Torita Blake has defied the odds all her life.

When she was barely a month old, she was a victim of domestic violence, and suffered severe brain injuries and a broken rib and collarbone. On her way to the Royal Children’s Hospital in Brisbane, she stopped breathing three times, and doctors broke the news to her family that she was unlikely to survive the next 48 hours. That was 23 years ago.

Today, Torita is a two-time Paralympian and one of Australia’s most promising young talents in Para-athletics.

As a proud Indigenous woman from the Dunghutti people, Torita was first inspired to play sport when Cathy Freeman won gold in the women’s 400m at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. 12 years later at the London 2012 Paralympic Games, Torita enjoyed her own ‘Cathy’ moment, making her Paralympic debut in front of tens of thousands of fans who were inspired by …

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Date of birth
6 July 1995
Sport
Para-athletics
Past Paralympic Games

London 2012, Rio 2016

Impairment
Physical Impairment – Cerebral palsy
How acquired
Domestic violence
Residence
Mansfield, QLD
Occupation
Athlete
Started competing
2011
First competed for Australia
2012
Sport career highlights

Competing at the London 2012 Paralympic Games

Greatest sporting moments

Cathy Freeman winning the women’s 400m at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games

Heroes/role models

Cathy Freeman, Katrina Webb, her great-grandfather

Favourite quote
Love it, dream it, believe it, achieve it

Disciplines

  • Sport: Para-athletics Discipline: 400m Classification: T38

Social Media

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