24 NSWIS Athletes Ready to Shine in Paris

Madison de Rozario, Tim Hodge and Gordon Allan headline an impressive group of NSW Institute of Sport (NSWIS) athletes set to compete at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. They are among 24 NSWIS scholarship holders who will proudly wear the green and gold in just two days time.  

Competing at her fifth Paralympic Games, De Rozario, the reigning Paralympic champion in the 800m T53 and marathon T54, will contest the 1500m, 5000m, marathon in Paris; 200m medley SM9 world champion Hodge will contest five events in the pool (100m butterfly, 100m breaststroke, 100m backstroke, 200m IM, 400m freestyle ) and world championship silver medallist Allan will be vying to go one better in the men’s cycling 1000m TT and road race.   

On the track, de Rozario will be joined by Paralympic sprint medallist Rheed McCracken, who is competing at his fourth Games, along with Mali Lovell, Luke Bailey, T54 100m and rising star Telaya Blacksmith, T20 400m.  

In the pool 23-year-old triplet Ella Jones will make her Paralympic debut contesting the 100m backstroke and 400m freestyle while 20-year-old Chloe Osborne is set to make waves when she competes in the 400m freestyle and 100m freestyle.  

At the range, Australia’s archery squad of six is the largest in 40 years and includes NSWIS athlete Jonathon Milne, Australia’s only Paralympic medallist in the sport since 1984. 

And making Australian history, is NSWIS athlete Lauren Parker, who will become the first Australian to compete in two sports at a Paralympic Games in 32 years. Parker will contest both triathlon and cycling. Not since Barcelona 1992 has this occurred, when Jodi Willis-Roberts competed in athletics and goalball and Kieran Modra competed in athletics and swimming.   

NSWIS athletes will contest 10 of the 17 sports in which Australians are competing, namely archery, athletics, boccia, canoe, cycling, equestrian, rowing, swimming, triathlon and wheelchair basketball.   

Jamieson Leeson, who hails from the central western town of Dunedoo, will take to the boccia court with Daniel Michel, supported by their ramp operators Jasmine Haydon and Ashley Maddern. Leeson has enjoyed an incredible journey in Boccia, which started in just 2018 and has accelerated quickly. 

“I didn’t think boccia was going to be for me but look where I am now. You never know where life is going to take you, really.”   

Eight NSWIS staff have also been appointed to the 2024 Australian Paralympic Team and are ready to support the athletes with their expertise – Andy Burns – Team Manager, Para Archery; Jake Michael – Team Manager, Para Canoe Sprint; Michael Perry – Team Manager, Para Athletics; Krystal Sharp –  Physiotherapist; Nathan Wall – Information Technology Manager; Bernadette Petzel – Physiotherapy; Louise Sauvage – Coach, Para Athletics and Andrew Dawes, Coach, Para Athletics.   

Australia, who has competed at every Paralympic Games since the first in Rome in 1960 will send 160 athletes to compete across 17 sports at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, which start on 28 August and conclude on Sunday 8 September.  

NSWIS