In 2010, Rachael Dodds tasted elite athletic success when she broke the world record for the T35 200m at the Australian Athletics Championships in Perth.

Continuing her stellar breakthrough into senior athletics, Rachael won gold in the 200m and silver in the 100m at the 2011 IPC Athletics World Championships.

Born with cerebral palsy, Rachael credits her physiotherapist Tanya Winter with introducing her to athletics while she was still in primary school. Tanya fostered Rachael’s already apparent love for running and encouraged her to take up the sport more seriously, despite finishing last in her favourite event, the 800m at her school carnivals.

Rachael loves the feeling of success and accomplishment after having worked hard to achieve a goal.

She is currently completing her senior years of high school and already has plans for what she would like to do once she is finished. Combining her love of science and history, she would love to be a biological anthropologist where she can recreate and investigate history from a scientific point of view.