Donna Burns facts for kids
Annette Kelly (L) watches as Donna Burns shoots when the Australian "Pearls" play Great Britain at the 1992 "Paralympic Games for Persons with Mental Handicap" in Madrid.
|
|||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Donna Burns | ||||||||||
| Nationality |  Australia |
||||||||||
| Born | Echuca, Victoria | ||||||||||
|
Medal record
|
|||||||||||
Donna Burns is an amazing Australian basketball player. She has an intellectual disability, which means her brain works a bit differently. She won a gold medal as part of the Australian team called the "Pearls" at the 1992 Madrid Paralympic Games for Persons with Mental Handicap. These Games were a special sports event for athletes with intellectual disabilities.
Donna Burns is also an Indigenous Australian, meaning her family has lived in Australia for thousands of years. She is a descendant of the Yorta Yorta people. In 1993, she received the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM). This is a special award given to Australians who have done great things for their country.
About Donna Burns
Donna Burns was born in 1972 in Echuca, a town in Victoria, Australia. She is an Indigenous Australian and comes from the Yorta Yorta people. Her grandmother was Margaret Tucker, who was an important Indigenous Australian activist and writer.
Donna's Basketball Journey
Donna started playing sports when she was eight years old. She played both netball and basketball. As she got older, her coach saw how talented she was at basketball. He encouraged her to focus on it, believing she could play for Australia!
Donna was chosen to be part of the Pearls. This is the national women's basketball team for Australian athletes with an intellectual disability.
At the 1992 Madrid Paralympic Games, the Pearls were incredible! They played five games against teams from Great Britain, France, Poland, and Greece, and they won every single one. Donna Burns was a top scorer, getting 128 points out of the team's total of 273 points. Because of her amazing performance, she was voted the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the tournament!
Awards and Recognition
Donna Burns has received many awards for her achievements in sport:
- She was named the NAIDOC Victorian Sports Person of the Year in 1993.
- In 1993, she also won the National Sportswoman of the Year award at the 4th National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Sports Awards.
- On June 13, 1993, she was given the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM). This award recognized her great service to sport as a gold medalist at the 1992 Paralympic Games in Madrid.
- She has been included in the Aboriginal and Islander Sports Hall of Fame.
