Vanessa Low

Defy Limits

Vanessa Low’s legs are prosthetic, yet she is the greatest T63 long jumper on Earth, breaker of multiple world records and the embodiment of dedication and defiance.  

“It’s funny how far we can go when we stop listening, stop doubting and stop treading carefully,” Low said.  

The former German national was struck by a train when she was 15, leading to the loss of both legs and, nearly, her life. Two years of rehabilitation and uncertainty followed, including whether she could continue enjoying sports as she had before her accident. Soon, the answer became emphatically clear. 

By 2015, Low won her first world title in the long jump T42, at the 2015 World Championships. The next year, at the Rio Paralympics, she won gold by setting a new world record. At those Games, Low also won the silver medal in the 100m T42, an achievement of which she is particularly proud because, she said, “it certainly didn’t come easily to me”.

After her move to Australia following Rio 2016 and marrying Australian Paralympic sprint champion Scott Reardon, Low’s career catapulted into unprecedented territory, featuring another two consecutive Paralympic long jump titles, including setting new world records at both the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Paralympic Games – the last of which came after she and Reardon welcomed son Matteo to their family. 

Low’s success in Para athletics had been years in the making. Countless hours of training, numerous setbacks and moments of doubt all punctuated her journey, driven not by talent alone, but by dedication and a deep love for athletics. 

After three consecutive Paralympic gold medals, Low continues to be driven to achieve new standards.  

“You don’t have to be the most talented athlete, or the one with the fastest return after an injury or accident,” she said. “You can be the most dedicated, the hardest working, and the one who finds real love in what you do.” 

Further, she said: “I really love to encourage people to understand that we aren’t our disabilities, but what really defines us is the choices we make, the challenges we take, the way that we put ourselves out there and bring whatever abilities that we have individually to the table. Society gets better because of how different we are.”