Louise Sauvage OAM

Louise Sauvage OAM (b. 1973) is a four-time Paralympian who dominated international wheelchair track racing from the early 1990s. Born in Perth with the congenital spine condition myelomeningocele, Sauvage represented Australia for the first time at the age of sixteen, winning gold in a new world record at the IPC World Championships. She sped to public notice at the 1992 Barcelona Paralympic Games, where she won three gold medals and one silver. The only Australian to win gold on the track at the 1996 Atlanta Paralympic Games (with four medals), she lit the flame at the opening ceremony of the Sydney Paralympic Games in 2000, and went on to win two gold medals and one silver. She also won gold in demonstration events at the Atlanta and Sydney Olympics. She has set five world records and gained eleven world championships, and has won the women's wheelchair division of the Boston Marathon four times. Named World Disabled Sportsperson of the Year at the inaugural Laureus international sports awards in 2000, she was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 2007, Australian Paralympic Hall of Fame in 2011 and Sport Australia Hall of Fame Legend in 2019. Her autobiography Louise Sauvage: My Story was published in 2002. Sauvage is now a sports coach and motivational speaker, stressing that 'you never know what you can achieve until you try'.