Seven-time Paralympian Danni Di Toro is a seasoned veteran. She has been competing at Paralympic Games since 1996, or to put it another way, for the same number of years as three of her Para-table tennis teammates have celebrated birthdays.

Danni made her international debut in 1989, just one year after a wall collapsed on her at a school swimming carnival and she became a paraplegic. At the time, she had feared her future in sport was over, but with Paralympic gold medallist Sandy Blythe by her side, Danni was inspired to begin playing wheelchair tennis and wasted no time establishing herself as one of the world’s best.

Over the course of her wheelchair tennis career, Danni won a Paralympic silver and bronze medal, 10 Australian Open titles and a handful of other Grand Slam crowns.

Having achieved nearly all there was to achieve in wheelchair tennis, Danni turned her …

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Date of birth
16 October 1974
Sport
Para-table tennis
Past Paralympic Games

Atlanta 1996, Sydney 2000, Athens 2004, Beijing 2008, London 2012, Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020

Impairment
Physical Impairment – Paraplegia
How acquired
Wall collapse
Residence
Brunswick, VIC
Occupation
Athlete Engagement and Wellbeing Officer at Paralympics Australia, Chinese medicine practitioner, athlete
Started competing
1988
First competed for Australia
1989
Sport career highlights

Winning the 1999 World Team Cup women’s tournament in Queens, USA

Greatest sporting moments

Being a spectator at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games after making a first-round exit in wheelchair tennis

Heroes/role models

Anyone who is prepared to give something a go, people who help people

Favourite quote
Go hard or go home

Disciplines

  • Sport: Para-table tennis Discipline: Singles Classification: Class 4

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