Tahlia Rotumah

Last updated

Tahlia Rotumah
Personal information
NationalityFlag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia
Born24 February 1992
Medal record
Athletics
FESPIC Games
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2006 FESPIC Games Women's 100 m
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg2006 FESPIC GamesWomen's 200 m

Tahlia Rotumah (born 24 February 1992) is the first female Indigenous Australian Paralympian, of the Minjungbal nation, and is also a South Sea Islander. [1] [2] [3] [4]

Rotumah was born with hemiplegia and cerebral palsy. In 2001 Tahlia Rotumah received an Encouragement award for Junior Sporting Achievements at the Many Rivers Regional Council NAIDOC Week Community Achievement Awards. [5]

Rotumah won silver medals in the 100m and 200m sprints at the 2006 Far East and South Pacific Games (FESPIC) held in Kuala Lumpur. At the age of 16, she competed in athletics at the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing, where she shaved one-tenth of a second off her personal best in the 100m, but didn't qualify for the finals in either of the 100m or 200m events that she competed in. [6]

Rotumah was nominated for the 2008 Deadlys award "Most Promising New Talent in Sport", [7] [8] and was awarded 'Miss NAIDOC' in 2010. [9]

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References

  1. "Local Heroes: Tahlia Rotumah".
  2. "Tahlia Rotumah".
  3. Crystal Ja (4 September 2008). "Rotumah takes fame in her stride". Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 12 December 2013.
  4. Lynda Voltz. "Miss Talia Rotumah". Hansard.
  5. "Many Rivers award winners named" (PDF). Koori Mail (257): 216. 24 September 2001.
  6. "Relay medals make up for Austin's disappointment" (PDF). Koori Mail (435): 26. 24 September 2008.
  7. "Let's get Deadly!" (PDF). Koori Mail (433): 11. 27 August 2008.
  8. "2008 Deadly Award Nominees". 2008. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011.
  9. "More pictures from the Tweed's NAIDOC Celebrations". Be Counted. 2 August 2010.