Angie Ballard facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Angie Ballard

2016 Australian Paralympic team portrait of Ballard
Personal information
Nickname(s)	Angie
Nationality	Australian
Born	(1982-06-06) 6 June 1982 (age 43) Canberra, Australian Capital Territory
Height	1.71 m
Weight	35–40 kilograms (5 st 7 lb – 6 st 4 lb)
Sport
Sport	Paralympic athletics
College team	The University of Sydney
Club	ACTAS
Medal record Track and field (athletics) Paralympic Games Silver 2008 Beijing 4x100 m T53/54 Silver 2012 London 200 m T53 Silver 2012 London 400 m T53 Silver 2016 Rio de Janeiro 4×400 m relay T53/54 Bronze 2004 Athens 100 m T53 Bronze 2012 London 100 m T53 Bronze 2016 Rio de Janeiro 100 m T53 Bronze 2016 Rio de Janeiro 400 m T53 IPC Athletics World Championships Gold 1998 Birmingham 4x100 m Relay Gold 1998 Birmingham 4x400 m Relay Gold 2002 Lille 100 m Gold 2015 Doha 200 m T53 Gold 2015 Doha 400 m T53 Silver 2013 Lyon 100 m T53 Silver 2013 Lyon 200 m T53 Silver 2013 Lyon 800 m T53 Silver 2017 London 100m T53 Silver 2017 London 200m T53 Bronze 2013 Lyon 400 m T53 Bronze 2015 Doha 800m T53 Commonwealth Games Gold 2014 Glasgow 1500 m T54 Silver 2018 Gold Coast 1500 m T54 Silver 2022 Birmingham 1500 m T53/54

Angela Ballard (born 6 June 1982), known as Angie, is an Australian Paralympic athlete. She is famous for her amazing wheelchair racing skills in sprint events. When she was seven years old, Angie had a car accident that caused a spinal cord injury. This meant she could no longer use her legs.

Angie started wheelchair racing in 1994 and first raced for Australia in 1998. She has competed in seven Paralympic Games, from 2000 to 2024. She has won many medals, including four silver and four bronze at the Paralympics. She has also been coached by famous athletes like Louise Sauvage.

Angie has received scholarships from top sports schools, like the Australian Institute of Sport and The University of Sydney. She also works as an ambassador, helping to inspire others with disabilities. She is a board member for Wheelchair Sports NSW.

Angie's Early Life and Journey

Angie Ballard was born in Canberra, Australia, on 6 June 1982. When she was seven, a car accident caused her to become a paraplegic. This means she lost the ability to move her lower body.

After the accident, Angie spent time in hospitals for rehabilitation. There, she met another young athlete, Christie Dawes. They later became teammates in wheelchair racing. Angie's physical education teacher encouraged her to try wheelchair sports. She first tried swimming and wheelchair basketball.

At age 12, Angie started competitive wheelchair racing. Even though it was tough at first, she quickly fell in love with the sport. When she was 14, she had surgery for scoliosis, which meant she couldn't play sports for a year. But she came back stronger!

Angie later received scholarships to study and train. She went to the Australian Institute of Sport and then The University of Sydney. She studied psychology and graduated in 2014. She wanted to become a psychologist to help others.

Angie's Amazing Athletics Career

Angie Ballard is a top wheelchair racing athlete. She mostly competes in the T53 category for sprint events. This category is for athletes with good arm and hand function, but limited or no trunk and leg function. This means they can't use their core muscles as much as some other athletes.

Angie started racing in 1994. Her first racing wheelchair was bought second-hand. By 1997, she was setting Australian records. In 1998, she began representing Australia internationally. By 2000, she held national records in the 100m and 200m events.

From 2002, she trained with coach Andrew Dawes. She even trained sometimes with the legendary Louise Sauvage. After Louise retired, she became Angie's coach. Today, Angie is coached by Fred Periac.

Competing at the Paralympics

Angie Ballard at the 2012 London Paralympics

Angie first competed at the 2000 Summer Paralympics in Sydney. She didn't win medals but finished fourth in two races. She was also a torch bearer and part of the amazing opening ceremony. She even circled the track high in the air, held by a blimp!

For the 2004 Summer Paralympics in Athens, Angie trained six days a week. This intense training helped her win a bronze medal in the 100m race.

At the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing, Angie aimed for a personal best and a medal. She took a year off university to train hard. She won a silver medal with her teammates in the 4x100m relay. This was her best Paralympic result at the time.

Before the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London, Angie made big changes to her training. She was ranked number one in the world for the 100m and 200m T53 events. At these Games, she won two silver medals (200m and 400m) and a bronze medal (100m).

Louise Sauvage (left) and Angie Ballard at an awards ceremony

At the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio, Angie won two more bronze medals in the 100m and 400m races. She continued to compete at the 2020 Summer Paralympics in Tokyo and the 2024 Summer Paralympics in Paris, reaching the finals in several events.

World Championships Success

Angie has also had great success at the IPC Athletics World Championships.

• In 1998, she won two gold medals in relay races in Birmingham, England. These wins set world records!
• In 2002, she won a gold medal in the 100m race.
• At the 2013 IPC Athletics World Championships in Lyon, France, she won three silver medals and one bronze.
• In 2015, at the 2015 IPC Athletics World Championships in Doha, Angie won two gold medals in the 200m and 400m. She also won a bronze in the 800m. After winning the 400m, she said it was the one she really wanted and had worked so hard for.
• At the 2017 World Para Athletics Championships in London, she won two silver medals.

Commonwealth Games Medals

Angie has also done well at the Commonwealth Games:

• In 2014, she won a gold medal in the 1500m T54 event in Glasgow.
• In 2018 and 2022, she won silver medals in the 1500m T54 event.

Setting World Records

Angie Ballard has set several world records in her career:

• On 29 May 2015, she set a world record in the Women's 400m T53 with a time of 54.73 seconds in Switzerland.
• On 4 June 2015, she broke her own 400m record with 54.70 seconds and set a new 800m T53 world record of 1:47.48, both in Switzerland.
• On 5 June 2016, she set another 400m T53 world record with 54.69 seconds in the USA.

Angie's Advocacy and Recognition

Angie Ballard is not just an athlete; she's also a strong advocate for people with disabilities. She works as an ambassador for different groups that support sports and health. She talks to young people about road safety and helps recruit volunteers for charities. She even visits children in hospitals to bring them cheer.

Angie is also on the board of the Wheelchair Sports Association of New South Wales. This shows her dedication to helping others get involved in sports.

Awards and Honours

• 1999: Named Athlete of the Year in the Disabled Category by the ACT Academy of Sport.
• 2013 and 2014: Recognized as the Female Para-Athlete of the Year by Athletics Australia.
• 2014: Received the Nigel C Barker Graduate Medal for Sporting Achievement from the University of Sydney.
• 2024: Chosen as co-captain for the Australian Team at the 2024 Paris Paralympics.

Images for kids

• 

  Angie Ballard competing at a warm-up meet in Sydney, 2011

See also

In Spanish: Angie Ballard para niños