Madison Janssen

Madison Janssen (born 13 November 1994) is an Australian cyclist. She is a world champion, multiple national champion and a world record holder. In May 2016 she was named as part of the Australian cycling team as the sighted pilot for Jessica Gallagher for the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio, where they won a bronze medal in the Women's 1000m time trial.

Madison Janssen
2016 Australian Paralympic Team portrait
Personal information
Nickname(s)Maddie
Born (1994-11-13) 13 November 1994
Gold Coast
Websitehttp://maddiejanssen.com
Sport
CountryAustralia
SportTrack Cycling
ClubGold Coast Cycling Club
Medal record
Women's cycling
Representing  Australia
UCI BMX World Championships
2013 Auckland 17 and over women
2003 Perth 9 girls
2008 Taiyuan 14 girls
UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships
2016 MontichiariWomen's sprint B
2016 MontichiariWomen's 1 km time trial B
2018 RioWomen's 1 km Time Trial B
2018 RioWomen's Sprint B
Summer Paralympic Games
2016 Rio de Janeiro Women’s 1 km Time Trial B

Personal

Madison Janssen was born in Queensland on 13 November 1994, the youngest of three children. She began BMX riding when she was five years old, after seeing her father and brother playing around on bicycles.[1]

Career

She won national championships in her age division in 2004, 2007 and 2008.[2] She was runner-up at the UCI BMX World Championships in her age division in 2003 in Perth,[3] and 2008 in Taiyuan, China,[4] before winning in the 17 and over division at the 2013 UCI BMX World Championships in Auckland in 2013.[5]

Janssen decided to switch to track cycling.[1] On 18 May 2015, she received a call from Glenn Doney, the head coach at the Victorian Institute of Sport, who informed her that the visually impaired Paralympic athlete and skier Jessica Gallagher intended to qualify for the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro as a track cyclist, and needed a tandem bicycle pilot.[6][7] Janssen later recalled her first ride with Gallagher:

I've only ridden a boarded track three times. I was a little nervous, then having to go on it on the tandem, made me even more nervous, then putting Jess on the back – even more terrifying – THEN Glenn decided our first effort would be a flying 200 m, let's just say I was on a whole new level of scared, this was probably the most scariest thing I had ever done.[7]

Janssen (left) and Jessica Gallagher (right) are all smiles after winning a bronze medal in the Women’s B/VI 1000m time trial final

At the national championships in Adelaide in December 2015, they won the women's 1 km tandem event in a time of 1:09.597, inside the 1:10 qualifying time for the world championships.[6] The next step was the 2016 UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships in Montichiari in Italy in March 2016. In the women's tandem 1 km time trial they posted a time of 1:07.575, which was good enough to win bronze.[8] The following day they beat British defending world champions Sophie Thornhill and Helen Scott in the flying 200 m event in a world record time of 11.045 seconds, breaking the record of 11.112 seconds set by Brandie O'Connor and Breanna Hargrave in April 2014.[9] Their selection for the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro was announced on 30 May 2016.[10] On 9 September they won a bronze medal in the Women's 1000m time trial.[11]

On 5 March 2017, Janssen came second in the Keirin at the 2017 Australian Track Championships.[12]

At the 2018 UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Janssen piloted Jessica Gallagher to silver medals in the Women's Tandem Time Trial and Sprint.[13]

References
  1. "Madison Janssen". Australian Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 31 May 2016.
  2. "Madison Janssen". BMX Australia. Archived from the original on 5 June 2016. Retrieved 31 May 2016.
  3. "2003 UCI BMX World Titles results". bmxultra.com. 26 July 2003. Retrieved 31 May 2016.
  4. "2008 UCI BMX World Championships – Finish Report – 14 girls". BMX Mania. Retrieved 31 May 2016.
  5. "Australia's six new amateur world champions". bmxultra.com. 26 July 2013. Retrieved 31 May 2016.
  6. Wade, Nick (18 December 2015). "Paralympian Jess Gallagher to represent Australia in third sport". Geelong Advertiser. Retrieved 31 May 2016.
  7. "Athlete Blog: how Maddie Janssen became a tandem bike pilot". Special Broadcasting Service. Retrieved 31 May 2016.
  8. "Gallagher gold headlines six medal haul on day three". Cycling Australia. Retrieved 31 May 2016.
  9. "UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships: Fachie untouchable in the sprint!". UCI. Retrieved 31 May 2016.
  10. "Australian Paralympic Cycling Team announced". Australian Paralympic Committee. Archived from the original on 10 August 2016. Retrieved 31 May 2016.
  11. "Womens B 1000m Time Trial Schedule & Results – Paralympic Cycling Track". Rio 2016. Archived from the original on 22 September 2016. Retrieved 11 September 2016.
  12. "2017 Australian Elite & U19 Track Championships live results". Cycling Australia. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
  13. "10 medals for Australia at Para Track Worlds". Cycling Australia website. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
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