Jeremy
McGrath

Born without his tibia and a shortened fibula, Jeremy McGrath learned to walk with the aid of a prosthetic leg. As he got older, the prosthesis, which had heavy metal braces and straps, became increasingly uncomfortable, limiting his mobility.

When Jeremy was 16 he decided to have his right leg amputated below the knee so that he could use a simpler and more aerodynamic prosthesis and, inspired by the athletes competing at the London 2012 Paralympic Games, began considering a career in Para-sport.

Unable to play soccer with his new prosthetic leg, Jeremy developed an interest in rowing, and in December 2012 he joined the Macquarie University rowing team.

Not long after, he attended a Paralympics Australia Talent Search Day. Linked with Balmain Rowing Club, Jeremy soon began competing against other athletes with disabilities.

The Lane Cove local made his international debut at the 2014 FISA World Rowing Championships in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, where he won silver in the mixed double sculls event with Rio 2016 Paralympian Kathleen Murdoch.

With the goal of qualifying for the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games firmly in mind, Jeremy joined Kathleen, Brock Ingram, Davinia Lefroy and coxswain Jo Burnand in the mixed coxed four LTA. Together they made history at the 2016 Final Paralympic Qualification Regatta in Gavirate, Italy when they qualified Australia’s first ever boat in that class at a Paralympic Games.

Placing fourth in their heat and third in their repechage heat, the Australian team won their final to place sixth overall at Rio 2016.

Jeremy is currently studying occupational therapy at Macquarie University in Sydney’s North Ryde, inspired by the prosthetists and physiotherapists who have helped him.