Mali Lovell (born 3 June 2004) is an Australian track and field para-athlete who competes in T36 classification events. She won silver and bronze medals at World Para Athletics Championships. Lovell won a bronze medal at 2024 Summer Paralympics, Paris,France – her first Games.[1]
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Nationality |  Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 3 June 2004 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Personal
editShe was born on 4 June 2004 with ataxia, a rare type of cerebral palsy that affects balance and coordination.[2] She graduated from Mackellar Girls Campus in 2022.
Sporting career
editLovell took up athletics at the age of twelve and is classified as T36 athlete.[3] She is coached by Katie Edwards and Melinda Gainsford-Taylor in Sydney and narrowly missed qualifying for the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics. At the 2023 World Para Athletics Championships in Paris, her first major international competition, she won the silver medal in the Women's 200m T36 and was seventh in the Women's 100m T36.[4]
At the 2024 World Para Athletics Championships in Kobe, Japan, Lovell won the bronze medal in Women's 200m T36.[5]
At the 2024 Paris Paralympics, she won the bronze medal in the Women's 200 metres T36 and finished fifth in the Women's 100 metres T36.
Lovell stated that " Athletics has changed my life. I was just trying to learn how to walk and talk at that young age. Now to be here … oh my god. I’m just happy to be there. I want to run fast."[2]
Recognition
edit- 2023 – Athletics Australia – Amy Winters Award for Female Para Athlete of the Year[6]
References
edit- ^ "Experience And Youth Combine For Paris Games | Paralympics Australia". www.paralympic.org.au. 23 April 2024. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
- ^ a b Decent, Tom (24 June 2023). "Meet the rising para-athletics star with a triple Olympian in her corner". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
- ^ "Madi Lovell". Athletics Australia. 17 July 2023. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
- ^ "Madi Lovell". IPC Athletics. 17 July 2023. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
- ^ Australia, Athletics. "Golden girl Low back on top of the world, teenager Lovell scores bronze". www.athletics.com.au. Retrieved 24 May 2024.
- ^ Australia, Athletics. "World Champion Nina Kennedy receives top honour for 2023 Athletics Australia Awards". www.athletics.com.au. Retrieved 9 January 2024.