Personal information | |||||||||
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Nationality | ![]() | ||||||||
Born | Byron Bay, New South Wales | 9 February 1986||||||||
Sport | |||||||||
Country | Australia | ||||||||
Sport | Para-alpine skiing | ||||||||
Event(s) | Downhill Super-G Giant Slalom Slalom Super Combined | ||||||||
Achievements and titles | |||||||||
Paralympic finals | 2006 Winter Paralympics 2010 Winter Paralympics | ||||||||
Medal record
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Marty Mayberry (born 9 February 1986) is a double leg amputee LW3 classified Paralympic alpine skier from Australia. Mayberry lost both legs after contracting meningococcal disease when he was sixteen years old. This experiences led him to study medicine, and he attended Griffith University and the University of Sydney where Mayberry pursued health science courses. Beyond the classroom, he has written a paper on meningococcal disease, worked part-time on research about the disease, and talked about his experiences at a conference.
Having started out as an able-bodied skier, Mayberry took up the disability sport. He made his national team debut in 2005, and went on to represent Australia at the 2006 Winter Paralympics the following year, when he did not medal. With the aid of a prosthesis, adjustments were made to his skiing legs, and he competed in several skiing competitions during 2007, 2008 and 2009. He was selected for the Australian 2010 Winter Paralympics team at a ceremony in Canberra in November 2009. Between then and the start of the Games, he participated in a few more competitions, including one where he picked up a gold medal, and participated in a national team training camp. He was selected as Australia's flag bearer for the opening ceremony. In competition, he earned a silver medal in the men's downhill standing event, finished 24th in the Super-G, was disqualified from the slalom, and failed to finish in the giant slalom. Following the games, he retired from skiing.
Mayberry was born on 9 February 1986, [1] and grew up in Byron Bay, New South Wales, [2] [3] where he attended Byron Bay High School. [4] By 2009, he resided in Queensland, [5] and was living in Yeerongpilly, Queensland by 2010. [6] In June 2010, he married a woman he met at a music festival. [4]
Following a high school ski trip when he was in year 11, [4] Mayberry contracted meningococcal disease at the age of 16, and this resulted in double below the knee amputations. [2] [7] He was in a coma for two weeks as a result of the disease, [7] and, when he woke up at Byron Bay Hospital, learned his legs had been amputated. [4] One of the things that motivated him to keep going during rehabilitation was the opportunity for sports. [8]
Mayberry studied health sciences at Griffith University, [9] [10] and medicine at the University of Sydney. [10] He went into medicine partly because of his illness during high school. [4] [11] [12] He relocated to Sydney with his fiancé to do so not long before the start of the 2009—2010 ski season. [9] In August 2010, he was the opening speaker at the Amanda Young Foundation Meningococcal Conference, [13] and in 2010 and 2011, worked part-time at the Kids Research Institute at the Children's Hospital at Westmead, where he was in contact with "Robert Booy in his research on the psycho-social impact of meningococcal B on families." [14] He wrote up his experiences in dealing with meningococcal infection in the Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health. [15]
He lives by Gandhi's quote "Be the change you want to see in the world". [1]
Mayberry is an LW3 classified skier [16] who competes in standing events using a pair of artificial legs. [11] Prior to contracting meningococcal, he was involved with skiing. [17] He was back to competing at it on the disability side by 2004. [18] When fully kitted out, he looks like an able-bodied skier, [19] and is capable of skiing faster than 110 kilometres per hour (68 mph). [11] He received support for his skiing from the Australian Institute of Sport, New South Wales Institute of Sport and the Australian Government Sports Training Grants program. [20]
