Alison Quinn

Alison Clare Quinn, OAM (born 21 April 1977) is an Australian Paralympic athlete who won five medals at three Paralympics from 1992 to 2000.

Personal

Quinn was born in the Sydney suburb of Manly with cerebral palsy; she has hemiplegia on the left side of her body. She became involved in gymnastics to increase coordination and symmetry when she was two years old. She now trains in various sports including swimming, weights, and track work at the Sydney Academy of Sport. Quinn is employed as a part-time gymnastic coach and a motivational speaker, who is committed to increasing awareness of disabled sport in the community.

Competitive career

Quinn won two gold medals at the 1992 Barcelona Games in the Women's 100 m C7–8 and Women's 200 m C7–8 events, for which she received a Medal of the Order of Australia. At the 1996 Atlanta Games, she won a bronze medal in the Women's 100 m T36–37 event. She won a gold medal with a world record time at the 2000 Sydney Games in the women's 100 m T38 event and a silver medal in the women's 200 m T38 event. In 2000 Quinn received an Australian Sports Medal in recognition of her performance at the Paralympics and her two world records. Quinn was trained by Jackie Byrnes who was a national level athlete in the 1960s.