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Vanessa LowEVENTS: Long Jump T63 AGE: 34 COACH: Scott Reardon ATHLETICS CLUB: North Canberra Gungahlin PARALYMPIC HISTORY: London, Rio, Tokyo PERSONAL BESTS: 5.33m (26 Jan 2024) |
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BIOGRAPHYVanessa has the distinction of having represented two countries at four consecutive Paralympic Games. The European-born athlete competed for Germany at the 2012 London Games before taking a gold and silver in Rio in the T42 (for limb deficiencies) long jump and 100m. But five years on, she is not only an Australian citizen having married fellow Rio gold medal-winning sprinter Scott Reardon, but her disability category has changed to T61 – now for athletes who wear one or more prosthesis. She will compete in Tokyo in the green-and-gold after a career of distinction for Germany including medals at the 2011 Christchurch, 2013 Lyon and 2015 Doha World Para-Athletics Championships. Vanessa has made an immediate impact for Australian athletics winning the T61 long jump (4.68m) gold at the 2019 World Para Athletics Championships in Dubai – her sixth medal at her fourth world titles. Going into the Tokyo Paralympics, Vanessa was the favourite having raised the world record in Australia to 5.07m in early 2020. She was magnificent at the Games, raising her world record on three occasions – 5.16m, then 5.20m and finally 5.28m. She had defended the long jump title she won five years earlier in Rio. She was unable to defend her 100m title as it was not on the Tokyo program. In June 2023, a year after becoming a mum, she was named in the Australian team to compete at her fourth world championships where she placed third with a leap of 4.90m. Continuing her return from a maternity break in May 2024 at the world championships in Kobe Japan, Vanessa was back to her best leaping 5.29m to win her third world title. Later in 2024 Vanessa was named on her fourth Paralympic Games team – two for Germany and two for Australia. Just weeks ahead of the Games she leapt 5.52m in Holland. Disability: In June 2006, at the age of 15, Low was struck by a train at a railway platform after losing her balance. The accident severed her left leg and left her in a coma for two months. During life-saving surgery her doctors were forced to amputate her other leg. It took her two years to relearn to walk using her prostheses. She now competes with the use of two carbon-fibre running blades. Married: Australian Paralympian Scott Reardon in 2018, Family: had a son Matteo in June 2022 @ 22 August 2024 david.tarbotton@athletics.org.au |