The Australian team of athletes with an intellectual disability attended the 1992 Paralympics in Madrid from 15 to 22 September 1992. Over 1600 athletes competed at the Games across 5 Sports: Athletics, Basketball, Futsal, Swimming and Table Tennis. Australia competed in all sports except Table Tennis. Australia’s team of 51 athletes and 18 officials finished on top of the medal tally with a total of 31 medals (13 Gold, 10 Silver and 8 Bronze).
Chef de Mission of the Australian team and AUSRAPID official, Marie Little, acknowledged the historical moment in her opening comments ‘The historical coming together of elite athletes with a disability [on the] Australian Team, albeit competing at two locations in the 1992 Summer Paralympics, Barcelona and Madrid, was a great achievement’
Swimmer Joseph Walker won nine gold medals and newspaper reports likened his medal success to multiple Olympic gold medalist Mark Spitz. Swimmers Joshua Hofer and Rene Hardenbol won five gold medals. Women’s basketball team now known as the Pearls won the gold medal.
Indigenous athletes Donna Burns and Alice Toogood entertained athletes in the Village with a demonstration of Boomerang throwing.
When the athletes from Madrid arrived home they were specifically invited and enjoyed the impressive public reception in Sydney. Marie Little described what this meant to those who were involved in the Madrid competition: I don’t think any participant will experience a similar feeling ever – the superb Fairstar dinner and the unbelievable Tickertape Parade were mind blowing – my heart was pumping, my eyes misty, my throat choked – in the crowd British Airways staff, bankers and paper sellers, little kids and their mums and dads, people in wheelchairs and bouncing babies – bands and music, sunshine and cheers. Little concluded: ‘Thanks to all for thanking the Paralympians’
Queen’s Birthday Awards were announced in 1993, the successes of athletes with an intellectually disability were acknowledged by OAMs with the dedication: ‘for service to sport as a gold medallist at the Paralympic Games, Madrid, 1992’
Team Staff
Chef de Mission: Marie T Little OAM
General Team Manager: Jan Sutherland
Administrator: Colleen Bennett
Media Director: Paul Griffiths
Doctor: Susan White
Physiotherapist: Barbara Denson
Male Team Captain: Russell Torrance
Female Team Captain: Sarah Jane Schulze
Athletics
Women: Madelyn Ehlers, Kaye Freeman, Norma Koplick, Rachel Nugent, Anne Walsh
Men: Wayne Bauer, Anton Flavel, Paul Mitchell, Jason Newman, Michael Stevens, Russell Torrance, Wayne Wright
Head Coach: Scott Goodman
Asst Coach: Robyn Hanson
Manager: Wendy Ey
Basketball
Women: Lorraine Archer, Tanya Atcheson, Donna Burns, Gladys Delaney, Melissa Gallacher, Fiona Hinds, Annette Kelly, Tina Kenna, Christine Humphries, Alice Toogood
Head Coach: Margaret Sheriff
Manager: Robyn Smith
Men: Michael Atcheson,Michael Glover, David Henry, Tony Hopewell, Mark Konings, John Lettice, Rodney Meddings, Lee Medwin, Dean Papworth, John Wright
Head Coach: Mark Walker
Asst Coach: Tony Guihot
Futsal
Men: Jurgen Berens, Stephen Choat, John Fitter, Mark Harvey, Rob Lewis, Luis Marcellino, Willy Moen, Raymond Neaves, John Ruiz, Tony Thompson
Head Coach: Terry Pearce
Asst Coach: Jack De Cesco
Manager: Bruce Drake
Swimming
Women: Brigit Bromhead, Sarah Jane Schulze, Stacey Smith, Justine Van Eyssen
Men: Jason Cooper, Rene Hardenbol, Joshua Hofer, Tim Krahe, Joseph Walker
Head Coach: John Boland
Asst Coach: Mark Lucas
Manager: Jill Gates
Medallists
Athletics
Gold: Anton Flavel (WA) – Men’s Javelin
Silver: Madelyn Ehlers (QLD) – Women’s Shot Put
Silver: Madelyn Ehlers (QLD) – Women’s Discus
Silver: Paul Mitchell (WA) – Men’s 1500m
Bronze: Anton Flavel (WA) – Men’s High Jump
