GOERLACH Jonathan

Classification
PTVI (World Triathlon, 25 Jun 2021)

Type of Impairment
Vision impairment (athletesvoice.com.au, 17 Sep 2019)

Impairment Details
He has Usher syndrome type 2, which is characterised by hearing loss from birth and progressive vision loss. "The vision impairment side of the condition often isn't noticeable until you're in your teenage years. So I wasn't diagnosed with the vision loss, and therefore Usher syndrome, until I was about 15. The vision loss generally means that you lose your night vision by the time you're about 18, along with your peripheral vision which continues to deteriorate as you get older. By the time you're in your 30s, you tend to have anywhere between five and 10 degrees of peripheral vision. I can't drive, I need to get my cane out when I walk around in busy places like airports, just to let others know I can't see well." (athletesvoice.com.au, 17 Sep 2019; asf.org.au, 01 Aug 2017)

Guide
David Mainwaring (Triathlon Australia Facebook page, 19 Jul 2021)

General
LEARNING TO SWIM
He nearly drowned at age four and as a result he had a fear of water growing up. He had to learn how to swim when he began Para triathlon in 2012. "I've always been passionate about sport and I played everything under the sun as a kid. As long as it didn't involve water. As a kid, I couldn't swim. So, triathlon wasn't really a sport that I would have been drawn to when I was younger! When I decided to start doing triathlons, I couldn't even swim the length of a 50m pool. So I had to start with learning to swim, attending lessons for 10 weeks just to get started. I could run, I could ride, but I couldn't swim. I travelled over to Europe after that and forced myself to learn how to tread water and swim by throwing myself off a boat in the Adriatic Sea. Literally threw myself off the deep end. It has taken a long time to get where I am but I can definitely say I'm a swimmer now." (athletesvoice.com.au, 17 Sep 2019)

RIO DISAPPOINTMENT
Having decided to pursue Para triathlon after the sport was included in the programme for the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, in 2015 it was announced that men's PT5, his classification, would not feature at the 2016 Games. "It was in 2015 when I found out the devastating news that my disability category wasn't going to be in Rio. I had been training for five years at that point with the goal to qualify for the 2016 Games, and through no fault of my own that was taken away. A voice inside my head just said, 'I've got to keep going until I achieve this goal'. It was a massive setback." (Mizuno Europe YouTube channel, 07 May 2021; sbs.com.au, 14 May 2018)

OTHER ACTIVITIES
He has been an ambassador for Usher Kids Australia, an Usher syndrome charity. "Every September, Usher Kids Australia have a big conference, in alignment with World Usher Awareness Day, where they get guest speakers in, people like me, and researchers talking about what's going on in the world around cures or prevention. If I can have some sort of influence on [children with Usher syndrome] to have a more positive outlook on life and set a good example in a way, that would be great." He has also served as chairperson of the elite athletes' committee of Triathlon Australia. In 2018 he was appointed as a member of the athletes' committee of World Triathlon. (athletesvoice.com.au, 17 Sep 2019; sbs.com.au, 14 May 2018; Triathlon Australia Annual Report, 10 Nov 2020; triathlon.org, 30 Oct 2018)