Mayberry has won medals at IPC Alpine Skiing World Cup events and the Paralympic Games. [21] [22] [23] He made his Australian national team debut in 2005 at the European Cup Finals, [23] [24] and went on to represent Australia the following year at the 2006 Torino Games where he failed to medal in the four men's standing events he competed in. [23] He finished 33rd in the downhill, 21st in the Giant Slalom, 19th in the Slalom and did not finish in the Super G. [7] [23] Mayberry attributed his poor performance at the 2006 Games to his prosthetic legs, which "just didn't feel right during the speed events in Italy." [7] Following those Games, he worked with prosthetist Peter Farrand to develop new legs that would address the problems in Italy. [7] Continuing to ski following the 2006 Games, he earned a gold medal at a World Cup event in 2007 in Slalom, [17] [24] and earned a bronze medal in slalom event at a 2008 World Cup competition. [24]
During Australia's 2009—2010 summer, Mayberry was based in Europe and North America for training. [19] At the 2009 World Championships, he had a pair of sixth places finished in the Super G and downhill events. [18] That year, at a Spanish hosted IPC World Cup, he crashed in the giant slalom event and did not score a time. [5] He was officially named to the Australian 2010 Winter Paralympics team in November 2009. [25] A ceremony was held in Canberra with Australian Paralympic Committee president Greg Hartung and Minister for Sport Kate Ellis making the announcement. [26] Mayberry was selected to the largest Winter Paralympics team that Australia had ever sent to the Games. [19]
In 2010, he was the only elite skier with his type of disability in his classification. [19] At the second to last World Cup event before the 2010 Games, on a course in Vancouver, Canada, he won a silver medal in the downhill with a time of 1:16.02. [12] [27] In Aspen, Colorado, at the last World Cup event before the 2010 Games, he won a gold medal in the downhill event. [7] [8] [27] Prior to the start of the Games, he participated in a national team training camp in Vail, Colorado before the Aspen hosted World Cup. [19] He and the rest of Australia's para-alpine team arrived in the Paralympic village on 9 March 2010. [28]
As a 24-year-old, [11] Mayberry competed in five events in the 2010 Paralympic games: downhill, super G, super combined, giant slalom, and slalom. [29] His parents were in Vancouver to watch him compete. [18] Mayberry won a silver medal [1] in the men's standing downhill event where he tied with another skier, [23] [30] and had a combined time of 1:22.78 [7] He finished 24th in the Super-G, [23] was disqualified from the slalom event after missing a gate, [23] [31] and did not finish in the Giant Slalom. [23] Following the Games, he returned with the team to Sydney, where he attended a press conference at Sydney International Airport. [32] He won an Australian Institute of Sport Sport Achievement Award in 2010. [22] By September 2010, he had retired from elite skiing, [33] [34] one of several 2010 Winter Paralympic skiers to retire following the games. Others who retired at the same time he did included Shannon Dallas and Bart Bunting. [33]
Australia has competed in every Winter Paralympics. In 1976, the first Games, Australia's sole competitor was Ron Finneran, but he was not an official entrant. In 1980, Kyrra Grunnsund and Peter Rickards became the first official competitors, in alpine and cross-country skiing. The number of Australian athletes increased to three, five, five and six at the next four games, respectively, and all of the athletes were alpine skiers. The participation decreased to four in 1998 and climbed back up to six in 2002. Australia won its first Winter Paralympic medals in 1992, and has medalled at every games since then. All of the medals have been won in alpine skiing.
Michael John Milton, OAM is an Australian Paralympic skier, Paralympic cyclist and paratriathlete with one leg. With 6 gold, 3 silver and 2 bronze medals he is the most successful Australian Paralympic athlete in the Winter Games.
Australia participated in the 2006 Winter Paralympics in Torino, Italy, from 10 to 19 March 2006. The Turin games represented Australia's ninth appearance at the Winter Paralympic Games. Australia were represented by 10 athletes, which made it their largest ever Winter Paralympic Games contingent. Australia competed in three sports: alpine skiing, biathlon, and cross-country skiing, but not ice sledge hockey or wheelchair curling. Prior to the games, the Australian Paralympic Committee set a target of two medals, down from the seven that were won four years earlier in Salt Lake City. This was due to the retirement of three-time medallist Bart Bunting, as well as changes made to the disability classification system. This target was met with Australia winning a silver and a bronze medal to finish equal 13th on the medal tally.
