Personal information | |
---|---|
Nationality | Australian |
Born | Wollstonecraft, New South Wales | 6 November 1986
Height | 173 cm (68 in) (2012) |
Sport | |
Country | Australia |
Sport | Goalball |
Michelle Rzepecki (born 6 November 1986) is an Australian goalball player classified as a B3 competitor. She made her debut for the Australia women's national goalball team at the 2011 African-Oceania regional Paralympic qualifying competition. She was selected to represent Australia at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in goalball. [1]
Rzepecki was born on 6 November 1986 in Wollstonecraft, New South Wales, [2] and is 173 centimetres (68 in) tall. [3] She has the visual disability rod monochromatism, which she acquired at birth. [2] [4] She can play the saxophone and piano. [2] Rzepecki is a third-generation Australian, as her grandfather moved to Australia from Germany. [2] While attending Castle Hill High School, [5] she returned to the country of her grandfather's birth to do study abroad that was funded by a scholarship from the Society for Australian-German Student Exchange Inc. [5] She also lived in Bolivia for a while, working at a school for children with visual impairments. While there, she introduced the children to goalball. [2] Part of her work in the country was funded by a mini-grant. [6] As of 2012 [update], she works as a Sydney Tower Skywalk guide. [2]
Rzepecki is a goalball player, and for visual disability sports, is classified as a B3 competitor. [2] She is a centre and winger. [3] [7] She has a goalball scholarship with the New South Wales Institute of Sport. [8] Rzepecki started playing the sport in 2002. [2] She competed at the 2004 Australian National Goalball Championships, playing for the New South Wales goalball team which beat the Queensland goalball team in the finals. [2] In 2011, Rzepecki made her national team debut during the African-Oceania regional Paralympic qualifying competition. [2] [3] [9] [10] [11] She played in the game against the New Zealand women's national goalball team that Australia won. [10] [11] [12] As a member of the 2011 team, she finished sixth at the IBSA Goalball World Cup. [9] [12] [13] [14]
The Australian Paralympic Committee had chosen to work on her development as a goalball player with the idea that she might be able to qualify for, and win a medal at, the 2016 Summer Paralympics. [14] She was a named a member of the Aussie Belles that was going to the 2012 Summer Paralympics, [2] [4] [8] [13] [15] in what would be her debut Games. [8] That the team qualified for the Games came as a surprise, as the Australian Paralympic Committee had been working on player development with an idea of the team qualifying for the 2016 Summer Paralympics. [13] An Australian team had not participated since the 2000 Summer Paralympics, when they earned an automatic selection as hosts, and the team finished last in the competition. [13] [16] Going into the Paralympics, her team was ranked eighth in the world. [8] In the 2012 Summer Paralympics tournament, the Belles played games against Japan, Canada, the United States and Sweden. They lost every game, and did not advance to the finals. [17]
The Belles originally failed to qualify for the 2016 Paralympics after finishing third at the IBSA Goalball Asia Pacific Championships in Hangzhou, China. [18] They were displaced to allow for an African team, Algeria as it turned out, to compete in goalball for the first time. [19] But following the re-allocation of Russia's spot, the Belles found themselves getting a last minute invite to Rio.They entered the tournament ranked ninth in the world. [20] They performed better this time, fighting Uzbekistan to a draw, but they needed a win or draw in their final game against Canada to progress to the quarter finals, but lost 6–0, ending their second Paralympic campaign. [19]
Personal information | |
---|---|
Nationality | Australian |
Born | Wollstonecraft, New South Wales | 6 November 1986
Height | 173 cm (68 in) (2012) |
Sport | |
Country | Australia |
Sport | Goalball |
Michelle Rzepecki (born 6 November 1986) is an Australian goalball player classified as a B3 competitor. She made her debut for the Australia women's national goalball team at the 2011 African-Oceania regional Paralympic qualifying competition. She was selected to represent Australia at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in goalball. [1]
Rzepecki was born on 6 November 1986 in Wollstonecraft, New South Wales, [2] and is 173 centimetres (68 in) tall. [3] She has the visual disability rod monochromatism, which she acquired at birth. [2] [4] She can play the saxophone and piano. [2] Rzepecki is a third-generation Australian, as her grandfather moved to Australia from Germany. [2] While attending Castle Hill High School, [5] she returned to the country of her grandfather's birth to do study abroad that was funded by a scholarship from the Society for Australian-German Student Exchange Inc. [5] She also lived in Bolivia for a while, working at a school for children with visual impairments. While there, she introduced the children to goalball. [2] Part of her work in the country was funded by a mini-grant. [6] As of 2012 [update], she works as a Sydney Tower Skywalk guide. [2]
Rzepecki is a goalball player, and for visual disability sports, is classified as a B3 competitor. [2] She is a centre and winger. [3] [7] She has a goalball scholarship with the New South Wales Institute of Sport. [8] Rzepecki started playing the sport in 2002. [2] She competed at the 2004 Australian National Goalball Championships, playing for the New South Wales goalball team which beat the Queensland goalball team in the finals. [2] In 2011, Rzepecki made her national team debut during the African-Oceania regional Paralympic qualifying competition. [2] [3] [9] [10] [11] She played in the game against the New Zealand women's national goalball team that Australia won. [10] [11] [12] As a member of the 2011 team, she finished sixth at the IBSA Goalball World Cup. [9] [12] [13] [14]
The Australian Paralympic Committee had chosen to work on her development as a goalball player with the idea that she might be able to qualify for, and win a medal at, the 2016 Summer Paralympics. [14] She was a named a member of the Aussie Belles that was going to the 2012 Summer Paralympics, [2] [4] [8] [13] [15] in what would be her debut Games. [8] That the team qualified for the Games came as a surprise, as the Australian Paralympic Committee had been working on player development with an idea of the team qualifying for the 2016 Summer Paralympics. [13] An Australian team had not participated since the 2000 Summer Paralympics, when they earned an automatic selection as hosts, and the team finished last in the competition. [13] [16] Going into the Paralympics, her team was ranked eighth in the world. [8] In the 2012 Summer Paralympics tournament, the Belles played games against Japan, Canada, the United States and Sweden. They lost every game, and did not advance to the finals. [17]
The Belles originally failed to qualify for the 2016 Paralympics after finishing third at the IBSA Goalball Asia Pacific Championships in Hangzhou, China. [18] They were displaced to allow for an African team, Algeria as it turned out, to compete in goalball for the first time. [19] But following the re-allocation of Russia's spot, the Belles found themselves getting a last minute invite to Rio.They entered the tournament ranked ninth in the world. [20] They performed better this time, fighting Uzbekistan to a draw, but they needed a win or draw in their final game against Canada to progress to the quarter finals, but lost 6–0, ending their second Paralympic campaign. [19]