Chad
Perris

Chad ‘White Tiger’ Perris climbed the medal dais at his first Paralympic Games in 2016, winning a bronze medal in the men’s 100m T13 at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games. It was a moment which Chad describes as the highlight of his career to date, and one which would not have been possible without his legendary coach, Iryna Dvoskina, who he began working with in 2014. To give you a sense of what they are capable of together, years earlier Iryna had predicted that Chad would run 10.84 in Rio, and he stopped the clock at 10.83.

Chad, who was born with albinism affecting the pigment in his eyes, skin and hair, only began competing in Para-athletics as a way of keeping fit during the AFL off-season. Fast-forward eight years, and he is now a Paralympic and World Championships medallist on track to emulate the success of his hero, five-time Paralympic champion Evan O’Hanlon.

Since making his international debut at the 2013 International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Athletics World Championships in Lyon, France, Chad has improved out of sight. He won a silver and bronze medal at the 2015 IPC Athletics World Championships in Doha, Qatar, and defended his men’s 100m T13 bronze medal at the 2017 World Para-athletics Championships. Chad upgraded his bronze to silver in 2019.

Chad was selected to compete at his second Games when he qualified for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. In the 100m T13 final, Chad missed the podium with a time of 10.84 to finish in fifth place.

Off the track, he is equally impressive. As an athlete with somewhere between five and eight per cent vision, he is a fierce advocate of the importance of showing people with a vision impairment that there is a pathway for them in sport.