Amanda Rishworth (Kingston, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I am very pleased to rise to add my voice to congratulate the more than 160 of our best athletes that competed, representing Australia, in London at the 2012 Paralympic Games. I think it is really important that, for many, the pinnacle of one's sporting career is to represent your country at an Olympic Games. I watched a number of the events, and I have to say the dedication, the toil and the focus these elite athletes put into their sports is really amazing, and many of them were able to achieve great success.

I wish to briefly mention two Olympians who are from my electorate of Kingston and who were very successful at this games. The first is Stephanie Morton. Stephanie is a 21-year-old resident of Moana Heights who was awarded a gold medal in cycling at the 2012 London Paralympic Games. Pilot rider Stephanie and her cycling partner Felicity Johnson set a Paralympic record by winning the tandem one-kilometre time trial. Stephanie has achieved significant success as an individual cyclist but she decided to ride and support her partner Felicity Johnson, who is legally blind, at the recent Paralympic Games. Stephanie and her partner went into the race as world champions, and they have said that winning their first Paralympic gold medal was the last box to tick off their list of goals.

Stephanie has been cycling for five years after giving up badminton, which she played for 15 years, and I understand that Stephanie was only six years old when she announced to her school class that she was going to compete at the Olympics. Indeed, she now has. Stephanie is now looking to focus on her individual cycling, and perhaps we will see her competing as an individual cyclist at the Olympics sometime soon. I say congratulations to Stephanie and her partner Felicity for their gold medal at this Olympics.

The second Paralympian I would like to recognise is Kieran Modra. Kieran is a resident of Hallet Cove and is legally blind. Kieran broke the world record to claim his fifth gold medal in cycling at the 2012 London Paralympic Games in the four-kilometre individual pursuit. Kieran made his debut in Seoul in 1988 in athletics. He then switched to swimming at Barcelona in 1992 and first competed in cycling in 1996. London was his seventh games. I have to say I have chatted to Kieran before and he is certainly an incredibly dedicated sportsman who has real focus and real commitment.

Kieran and his pilot rider were on the tandem bike. His pilot rider was Scott McPhee. They also qualified for the men's one-kilometre track and the men's time trial and men's road race in London. This is all the more remarkable as late last year Kieran broke a collarbone in a training run and shortly after was lucky to survive a car accident while riding to work. Kieran broke his neck and back but his recovery was much quicker than any of his doctors expected. Kieran said the support he received from the Australian and South Australian institutes of sport was critical to his recovery. Despite these significant setbacks, Kieran literally got back on his bike, and we have seen a stellar performance from him in London 2012.

Kieran started out competing in mixed competitions, and that is where he met his wife and went on to win the gold medal in Atlanta in 1996, but he is now specialising in endurance events such as the four-kilometre individual pursuit. When my office asked Kieran how he was taking in this win, he said he is still letting it all sink in.

I wanted to specifically mention those two athletes from my local electorate, but all around Australia we have seen some wonderfully stunning performances in the Paralympics. As the previous speaker mentioned, some have managed to bring home a medal; for some it was just competing that was should be very proud of. I think the Paralympics shows us the strength of what can be achieved with focus, endurance, commitment and drive. To all the Olympians and all the Paralympians, especially the Australian team: congratulations. I look forward to seeing a similar level of spirit and competition in four years time.

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