Telaya Blacksmith
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Australian |
| Sport | |
| Country |  Australia |
| Sport | Athletics |
| Disability | T20 |
Telaya Blacksmith is an Australian Paralympic athletics competitor with an intellectual disability. She has been selected to compete at the 2024 Paris Paralympics and will become Australia's 16th Indigenous Australian Paralympian.[1]
Personal
[edit]Blacksmith is originally from the Walpiri community town of Lajamanu in the Northern Territory. She attended Warilla High School and in 2024 attends Endeavour Sports High School in Sydney.[2][3]
Athletics
[edit]She is classified as a T20 athlete. Cathy Freeman was her idol growing up.[2] At 14, she represented Australia at the 2022 Virtus Oceania Asia Games in Brisbane and then the 2023 Virtus Global Games in Vichy, France.[2] In 2024, Blacksmith holds the Australian under 15, under 17 and under 20 T20 records in the 100 m, 200 m and long jump. At the 2024 Paris Paralympics, she will compete in the 400m T20 where she currently holds Australian under 17, under 20 and open T20 records.[2]
She is coached by Jacinta Doyle and Anula Costa.[2]
Australian football
[edit]In 2024, Blacksmith plays Australian football with Miranda Bombers and is in the Sydney Swans AFL academy.
In 2021, she won Illawarra Academy of Sport's Brett Stibners Award for 2020-21 AWD Athlete of the Year.[4]
References
[edit]- ^ "Fearnley Protégé Among Newest Members Of Australian Paralympic Team | Paralympics Australia". www.paralympic.org.au. 16 July 2024. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
- ^ a b c d e admin (19 July 2024). "Telaya Blacksmith - Paralympian". Sport Inclusion Australia. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
- ^ "Paris calling?". Katherine Times (Australia). 20 March 2024. p. 16.
- ^ "Blacksmith wins Brett Stibners Award". Illawarra Academy of Sport. 27 September 2021. Retrieved 19 July 2024.