Jessica Gallagher

Jessica Gallagher

2016 Australian Paralympic Team portrait of Gallagher
Personal information
Nationality	Australia
Born	14 March 1986 (1986-03-14) (age 31) Geelong, Victoria
Sport
Country	Australia
Sport	Alpine Skiing Field athletics Track cycling
Medal record Women's alpine skiing Winter Paralympic Games 2010 Vancouver Women's Slalom visually impaired 2014 Sochi Women's giant slalom visually impaired Women's athletics IPC Athletics World Championships 2011 Christchurch Women's Long Jump F13 2011 Christchurch Women's Javelin F13 Women's track cycling Summer Paralympic Games 2016 Rio de Janeiro Women’s 1 km Time Trial B UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships 2016 Montichiari Women's Sprint B 2016 Montichiari Women's 1 km Time Trial B

Jessica Gallagher (born 14 March 1986) is an Australian Paralympic alpine skier, track and field athlete, and tandem cyclist. 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.

She is legally blind, and represents Australia internationally in three sports: skiing, athletics and cycling. Besides her skiing achievements, she has represented Australia in athletics at the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London, and won a silver and a bronze medal at the 2011 Christchurch IPC Athletics World Championships in long jump and javelin, respectively. She has also represented the state of Victoria as a junior in netball and basketball. Gallagher was selected in the Australian cycling team with her pilot Madison Janssen for the 2016 Rio Paralympics. Her "long term goal is to be the first Australian to medal at a summer and winter Paralympics or Olympics". This was achieved when she won a bronze medal in the Women’s B/VI 1000m time trial in Rio.

Gallagher was born on 14 March 1986 and lives in the Geelong suburb of Highton. In 2009, she graduated from RMIT University with a Master of Osteopathy, and is a registered osteopath.

At the time of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Paralympics, she was dating the American Paralympic sitting ski slalomer Gerald Hayden. She is an ambassador for the Australian Paralympic Committee,Vision Australia,Seeing Eye Dogs Australia, Vision 2020 Australia, Kx Pilates and 2XU.