Sarah
Edmiston

For 19 years, Sarah Edmiston dreamed of representing Australia at the Olympic Games.

But she put that dream to rest in 1994 when she injured her right knee in a waterskiing accident, and it was another 22 years before Sarah realised that the opportunity to compete on the world stage was still a reality.

Sarah’s success in Para-athletics came thick and fast. After discovering she was eligible to compete in Paralympic sport in 2016, she made her international debut at the 2017 World Para-athletics Championships in London, England. She won a bronze medal in the women’s discus throw F44 – behind the gold and silver medallists from the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games, Juan Yao (CHN) and Yue Yang (CHN) – and placed seventh in the women’s shot put F44.

Sarah – who is coached by her husband, former Australian hurdler, Paul Edmiston – returned to the World Championships stage November 2019, upgrading her bronze to silver, and is a two-time national champion and the reigning Australian record holder in the women’s discus throw F44 (37.66).

As impressive as this is, there is another layer to Sarah’s story – she is also a grandmother of two.

The 45-year-old made her Paralympic debut at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, where she claimed her first Paralympic medal – a bronze in the women’s discus F44. Her top throw saw her not only secure a position on the podium, but she also broke the Oceania record with her personal best of 37.85m.

Photo with thanks to Athletics Australia