Jessica Gallagher’s (cyclist) career in sport is as unique as they come, spanning track and field, 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 being part of Victorian junior squads. However, she was diagnosed with a rare eye disease, cone dystrophy, in year 12 and is now classified as legally blind. At 21, Jess decided to try Paralympic sports and was selected to compete at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, before being declared ineligible. She made history in 2010 when she became the first Australian female athlete to win a medal at the Paralympic Winter Games – bronze in the women’s slalom. The injury affected her performance at the London 2012 Paralympics but still managed to finish fifth and sixth in the long jump and javelin. Sochi 2014 gave Jess another Winter Paralympic bronze, this time in the Giant Slalom. When long jump was omitted from the Rio 2016 Paralympics program, Jess turned to cycle, winning another bronze in the cycling time trial, thus becoming the only Australian to win medals at both Summer and Winter Paralympics. In 2018, she wore green and gold at her first Commonwealth Games, finishing second in both the tandem sprint and 1km time trial with guide Maddie Janssen. 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.