About Lindy OAM

Paralympic Gold Medallist & World Champion

Lindy and Janelle with gold medals, 2004 Athens Paralympics
Lindy and Janelle with gold medals, 2004 Athens Paralympics

As a small child Lindy dreamed of standing on the Olympic podium with a gold medal around her neck. In 2004 at the Athens Paralympic Games that dream became a reality when she won a gold, two silver and one bronze medal.

“Winning those medals in Athens proved to me that anyone can, with hard work, dedication and a goal to achieve, fulfil their sweetest dreams.”

Lindy suffers from a degenerative eye condition called Retinitis Pigmentosa. She began losing her sight in the mid-1980s and is now almost totally blind. Thirty years ago as her sight began failing, Lindy was forced to give up playing ball sports and decided that, as an alternative, she would participate in the sport of triathlon, which she did for many years. During the early 1990s, despite her failing eyesight, Lindy represented Australia twice in the World Triathlon Championships as an able-bodied athlete for her age group.

During that time Lindy was also very involved in coaching, working with a variety of sports including softball, triathlon, athletics, cycling, and strength and conditioning.

For many people, losing their sight often means the end of being involved; not so for Lindy. In 1999 she rediscovered the joy of cycling; this time on a tandem bike. When Lindy very narrowly missed selection for the Sydney 2000 Paralympic Team, the disappointment made her even more determined to be a member of the Australian team for the 2004 Games in Athens.

Gold at Athens

The Athens Paralympic Games were a triumph for Lindy. Not only did she make the team with pilots Janelle Lindsay and Toireasa Gallagher, but she and Janelle had the honour of being the first Australian females to win gold at the Athens Paralympic Games. She came home with a total of four medals. During the Games, Lindy and Janelle set the World Women’s 200m Fly record of 11.675 seconds.

More world records

Exactly one year later, on 19 September 2005, when Lindy and her pilot Toireasa Gallagher set the One Hour World Women’s Tandem record of 42.93km at the Sydney Dunc Gray Velodrome, Lindy held the shortest and the longest world records recognised by the Union of Cycling International (UCI), the governing body for world cycling!

“Australia is the land of opportunities and, regardless of our backgrounds, we can still represent this country and be the best in the world.”

2006 Worlds Lindy and Toireasa
2006 Worlds, Lindy and Toireasa

Another year later, in September 2006, Lindy finally won her first Rainbow Jersey (the world championship jersey) with her pilot Toireasa Gallagher when they won two Gold medals at the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) World Championships.

At the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games, Lindy and Toireasa continued to win cycling medals for Australia by winning a silver and bronze medal.

“To be able to wear the Australian uniform and stand on the podium in Beijing, the land of my ancestors, is the essence of what being an Aussie is all about.”

Retirement … but the story is not over

Since Lindy’s retirement from Paralympic Cycling, she has continued to keep fit through cycling and running. In the last 10 years she has completed many charity bike rides, including a ride from Cairns to Melbourne. Lindy also finished the Melbourne marathon, represented Australia at the 2013 World Para Triathlon in London and in 2015 won silver medal at the World Duathlon Championships.

Lindy is now almost completely blind and has had her Guide Dog Comet for the last three years.  Comet makes sure she does not bump into things out and about.

Extensive corporate experience prior to losing her sight

Lindy promo

Prior to losing her sight Lindy worked for 15 years in the Information Technology industry and for the last ten years of her professional career worked as a consultant to many major corporations dealing with their accounting systems.  Lindy gained extensive and valuable knowledge of the corporate environment and became very familiar with the type of stress and challenges professional workers and managers deal with.

When Lindy wasn’t able to continue with her computer consulting career, she gained her qualification as a massage therapist. She treats clients from different walks of life as well as many successful athletes.

Lindy has now embarked on a career as a motivational speaker and a life coach. Lindy’s life journey, both challenging and rewarding, has made her the person she is today. Lindy is now able to share her journey with others to empower them to achieve their own personal best.