ROSS Kathryn

Classification
PR2 (World Rowing, 01 Jun 2021)

Origin of Impairment
Acquired (paralympic.org.au, 01 Sep 2012)

Impairment Details
She has an impairment to her right leg as a result of her father accidentally running her over on a ride-on lawnmower when she was age two. "Having had an accident at the age of two I lived with damage to my right leg which often meant I was not included in sports. I was very stubborn and determined to live life to my full potential, so I focused my energy to achieve success in the areas of life I wanted to. A big interest of mine was sports." (hercanberra.com.au, 21 Oct 2020; paralympic.org.au, 27 Feb 2016; canberratimes.com.au, 23 Jul 2012)

General
BREAK AND RETURN
She took a break from the sport after the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. She returned to training ahead of the 2019 World Championships in Linz-Ottensheim, Austria, where she won gold in the women's PR2 single sculls, and said starting to work with coach Renae Domaschenz in 2018 had been an important factor in her return to the sport. "I met Renae in 2015 and I knew straight away that I wanted her to be my coach one day. I saw she was dedicated, driven, passionate and excited about the sport of rowing. It wasn't until 2018 when we finally did come together. After having a break post the 2016 Paralympics, I sought out Renae and stated if I was going to have one last go at the Games, I wanted her to be my coach. I wanted someone who wanted to get the best out of me, challenge me, push me beyond my limits and make me be the best athlete I can possibly be. Together, we are an amazing team." (mandurahmail.com.au, 06 Jun 2021; anu-sport.com.au, 11 Jun 2020; standard.net.au, 01 Sep 2019; ANU Boat Club Facebook page, 20 May 2019)

COVID-19 IMPACT
In 2021 she spoke about the difficulties of training ahead of the 2020 Paralympic Games due to the travel challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia. "It's been extremely hard for us. We're a camps-based team, but we have people all across the country. For example, I'm in Canberra [Australian Capital Territory] but my rowing partner's in South Australia. Some are in Victoria, some in New South Wales, our doubles coach is in Queensland. We've really struggled to come together as a team and train for Tokyo, but we've done our best." (canberratimes.com.au, 12 Jul 2021)

EARLY DAYS
Before she took up rowing, her primary sport was swimming, and she would swim competitively against able-bodied athletes. "I loved to play sport while growing up, but I found options limiting. I did try my hand at what I could, however rowing was not a sport that I was originally attracted to. All my life I have been an avid swimmer, as it was a good rehab source, and when I was 23 years old I took up open water competition swimming locally in southwest Victoria. At the time I was competing against able-bodied people, and doing quite well, when someone mentioned, why I don't try my hand at the Paralympics." (anu-sport.com.au, 11 Jun 2020)

OCCUPATION
She has worked as a nurse at Canberra Health Services in Australia. "As a full-time nurse, as well as an elite athlete, my support network helps me make every minute count. My training partner Nikki [Ayers] understands the pressures of being an elite athlete, as well as being a frontline health worker. While I'm at work, I rarely talk about rowing. Our only focus is to provide the best possible care for our patients. There's my rowing life and my work life. I like to be seen as Kathryn the nurse in that environment, and not have my [sporting] achievements overshadow any of that." (mandurahmail.com.au, 06 Jun 2021; Facebook profile, 04 Feb 2021; Rowing Australia Facebook page, 15 Dec 2020; hercanberra.com.au, 21 Oct 2020)

She and crewmate John Maclean became the first Australians to win a Paralympic rowing medal when they claimed silver in the mixed trunk and arms double sculls at the 2008 Games in Beijing. (SportsDeskOnline, 02 Dec 2015; 2xu.com, 02 Sep 2011)