Michellie Jones facts for kids
Jones in 2016
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| Born | 6 September 1969 Fairfield, New South Wales, Australia |
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| Residence | Carlsbad, California, U.S. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 180 cm (5 ft 11 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 60 kg (9 st 6 lb; 132 lb) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Country | Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Triathlon | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Michellie Yvonne Jones (born September 6, 1969) is a famous Australian triathlete. A triathlete competes in three sports: swimming, cycling, and running.
Michellie has won many important races. She won two ITU Triathlon World Championships. She also earned an Olympic silver medal. In 2006, she won the tough Ironman World Championship. Later, she won a gold medal at the 2016 Summer Paralympics. She achieved this as a guide for another athlete, Katie Kelly.
Contents
About Michellie Jones
Michellie Jones lives in Carlsbad, California, in the United States. She studied at the University of Wollongong in Australia. In 1990, she earned a diploma in primary education. Michellie also has a twin sister named Gabrielle.
Michellie's Sports Career
Michellie Jones began competing in triathlons in 1990. She quickly became a top athlete.
Early Wins and World Titles
In 1992, Michellie won her first ITU Triathlon World Championships. She won this title again in 1993. These wins showed she was one of the best triathletes in the world.
In 1996, she won the first-ever XTERRA Triathlon World Championships. XTERRA is a type of triathlon that takes place off-road. It includes swimming, mountain biking, and trail running.
Michellie also won the ITU Triathlon World Cup series in 1998 and 1999. This award goes to the athlete who performs best over a series of races.
Olympic Success
Triathlon became an Olympic sport for the first time at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia. Michellie Jones won the silver medal in this historic event. She finished just two seconds behind the gold medalist. Her total time for the race was 2 hours, 42.55 seconds.
Ironman Challenges
After her Olympic success, Michellie started competing in "Iron distance" triathlons. These races are much longer and tougher. They include a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride, and a 26.2-mile run.
In 2005, she took second place at the Ironman World Championship. This was only her second time competing in such a long race. The next year, in 2006, she won the Ironman Arizona Triathlon.
Later in 2006, Michellie won the famous Ironman Triathlon in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. This was a huge achievement. She became the first Australian woman to win the Ironman World Championship. She was also the second Australian ever to win it.
Paralympic Gold as a Guide
In 2015, Michellie took on a new role. She became a guide for Australian paratriathlete Katie Kelly. Katie is an athlete with a visual impairment. As a guide, Michellie helps Katie during races. They are connected by a tether during the swim and run. They ride a tandem bike during the cycling part.
Together, Michellie and Katie won the World Paratriathlon Event in Japan in 2015. They also won their first World Championship title in Chicago that same year.
At the 2016 Rio Paralympics, Michellie guided Katie to a gold medal. They won the Women's PT5 event. Michellie said that winning this medal with Katie was "the best thing that I’ve ever done." She felt it was even better than her own Olympic medal. She also shared an important message: "Disability doesn't define you, it's what you do with it that does."
In 2017, Michellie Jones was honored for her achievements. She was made a Member of the Order of Australia.
See also
In Spanish: Michellie Jones para niños