Bronze: Anton Flavel (WA) – Men’s Discus
Bronze: Kaye Freeman (QLD) – Women’s Javelin
Bronze: Racquel Nugent (QLD) – Women’s Long Jump
Basketball
Gold: Lorraine Archer (NSW), Tanya Atcheson (NSW), Donna Burns (VIC), Gladys Delaney (VIC), Melissa Gallacher (SA), Fiona Hinds (NSW), Annette Kelly (SA), Tina Kenna (TAS), Christine Humphries (VIC), Alice Toogood (SA)
Swimming
Gold: Joseph Walker (NSW) – Men’s 100 m Freestyle
Gold: Joseph Walker (NSW) – Men’s 200 m Freestyle
Gold: Joseph Walker (NSW) – Men’s 400 m Freestyle
Gold: Joseph Walker (NSW) – Men’s 50 m Butterfly
Gold: Joseph Walker (NSW) – Men’s 100 m Butterfly
Gold: Rene Hardenbol (WA) – Men’s 200 m Backstroke
Gold: Joshua Hofer (WA) – Men’s 100 m Backstroke
Gold: Joseph Walker (NSW), Joshua Hofer (WA), Rene Hardenbol (WA), Jason Cooper (TAS) – Men’s 4 x 50 m Freestyle
Gold: Joseph Walker (NSW), Joshua Hofer (WA), Rene Hardenbol (WA), Jason Cooper (TAS) – Men’s 4 × 100 m Freestyle
Gold: Joseph Walker (NSW), Joshua Hofer (WA), Rene Hardenbol (WA), Jason Cooper (TAS) – Men’s 4 x 50 m Medley
Gold: Joseph Walker (NSW), Joshua Hofer (WA), Rene Hardenbol (WA), Jason Cooper (TAS) – Men’s 4 × 100 m Medley
Silver: Rene Hardenbol (WA) – Men’s 100 m Freestyle
Silver: Rene Hardenbol (WA) – Men’s 200 m Breaststroke
Silver: Joshua Hofer (WA) – Men’s 50 m Butterfly
Silver: Joshua Hofer (WA) – Men’s 100 m Butterfly
Silver: Joshua Hofer (WA) – Men’s 50 m Backstroke
Silver: Joshua Hofer (WA) – Men’s 200 m Backstroke
Silver: Justine Van Eyssen (SA), Stacey Smith (NSW), Brigid Bromhead (ACT), Sarah-Jane Schulze (NSW) – Women’s 4 × 100 m Freestyle
Bronze: Joshua Hofer (WA) – Men’s 200 m Freestyle
Bronze: Joshua Hofer (WA) – Men’s 400 m Freestyle
Bronze: Justine Van Eyssen (SA), Stacey Smith (NSW), Brigid Bromhead (ACT), Sarah-Jane Schulze (NSW) – Women’s 4 x 50 m Freestyle
Bronze: Justine Van Eyssen (SA), Stacey Smith (NSW), Brigid Bromhead (ACT), Sarah-Jane Schulz (NSW) – Women’s 4 x 50 m Medley
Results
Athletics
Anton Flavel (WA): Javelin (Gold) 51.52m, Discus (Bronze) 27.0m, High Jump (Bronze) 1.69m
Kaye Freeman (QLD): Javelin (Bronze) 24.16m
Racquel Nugent (QLD): Long Jump (Bronze) 4.33m
Madelyn Ehlers (QLD): Discus (Silver) 21.32m, Shot Put (Silver) 8.61m
Paul Mitchell (WA): 1500m (Silver) 4:19:64
Basketball
Women
Australia 48 France 27 (Donna Burns 22 pts);
Australia 47 Greece 32 (Donna Burns 31 pts);
Australia 65 Brazil 14 (Donna Burns 36 pts, Christine Humphries 13 pts) ;
Australia 60 Great Britain 19 (Annette Kelly 18 pts, Alice Toogood 12 pts, Donna Burns 12 pts).
Final
Australia 53
Greece 21
(Donna Burns 24 pts, Christine Humphries 14 pts, Alice Toogood 8 pts,Annette Kelly 7 pts),
The Australia women’s 53-21 win over Greece was Australia’s first medal win in Olympic or Paralympic Basketball.
Men
Australia 131 Jordan 13
Australia 65 Great Britain 20 (David Henry 28 points, Tony Hopewell 10 points);
Australia 54 Dominican Republic 111 (Tony Hopewell 20 points, David Henry 14 points);
Australia 19 Puerto Rico 137
Australia finished 7th overall
Futsal
Australia 5 Czech and Slovak Republic 1 (Mark Harvey 1, Stephen Choat 1, John Fitter 1, Rob Lewis 1, John Ruiz 1) ;
Australia 3 Germany 3-7 (John Ruiz 2, Mark Harvey 1);
Australia 6 Colombia 0 (Ray Neaves 2, Mark Harvey 2, John Ruiz 2);
Australia 0 Greece 5
Swimming
Australia finished first on the swimming medal tally winning 23 medals – 11 gold, 7 silver and 5 bronze medals. Joseph Walker won nine gold medals out of nine events which at the time was unmatched in Australia’s Paralympic history. Joshua Hofer won eleven medals including five gold. Rene Hardenbol won seven medals including five gold. The Men’s relay team won four gold medals in world record time. The women’s relay team winning a silver and two bronze medals.
