Eliza Ault-Connell made her Paralympic return at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, 16 years after she last represented Australia as a member of the Athens 2004 Paralympic Team – the longest stretch between Games in Australian history.

She put her Para-athletics career on hold in 2008 to start a family with Australian Paralympic gold medallist Kieran Ault-Connell, and 10 years and three children later, she was ready to resurrect it.

It did not take long for Eliza’s muscle memory to kick into gear, and within months she had achieved selection to the Australian team for the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast, QLD.

In her first appearance at a Commonwealth Games since 2006, Eliza contested two events – the women’s 1500m T54 and women’s marathon T54 – and won a silver medal in the marathon. Having crossed the line just 13 seconds behind the gold medallist, Australian superstar Madison …

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Date of birth
19 September 1981
Sport
Para-athletics
Past Paralympic Games

Athens 2004, Tokyo 2020

Impairment
Physical Impairment – Double below-knee and fingers loss
How acquired
Meningococcal disease
Residence
Albury, NSW
Occupation
Health advocacy officer
Started competing
2002
First competed for Australia
2002
Sport career highlights

Winning a silver medal in the women’s marathon T54 in front of her husband and children at the 2018 Commonwealth Games

Heroes/role models

David Goggins

Favourite quote
Everything worthwhile in life is won through surmounting the associated negative experience. Any attempt to escape the negative, to avoid it or quash it or silence it, only backfires. The avoidance of suffering is a form of suffering. The avoidance of struggle is a struggle. The denial of failure is a failure. Hiding what is shameful is itself a form of shame. Pain is an inextricable thread in the fabric of life, and to tear it out is not only impossible, but destructive: attempting to tear it out unravels everything else with it. To try to avoid pain is to give too many f***s about pain. In contrast, if you're able to not give a f*** about the pain, you become unstoppable - Mark Manson

Disciplines

  • Sport: Para-athletics Discipline: 100m Classification: T54
  • Sport: Para-athletics Discipline: 400m Classification: T54
  • Sport: Para-athletics Discipline: 800m Classification: T54
  • Sport: Para-athletics Discipline: 1500m Classification: T54
  • Sport: Para-athletics Discipline: 5000m Classification: T54
  • Sport: Para-athletics Discipline: Marathon Classification: T54

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