This Sporting Wife

This week Shannon and Fiona - through the wonders of modern technology - had a chat with the phenomenal Katie Kelly OAM. Katie was born with moderate hearing loss and was later diagnosed with Usher Syndrome (Deaf Blind condition) in her mid 20s and declared legally blind at the start of 2015. Always an athlete and a regular competitor in marathons, she phoned Triathlon Australia in the cab after that appointment with her ophthalmologist and enquired about paratriathlon. With the PT5 (vision impaired) included at the Rio Paralympics, Katie began training. The next 18 months were chock-full of training, competing and winning, concluding with the Rio gold medal. You’ll get goosebumps too when you hear her talk through that moment she shared with her guide Michellie Jones. Katie is based at the AIS on the Gold Coast and works around her training schedule, including all the time she dedicates to community and charity work. She has created fun runs and park runs, was part of the ‘Change the Game’ leadership program