August 23, 2024

Your official guide to the Paralympics and CP

We’re so excited to be cheering on 30-plus athletes with cerebral palsy competing in Paris at the Paralympics. Some of these athletes are part of our CPA community and have participated in therapy, sports and gym programs – from grassroots to local competitions, and now on the world stage.

Our legendary sports coach, Peter King, who has trained some of these athletes at CPA, will be pool and track side in Paris ready to cheer on these incredible athletes.

Here’s your ultimate guide to the Paralympics and CP. Get ready, it starts on 28 August.

Fast facts

The 17th Summer Paralympic Games features 22 sports and 549 events, with an estimated 4,400 athletes competing.
Australia is sending 160 athletes, including 61 making their debut. Four shipping containers and 20 pallets of equipment have been freighted to Paris, while 61 personal wheelchairs and 43 sport-competition chairs will be flown over.
Athletes with cerebral palsy first represented Australia at the 1984 Paralympics, winning 10 medals.
At Tokyo 2020, 34 athletes with CP won 10 gold medals for Australia, as well as 6 silvers and 6 bronze. This made up 42% of Australia’s gold medal tally, despite CP athletes only making up 19% of the team.
At Paris 2024, there are 31 athletes with CP competing across seven sports – athletics, badminton, cycling, equestrian, swimming, table tennis and triathlon.

CP athletes to watch

Amanda Reid, a proud Wemba-Wemba and Guringai woman, is competing in her fourth Paralympics – her Paralympic debut was as a swimmer at London 2012, before switching focus to cycling where she won silver in Rio 2016, before upgrading to a gold medal in Tokyo.
Runner James Turner is at his 3^rd Paralympics, looking to complete the iconic set of gold medals by winning the T36 100m sprint – he won gold in the 400m T26 in 2020 and 800m in 2016
Rowan Crothers is also at his 3^rd games, looking to defend gold his 100m freestyle and 4x100m freestyle relay golds in the pool
Swim start Lakeisha ‘Lucky’ Patterson – who already has seven Paralympic medals, including three golds – can become one of Australia’s most successful Paralympians by medaling in the 100m and 400m freestyle as well as the 200m individual medley.

Sport spotlight – boccia

Boccia is a specialist para-sport where athletes use a ramp device to propel leather balls as close as possible to a target ball (the jack). Men and women compete together in team and individual events on equal levels in a game of skill, strategy and accuracy.
Australia’s boccia team – who often train at CPA Allambie’s gym! – are the world number one ranked team both in the BC3 individual (Dan Michel) and BC3 pairs (Dan Michel and Jamieson Leeson, who both have spinal muscular atrophy).
Dan was bronze medalist at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics and will look to replicate his 2022 World Championship performance, where he won gold in the individual before combining with Jamieson for gold in the pairs.
17 athletes have represented Australia in boccia since the sport debuted at Seoul in 1988, with a bronze medal in the mixed doubles in 1996 our other medal in the sport.

Full list of CP athletes

Athletics (12)

Corey Anderson – javelin (F38)
Rhiannon Clarke – 100m, 400m (T38)
Sarah Clifton-Bligh – club throw, shot put (F32)
Abby Craswell – 100m (T36)
Angus Hincksman – 1500m (T38)
Ella Hose – shot put, discus (T37)
Mali Lovell – 100m. 200m (T36)
Rheed McCracken – 100m, 800m (T34)
Elly Pardy – 100m (T38)
Samantha Schmidt – discus (F38)
Maria Strong – shot put (F33)
James Turner – 100m, 400m (T36)

Badminton (1)

Celine Vinot – SL3 singles

Boccia (2)

Note – below athletes have SMA, not CP, but are CPA-trained so have been included

Jamieson Leeson – individual, mixed pairs (BC3)
Dan Michel – individual, mixed pairs (BC3)

Cycling (2)

Gordon Allan – 1000m time trial, road race (C2)
Amanda Reid – 500m time trial, road time trial, road race (C2)

Equestrian (1)

Stella Barton – individual championship, team championship, individual freestyle (grade one)

Swimming (9)

Rowan Crothers – 50m freestyle, 100m freestyle (S10, SB9, SM10)
Thomas Gallagher – 50m freestyle, 100m freestyle, 100m backstroke (S10, SB9, SM10)
Ella Jones – 400m freestyle, 100m backstroke (S8, SB6, SM8)
Lakeisha Patterson – 100m freestyle, 400m freestyle, 200m individual medle (S9, SB8, SM9)
Alex Saffy – 100m freestyle, 100m butterfly, 200m individual medley (S10, SB9, SM10)
Callum Simpson – 100m freestyle, 400m freestyle (S8, SB8, SM8)
Holly Warn – 100m freestyle, 400m freestyle (S7, SB7, SM7)
Rachael Watson – 50m freestyle, 100m freestyle (S3, SB2, SM3)
Poppy Wilson – 100m freestyle, 400m freestyle, 100m butterfly (S9, SB9, SM10)

Table tennis (1)

Nathan Pellissier – men’s singles, men’s doubles, mixed doubles (class 8)

Triathlon (2)

Thomas Goodman – sprint (PTS2)
Jeremy Peacock – sprint (PTS4)

Go team! We’re so proud and can’t wait to show our support.

Interested in getting involved in Boccia, this program is perfect for a grassroots athlete: Click here
Looking to advance your Boccia skills in a competitive environment, join our program: Click here
Read our Paralympic client stories about Holly and Mali

Download your guide to the Paralympics

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Your official guide to the Paralympics and CP

Fast facts

CP athletes to watch

Sport spotlight – boccia

Full list of CP athletes

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