Michellie Jones facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Michellie Jones

Jones in 2016
Personal information
Born	(1969-09-06) 6 September 1969 (age 55) Fairfield, New South Wales, Australia
Residence	Carlsbad, California, U.S.
Height	180 cm (5 ft 11 in)
Weight	60 kg (9 st 6 lb; 132 lb)
Sport
Country	Australia
Sport	Triathlon
Medal record Representing  Australia Olympic Games Silver 2000 Sydney Individual Paralympic Games Gold 2016 Rio de Janeiro PT5 guide ITU World Championships Gold 1992 Huntsville Elite Gold 1993 Manchester Elite Silver 1998 Lausanne Elite Silver 2001 Edmonton Elite Bronze 1991 Queensland Elite Bronze 1997 Perth Elite Bronze 2000 Perth Elite Bronze 2003 Queenstown Elite Gold 2015 Chicago PT5 guide ITU World Cup Gold 1998 Overall Gold 2000 Overall Bronze 1993 Overall Ironman World Championship Gold 2006 Individual Silver 2005 Individual

Katie Kelly and Michellie Jones at the 2016 Paralympics.

Michellie Yvonne Jones is an Australian triathlete. She was born on September 6, 1969. 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 a silver medal at the Olympic Games in 2000. In 2006, she won the tough Ironman World Championship.

Later in her career, Michellie became a guide for Katie Kelly, a paratriathlete. Together, they won a gold medal at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio. This was a special moment because paratriathlon was new to the Paralympics that year.

About Michellie Jones

Michellie Jones lives in Carlsbad, California, in the United States. She went to the University of Wollongong in Australia. In 1990, she earned a degree in teaching for primary school. Michellie also has a twin sister named Gabrielle.

Michellie's Amazing Sports Career

Michellie Jones started competing in triathlons in 1990. She quickly became one of the best in the world.

Winning World Championships

In 1992 and 1993, Michellie won the ITU Triathlon World Championships. These races are very important for triathletes. In 1996, she won the first-ever XTERRA Triathlon World Championships. This race combines off-road triathlon with mountain biking.

Michellie also won the ITU Triathlon World Cup in 1998 and 1999. These wins showed she was a top athlete.

Olympic Success in Sydney

At the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, triathlon was included for the first time. Michellie earned a silver medal in this historic event. She finished the race in 2 hours, 42.55 seconds. She was only two seconds behind the gold medalist!

Conquering the Ironman Race

After her Olympic success, Michellie started competing in longer races called Ironman triathlons. These races are much longer and tougher. An Ironman triathlon includes a 3.86 km swim, a 180.25 km bike ride, and a 42.20 km marathon run.

In 2005, Michellie took second place at the 2005 Ironman World Championship. This was only her second time doing an Ironman race! The next year, in 2006, she won the Ironman Arizona Triathlon. Then, she won the famous Ironman Triathlon in Hawaii. This made her the first Australian woman to win the Ironman World Championship.

Guiding to Paralympic Gold

In 2015, Michellie took on a new role. She became a guide for Australian paratriathlete Katie Kelly. Katie has a visual impairment, so Michellie helped her during the race.

Together, they won the World Paratriathlon Event in Japan in 2015. They also won the World Championships Final in Chicago that same year.

At the 2016 Rio Paralympics, Michellie guided Katie to a gold medal in the Women's PT5 event. This was an incredible achievement for both of them. Michellie said that winning this medal with Katie was "the best thing that I’ve ever done." She believes that "Disability doesn't define you, it's what you do with it that does."

In 2017, Michellie Jones was recognized for her achievements. She was made a Member of the Order of Australia.