Jessica Gallagher (cycling) recorded emphatic victories with pilot Caitlin Ward in both the tandem sprint B – Australia’s very first gold of the Birmingham Commonwealth Games – and tandem time trial B. It was Gallagher’s second Games appearance: In 2018, she wore green and gold finishing second in both the tandem sprint and tandem time trial with guide Maddie Janssen.

Jessica’s career in elite-level para sport is as unique as they come, spanning athletics, skiing, cycling and rowing. On top of that, she is a qualified osteopath with her own practice in Melbourne.

Jess grew up playing netball and basketball, making a number of rep sides and Victorian junior squads. However, she was diagnosed with the rare eye disease cone dystrophy in year 12 and is classified as legally blind. At 21, Jess decided to try para sports and was selected to compete at the Beijing 2008 Paralympics, before being declared ineligible. Two years later, she made history when she became the first Australian female athlete to win a medal at the Paralympic Winter Games in Vancouver – bronze in the women’s slalom.

She finished 5th in the long jump and 6th in the javelin at her first summer Paralympics in London in 2012. Sochi 2014 gave Jess another Winter Paralympic bronze, this time in the Giant Slalom.

When long jump was omitted from her classification on the Rio 2016 Paralympic program, Jess turned to cycling, winning another bronze in the time trial, becoming the first Australian to win medals at both Summer and Winter Paralympics.

She made an unsuccessful attempt to qualify for her third Paralympics in Tokyo in rowing before making a triumphant return to the cycling track to qualify for her second Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.