Katie Kelly (paratriathlete)

Kathleen Margaret "Katie" Kelly OAM (born 6 February 1975) is an Australian paratriathlete, who has a degenerative disease known as Usher syndrome.[1] Kelly began competing in the PT5 paratriathlon classification in February 2015 when her condition deteriorated to a legally blind state.[1][2] She has just 30 per cent of her vision.[3] With her guide Michellie Jones, Kelly won gold medals at the 2015 and 2017 ITU World Championships and 2016 Rio Paralympics.[4][5]

Katie Kelly

Kelly in 2015
Personal information
Birth name	Kathleen Margaret Kelly
Nationality	Australian
Born	6 February 1975 Casino, New South Wales, Australia
Sport
Sport	Paratriathlon
Medal record Representing  Australia Paralympic Games 2016 Rio de Janeiro PT5 World Championships 2015 Chicago PT5 2017 Rotterdam PTV1 2018 Gold Coast PTV1 2015 ITU World Paratriathlon Event Sunshine Coast, Queensland PT5 Yokohama PT5 Iseo, Lombardy PT5

Personal

Kelly was born on 6 February 1975 in Casino, New South Wales.[6] She is one of five siblings, all of whom were heavily into sport. At the age of five she was diagnosed with poor hearing and subsequently has worn hearing aids.[6] In her mid-20s diagnosed with Usher Syndrome by that an ophthalmologist.[6] The loss of vision meant that she forfeited her drivers licence. In January 2015, she was declared legally blind by an ophthalmologist.[3]

Kelly and Jones at the 2016 Paralympics

Kelly was educated St Ursula's College, Toowoomba. She completed a Bachelor of Sports Management from Griffith University.[7] In 2009, she gained her Masters from the University of Technology Sydney.[8]

Kelly has worked in the sports industry in roles with the National Rugby League, Melbourne Storm, ANZ Stadium, Newcastle Knights, Northern Territory Dept Sport and Recreation and Athletics NSW. She has also done pro bono work as media liaison officer for the Australian Blind Cricket Team and was a former media liaison officer for the Australian Deaflympic team at the 2005 Deaflympics that was held in Melbourne and was also a DSA board member.[2]

In 2017, Kelly established the Sport Access Foundation to assist children with a disability with access to sport and recreational facilities.[9]

Sports career

Prior to moving into paratriathlon, Kelly was actively involved in sport particularly distance running and ironman events. She has competed in the New York Marathon.[10] After being diagnosed as legally blind in January 2015, Kelly contacted the Australian Paralympic Committee regarding her eligibility to compete in paratriathlon. In February 2015, was classified as a vision impaired (PT5) paratriathlete.

On 13 March 2015, Kelly placed first at the ITU World Paratriathlon held at the Sunshine Coast, Queensland with her guide Laura Cook.[1] Kelly completed a 750 m swim, 20 km bike ride and a 5 km run to beat her Japanese rival, Atsuko Yamada with a world-class time of 1:15:26.[11][12] Two weeks later, Kelly placed first at the National Paratriathlon Championships in Redcliffe on 29 March 2015, with a time of 1:16:59.[13] These titles led Kelly to be ranked number 13 in the world.[1][12]

In May 2015 it was confirmed that two-time International Triathlon Union (ITU) world champion, Michellie Jones, would be Kelly's new guide in the lead up to the 2016 Summer Paralympics. With Jones, she won the World Paratriathlon Event held in Yokohama, Japan on 16 May 2015.[3]

Kelly with guide Jones won her their first World Championship title after a come-from-behind victory at the 2015 World Championships Final in Chicago.[14] Kelly's main aim is to make the Australian paratriathlon team for the 2016 Rio Paralympics. At the 2016 Rio Paralympics, Kelly with Jones as the guide won the gold medal in the Women's PT5 event.[4] It was Australia's first medal in paratriathlon at the Summer Paralympics.[4] At the 2017 ITU World Championships, Rotterdam, Kelly and Jones won the gold medal in Women's PTV1. It was their second world championship title.[15]

She won the bronze medal with her new guide Holly Grice in the Women's PTV1 at 2018 World Championships at Gold Coast, Queensland after battling a stressed left metatarsal in the lead up to the event.[16] At the 2019 ITU World Triathlon Grand Final in Lausanne, she finished eighth in the Women's PTVI.[17]

Recognition

• 2016/17 - Sir Roden Cutler Award, Primary Club of Australia[9]
• 2017 - Order of Australia Medal in 2017.[18]
• 2017 - Triathlon Australia Female Performance of the Year.[19]
• 2017 - Triathlon Australia Paratriathlete Performance of the Year.[19]

References

1. McGrath, Rosey. "Para-triathlete Katie Kelly to race with Olympic medallist as her guide". Australian Paralympic Committee. Australian Paralympic Committee. Archived from the original on 30 March 2016. Retrieved 20 August 2015.
2. "Golden rain in Yokohama for Aussie paratriathon team". Deaf Sports Australia. DeafSportsAUS. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 20 August 2015.
3. Connery, Georgina. "Katie Kelly's rapid course to Rio 2016 Paralympics". Canberra Times. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
4. Spits, Scott (12 September 2016). "An unbreakable bond: Katie Kelly and guide Michellie Jones win triathlon gold at the Rio Paralympics". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 12 September 2016.
5. "Katie Kelly". rio2016. Archived from the original on 22 September 2016. Retrieved 12 September 2016.
6. White, Leah (29 September 2015). "Katie chases paralympic dream after Chicago triathlon win". Northern Star. Retrieved 11 November 2015.
7. Griffith News (12 September 2016). "Griffith graduate Kelly wins gold at Paralympics" (Press release). Griffith University. Retrieved 12 April 2018.
8. "World Paratriathlon Events continue in Sunshine Coast". Triathlon Australia. 12 March 2015. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
9. "Katie Kelly named Sir Roden Cutler Awardee 2016/17". Primary Club of Australia website. Retrieved 20 February 2017.
10. "Athletics NSW Launch The Inaugural Casino RSM Fun Run". Athletics NSW website. Retrieved 11 November 2015.
11. "2015 Sunshine Coast ITU World Paratriathlon Event". International Triathlon Union. International Triathlon Union. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
12. "MICHELLIE JONES TO GUIDE KATIE KELLY ALONG ROAD TO RIO". Triathlon Australia. 12 May 2015. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
13. "2015 AUS Paratriathlon National Championship". Triathlon Australia. Triathlon Australia.
14. White, Chelsea. "Australia awesome at Paratriathlon World Championships". International Triathlon Union News. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
15. "Golden day for Aussie paratriathletes in Rotterdam". Triathlon Australia website. Retrieved 16 September 2017.
16. "Tapp turned on full bore as Emily strokes World Championship gold". Triathlon Australia website. Retrieved 16 September 2018.
17. "Parker crowned World Champion in Lausanne". Triathlon Australia. 2 September 2019. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
18. "OAM Final Media Notes (F-L)" (PDF). Governor General of Australia. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 January 2017. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
19. "RIO GOLDEN GIRL KATIE KELLY AND IRONMAN TIM REED SCOOP TRIATHLON AUSTRALIA AWARDS". Triathlon Australia website. Retrieved 17 April 2017.

External links

• Katie Kelly at the International Paralympic Committee (also here)
• Katie Kelly at Paralympics Australia
• Katie Kelly at the International Triathlon Union