Rebecca Julian

Rebecca Julian has not competed at a Paralympic Games in nearly eight years, and with the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games mere months away, she is ready and raring to make her comeback.

Unlike her cousin, Australian cricketer Glenn Maxwell, sport did not come naturally to Rebecca. In fact, when a teacher suggested she start playing Para-table tennis, it took her and her family a little while to come around to the idea. But after watching coverage of the Atlanta 1996 Paralympic Games, Rebecca realised that the life of an elite athlete was the life for her, and began working towards selection to the Australian Paralympic Team.

Twelve years later, Rebecca made her Paralympic debut at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games. She faced an immense challenge from the outset, being drawn in the same pool as the Netherlands’ Kelly van Zon in the women’s singles 6-7, and although she did not progress to the finals, taking the then world No. 1 to a decider put Rebecca on the map in a big, big way.

She went to represent Australia at a second Paralympic Games in 2012, and remains one of her country’s most prominent Para-table tennis players. More recently, Rebecca won a bronze medal at the 2017 International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) Para-table Tennis Open in Suphan Buri, Thailand, and silver at the 2019 Arafura Games in Darwin, NT – which doubled as the 2019 ITTF Para-table Tennis Oceania Championships.

Incredibly, as well as right hemiplegic cerebral palsy, Rebecca also has hemianopia, which affects her peripheral vision in both eyes. What this means is that she often competes against players who have significantly more vision than she does.

Outside of sport, Rebecca holds a Bachelor’s degree in early childhood education.