Vanessa Low was already a two-time Paralympian for Germany before she started representing Australia in 2019. She is now a Paralympic gold and silver medallist, nine-time World Championships medallist and the reigning world record holder in the women’s long jump T61.
Her latest world mark, 5.71 metres, was set at the Australian Championship in April 2025, and eclipsed her leap of 5.45 metres which earned her the gold medal at the Paris Paralympics.
When Vanessa was 15, she was struck by a train and lost her left leg above the knee and right leg through the knee. She sustained head and back injuries, and broke multiple bones. She spent the next six months in hospital, where her muscles atrophied so much that she weighed just 45 kilograms. If you had seen her then, you would never have guessed that just a couple of years later she would be competing on the world stage.
Vanessa made her Paralympic debut for Germany at the London 2012 Paralympic Games, where she gained crucial international experience. When she returned to Paralympic competition four years later – as the reigning world champion in the women’s long jump T42, no less – she was ready to make her mark.
Vanessa won a gold and silver medal for Germany at Rio 2016. In the T42 long jump, she claimed her first Paralympic gold with a 4.93m world record jump. In the 100m T42 event, she ran a time of 15.17s to win silver.
Vanessa – who married Australian Paralympic sprint champion Scott Reardon – joined the Australian Paralympic Team for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, where she defended her 2016 long jump title. She broke her own world record three times in the final, jumping to victory and scoring her first gold for Australia with a final leap of 5.28m.
“What keeps driving me is trying to be the best I can be.” said Vanessa, who celebrated her Paris victory with Scott and their son Matteo in the crowd.
Winning medals with the people who have supported her to achieve her goals are a highlight. She also says that her son Matteo has given her a new perspective on sport and only makes her a stronger and more resilient athlete.
“Our stories aren’t written by what happened to us, but by the choices we make,” Vanessa said, referring to her injury and her career.
Vanessa’s gold medal at the 2025 World Para Athletics Championships only strengthens her place as one of the best in the world and her goal to one day jump over six metres proves she is not afraid to push the boundaries of the sport.
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