Paralympic alpine skiing is an adaptation of alpine skiing for athletes with a disability. The sport evolved from the efforts of disabled veterans in Germany and Austria during and after the Second World War. The sport is governed by the International Paralympic Committee Sports Committee. The primary equipment used includes outrigger skis, sit-skis, and mono-skis. Para-alpine skiing disciplines include the Downhill, Super-G, Giant slalom, Slalom, Super Combined and Snowboard.
Toby Kane is an Australian Paralympian who won a bronze medal in the men's super G Standing at the 2006 Winter Paralympics in Torino and a bronze medal in the men's super G standing in his third Winter Paralympics at the 2014 Winter Paralympics in Sochi. Invited to join the Australian Winter Paralympic Development team when he was just 11, he became the youngest member of the Australian team in Torino at the age of 19. He had the honour of being Australia's flag bearer at the closing ceremony in Torino, and at the opening ceremony in Vancouver. Towards the end of the Sochi Games, Kane and Dutch snowboarder Bibian Mentel-Spee were named winners of the Whang Youn Dai Achievement Award, which is presented at every Paralympic Games for outstanding performances and overcoming adversity.
Jon Santacana Maiztegui is a Spanish B2 classified visually impaired para-alpine skier. His sighted ski guide is Miguel Galindo Garces. Santacana has competed at the IPC Alpine Skiing World Championships, in the European Cup and the IPC Alpine Skiing World Cup, and Spanish national competitions. He represented Spain at the 2002 Winter Paralympics, 2006 Winter Paralympics and 2010 Winter Paralympics, earning a gold medal and a pair of silver medals at the 2010 Games.
Matthew Stockford is a British former Paralympic skier who won medals at the 1992 Winter Paralympics and 1994 Winter Paralympics. Stockford broke his back in a skiing accident in 1985. He competed using a monoski – a specially fitted chair over a single ski that includes seat belts and other strapping, as well as a suspension device to minimise wear and tear on the skier's body.
The 1994 Winter Paralympics were held in Lillehammer, Norway. Australia sent six male skiers, who won three gold, two silver and four bronze medals. Australia, at the time, achieved their best ever performance at a Winter Paralympics, finishing 5th overall in the alpine skiing competition, 9th in the medal standings, and 11th in the total medal count out of 31 nations.
Jessica Gallagher is an Australian Paralympic alpine skier, track and field athlete, tandem cyclist and rower. She was Australia's second female Winter Paralympian, and the first Australian woman to win a medal at the Winter Paralympics at the 2010 Vancouver Games. She competed at the 2014 Winter Paralympics in Sochi, where she won a bronze medal in the Women's Giant Slalom Visually Impaired.
Cameron Rahles-Rahbula is a former Paralympic alpine skier from Australia. He won two bronze medals at the 2010 Winter Paralympics in Vancouver. He represented Australia in four Paralympics, stating with the 2002 Winter Paralympics in Salt Lake City and the 2006 Winter Paralympics in Torino. He did not compete in any events at the 2014 Winter Paralympics in Sochi due to knee and ankle injuries sustained during the warm up for the downhill event of the Games but carried the Australian flag in the Parade of Nations at the Opening Ceremony. He also won two gold medals and a silver medal at the 2004 IPC Alpine Skiing World Championships in Wildschönau, Austria, and a gold and a bronze medal at the 2009 World Championships in Jeongseon, Korea. He retired after the Sochi Games.
Bartholomew Bunting is an Australian blind Paralympic alpine skier. He started skiing in 1998 with his guide Nathan Chivers. He won two gold medals and a silver medal with Chivers at the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Paralympics and competed at the 2010 Vancouver Paralympics.
