Melanie displayed her sporting talent at an early age, winning gold in the under 20 New Zealand National Basketball tournament for Australia. Since then, she has continued to compete nationally and internationally. Named the best female athlete in a team sport in 2007 by Wheelchair Sports Victoria, Melanie is a vital member of both the Gliders and her local team, the Dandenong Rangers.

Born with spina bifida, Melanie is now on track for her third consecutive Paralympics. She is one of the team’s most experienced players and played an integral role in Australia’s bronze medal at the Beijing Games and silver in Athens. More recently, she was part of Australia’s World Championships team in 2010 which finished fourth.

Nicknamed ‘Doma’, Melanie has had success in both wheelchair basketball and archery, where she once competed at a national level. She sees her coach Gerry Hewson as the most influential person on her sporting career and hopes to draw inspiration from him in the prelude to the London 2012 Paralympic Games. Ten years down the track, Melanie still plans to be competing in wheelchair basketball.