Kelly Cartwright is a Paralympic Gold and Silver Medalist, claiming Gold in the Long Jump and Silver in the 100 Metre Sprint at the 2012 London Paralympics.

The life of Geelong’s Kelly Cartwright is best described as triumph over adversity. At the age of 15 Kelly was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of cancer in her right knee and was forced to make the most difficult decision of her life; have her right leg amputated or face radical surgery to remove the cancer but potentially still face the risk of the cancer spreading. Kelly chose amputation, giving her the best chance of survival.

After three months of rehabilitation she was fitted with a prosthetic leg. Having learnt to walk again and faced with the prospect of not playing netball she looked for a new direction. That direction was running and while learning to run with an artificial leg proved a challenge, with every fall came more determination.

In 2005 Kelly’s sporting career took a momentous leap forward when she was accepted as a member of the Emerging Talent squad for the London Paralympics. Spurred on by her early success, Kelly‘s talent and determination saw her achievements grow quickly at a national level and then onto the international stage.