Sarnya Marie Parker, OAM[1] (born 6 June 1975)[2] is an Australian visually impaired paralympic tandem cyclist and two-time gold medalist at the 2000 Paralympics.
 Parker (shown left) with her cycling partner Tania Modra, after winning gold in the 2000 Paralympics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Sarnya Marie Parker | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 6 June 1975 Loxton, South Australia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Para-cycling | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Disability | Visual impairment | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Early life and education
editShe was born in the South Australian town of Loxton.[2]
Before she took up Paralympic tandem cycling, she was a nationally ranked top-ten pentathlete.[3][4] She won a gold medal in long jump at the 1999 FESPIC Games in Thailand.[2]
In 1999 she obtained a university degree and started work at Telstra.[5]
Career
editPreparation and Games
edit
Eighteen months before the 2000 Sydney Games, visually impaired Paralympic tandem cyclist Kieran Modra convinced her to switch from athletics to cycling because of the limited opportunities in the former sport for Paralympians.[6] He introduced her to his sister Tania Modra, who would become her pilot.[3]
Neither Tania nor Parker had experience in competitive cycling. During the period of 18 months, they trained for about 22 hours a week while also working professionally.[7][5] Aside from training they also needed to compete to qualify for the Games. They won 5 gold medals at Southern Cross Games and 3 gold medals at Australian National Championship 2000.[8]
She won two gold medals for Australia with Modra at the 2000 Sydney Games in the 1 km road race and 3 km pursuit,[3][9] the pair broke the world record in both events.[10][11]
Post-Games Career
editIn 2001, she also had a very successful performance at the European Championships in Switzerland, where she and Modra won all the events they participated in, including four track events and the road time trial.[12]
In August 2002, the International Paralympic Committee World Cycling Championships were held in Altenstadt, southern Germany. This time, Parker competed in tandem with Toireasa Ryan. During the first three days of the competition, they won all their events, including qualifying rounds, gold in the 1 km time trial, and gold in the 200 m sprint. In the final of the 3 km pursuit race, they lost to the team from the United States (Karissa Whitsell and Katie Compton), winning a silver medal. After a few days of rest, on the final day of the competition, they won gold in the 52 km road race (10 laps), beating three teams from three other countries and one from Australia.[13][14][15][16][17].
Awards and honours
editIn 2000, shortly after the Olympics, Australia Post issued stamps featuring the gold medal-winning tandem team.[18][19] Same year she also received an Australian Sports Medal.[20] In January 2001, she was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM).[1]
In 2009, a walking trail on the riverfront of Loxton was named after her.[21]
References
edit- ^ a b "Parker, Sarnya Marie, OAM". It's an Honour. Retrieved 24 January 2012.
- ^ a b c Media guide : 2000 Sydney Paralympic Games. Sydney, Australia: Australian Paralympic Committee. 2000.
- ^ a b c "Pedal pals in hot seat". The Advertiser. 17 October 2000. p. 70.
- ^ Wadwell, Amy (19 October 2020). "Sydney 2000: Day 2, 20 October". Paralympics Australia. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
- ^ a b "Sarnya has the PEP to succeed". Hills Messenger. 29 August 2001. p. 37. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
- ^ Ryan, Melissa (21 October 2000). "Track switch yields victory". The Age. p. 19.
- ^ "National glory for Tania Modra". Port Lincoln Times. 15 March 2001. p. 9. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
- ^ "Top sports award for Tania". Port Lincoln Times. 5 June 2001. p. 24. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
- ^ "Athlete Search Results". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 2 October 2011.
- ^ Ryan, Melissa (22 October 2000). "Another record as pair cut a golden swathe". The Age. p. 8.
- ^ "Top sports award for Tania". Port Lincoln Times. 5 June 2001. p. 24. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
- ^ "Five gold for Tania and Sarnya". Port Lincoln Times. 25 September 2001. p. 32. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
- ^ "Altenstadt, Germany: Day 2". autobus.cyclingnews.com. Retrieved 9 December 2024.
- ^ "Altenstadt, Germany: Day 3". autobus.cyclingnews.com. Retrieved 9 December 2024.
- ^ "Altenstadt, Germany: Day 4". autobus.cyclingnews.com. Retrieved 9 December 2024.
- ^ "Altenstadt, Germany: Day 7". autobus.cyclingnews.com. Retrieved 9 December 2024.
- ^ "Rad WM2002 Zeitplan/Schedule". rad-wm2002.de (in German). 4 August 2002. Retrieved 9 December 2024.
- ^ Glen Stephens (2000). "Linn's: News: Australian issues surprise: Paralympic stamps". www.glenstephens.com. Retrieved 9 December 2024.
- ^ "National glory for Tania Modra". Port Lincoln Times. 15 March 2001. p. 9. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
- ^ "Parker, Sarnya: Australian Sports Medal". It's an Honour. Retrieved 24 January 2012.
- ^ "Thousands expected at Loxton Show". ABC News. 2 October 2009. Retrieved 24 January 2012.
External links
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