LW12 is a para-Alpine and para-Nordic sit skiing sport class defined by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC). An LW12 skier needs to meet a minimum of one of several conditions including a single below knee but above ankle amputation, monoplegia that exhibits similar to below knee amputation, legs of different length where there is at least a 7 centimetres difference, combined muscle strength in the lower extremities less than 71. For international competitions, classification is done through IPC Alpine Skiing or IPC Nordic Skiing. For sub-international competitions, classification is done by a national federation such as Alpine Canada. For para-Alpine, this class is subdivided into two subclasses.: LW12.1 and LW12.2. A new sit-skier competitor with only national classification will compete as LW12.2 in international competitions until they have been internationally classified.
LW2 is a para-Alpine and para-Nordic standing ski sport class defined by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC). Competitors in this class have severe disability in a lower limb, which may be a result of an amputation, or arthrodesis in the leg and hip. Depending on the type of skiing, the international classification process for LW2 skiers is handled by the IPC Alpine Skiing Technical Committee and IPC Nordic Skiing Technical Committee. National sport federations handle classification on the lower levels.
LW3 is a para-Alpine and para-Nordic standing skiing sport class defined by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) for skiers with a disability affecting both legs, with double below knee amputation or a combined strength total for both legs of 60, with 80 as the baseline for people without disabilities. For international skiing competitions, classification is done through IPC Alpine Skiing or IPC Nordic Skiing. The classification has two subclasses for para-Alpine skiing: LW3.1 which is for people with double below the knee amputations or similar disabilities, and LW3.2 which is for people with cerebral palsy that involves moderate athetoid, moderate ataxic impairment or slight diplegic involvement.
Melissa Perrine is a B2 classified visually impaired para-alpine skier from Australia. She has competed at the four Winter Paralympics from 2010 to 2022. At the 2015 IPC Alpine Skiing World Championships, she won three gold, one silver and one bronze medals. At the 2018 Winter Paralympics, she won two bronze medals.
Mitchell Gourley is an Australian Paralympic alpine skier who competed for Australia in the downhill, super-G, giant slalom, slalom and super combined events at four Winter Paralympics - 2010 to 2022. He was Australian team co-captain with Joany Badenhorst at the 2018 Winter Paralympics. At the 2022 Winter Paralympics, he and Melissa Perrine carried the Australian flag in the opening ceremony. At the 2017 IPC Alpine Skiing World Championships in Tarvisio, Italy he won the gold medal in the Men's Super Combined Standing.
Shannon Dallas is an Australian sit skier who receives support from the New South Wales Institute of Sport. Dallas participated in the 2006 Winter Paralympics in Turin, Italy, and the 2010 Winter Paralympics in Vancouver, Canada.
Andy Bor is an Australian former ski coach and sighted guide for visually impaired skiers. He was a coach at the 2006 Winter Paralympics in Torino, and was Melissa Perrine's guide skier at the 2010 Winter Paralympics in Vancouver and 2014 Winter Paralympics in Sochi.
Karolina Wisniewska is a para-alpine standing skier. Born in Warsaw, she moved to Canada when she was 5 years old where she then took up skiing as a form of physical therapy for her cerebral palsy. Over the course of her skiing career, she won eight total Paralympic medals for skiing, and 18 medals at International Paralympic Committee (IPC) World Cups. At the 2002 Winter Paralympics, she earned four medals, the most ever earned by a Canadian para-alpine skier at a single Games. Wisniewska retired from the sport for a second time in May 2012 following an injury in 2011 that resulted in her missing most of the 2011/2012 skiing season.
Eric Bickerton is a former member of the Royal Australian Navy who took up skiing in 1990, and has represented the Australian military internationally. In 2008, he became Jessica Gallagher's guide skier for para-alpine skiing. Named to the 2010 Winter Paralympics team for Australia, he and Gallagher earned a bronze medal in the giant slalom event.