Brayden Davidson

Brayden Davidson was arguably one of the most unexpected gold medallists of the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games.

His introduction to the world of Paralympic sport came in 2011 when, in a stroke of luck for the as yet unimagined 2016 Australian Paralympic Team, Brayden attended a Paralympics Australia Talent Search Day, in a bid to prove to his mum that he had what it took to be the next big star in Para-rowing. Instead, it was his Para-athletics potential that caught the attention of Australia’s talent identification specialists.

Brayden made his international debut two years later at the 2013 International Paralympic Committee Athletics World Championships in Lyon, France, and won his first medal – a bronze – at the 2015 edition in Doha, Qatar.

Of course, with this level of success, Brayden was always a chance of reaching the podium at the 2016 Paralympic Games – but, having only just returned from injury, it was the colour of that medal which sent shockwaves through the Para-athletics community.

In his first jump of his Paralympic career, Brayden set a Paralympic record of 5.62m. Ultimately, it was also the jump which saw him crowned Paralympic champion, winning the Australian Para-athletics team’s first gold medal of the Games.

After a rare off-night at the 2019 World Para-athletics Championships last November, where Brayden – the reigning bronze medallist – placed sixth in the men’s long jump T36, he is looking forward to the opportunity to defend his Paralympic title at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.