and won a Bronze Medal (combined class events). I rode a Personal Best Time in the 3000m Individual Pursuit to go into the Bronze Medal ride off, but missed a second Bronze by half a second.
After Beijing I was awarded the Mathew Hayden Contribution to the Community Award and the Government of NSW Community Service Award. In February 2009 I was named Blacktown City Sportsperson of the Year for 2008 and in May was on the Panel for the International Paralympic Womens Sports Summit in Darwin.
My last event was the National Road Time Trial in Mooball where I got the Gold Medal but aggravated a knee injury which ruled me out of the Road Championships in Italy later this year. I am training as hard as I can to make the UK Track Championships in November.
I am a Premier's Sporting Challenge Ambassador, a Telstra Paralympic Education Program Ambassador, a Northcott Disability Services Ambassador, a Member of the NSW Institute of Sport Elite Athlete Program, and a member of the Cerebral Palsy Sport and Recreation Association of NSW. I have earned an Elite Athlete Scholarship for Childcare Management at Macquarie University beginning in 2010.
