Vanessa Low

Vanessa Low (born 17 July 1990) is a German-born Australian Paralympic athlete competing in T42 sprint and long jump events. Born in East Germany, she gained Australian nationality in June 2017.

In 2016, Low was the only actively competing female track athlete with two above-knee amputations of her legs. Despite the location of these amputations and despite her having to compete with athletes having one fully functional leg, she successfully made it to the finals of all of her sprint and long jump competitions at both the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London and the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio. In Rio she won the gold medal with a 4.93m world record distance in the T42 long jump and a silver medal in the T42 100m competition. This was repeated in the 2020 Summer Paralympics in Tokyo with the T63 long jump gold medal and world record even though she was classified T61.

Personal history Low was born on 17 July 1990 in Schwerin, East Germany, and grew up in Ratzeburg. In June 2006, at the age of 15, she was struck by a train at a railway platform after losing her balance. The accident severed her left leg and left her in a coma for two weeks. During life-saving surgery her doctors were forced to amputate her other leg.

Sporting career Low enjoyed sports before her accident, and wished to continue playing after. She also stated that she was inspired by American disabled long jumper Cameron Clapp.

In 2013, Low visited her friend and fellow German athlete Katrin Green, who was living in the United States and was married to American athlete Roderick Green. While training with the Greens, Low found her passion for athletics rekindled and decided to move to the States, and took Roderick on as her new trainer.

In the build up to the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio, Low competed at the 2015 World Championships in Doha. In the 100m sprint she posted a personal best of 15.41s to win the silver medal, but it was her world record distance of 4.79m in the long jump that not only gave her the gold but also set her out as the athlete to beat at Rio.

At the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Low won the gold medal with a 4.93m world record distance in the T42 long jump and a silver medal in the T42 100m competition with a personal best of 15.17s. It was her first major international medal representing Australia. She won the women's T63 long jump gold medal, surpassing the previous world record three times in wet conditions, her final jump being 5.28m.

At the 2024 World Para Athletics Championships in Kobe, Japan, Low won the gold medal in the Women's Long Jump T63. Her jump of 5.29m (-0.1) setting a new championship record and narrowly missed her own world record of 5.33m.

At the 2024 Paris Paralympics, she won the gold medal in the Women's Long Jump T63 with a world record of 5.45 (-0.3). In 2025, she broke her own world record in the long jump, leaping 5.71m at the Australian Athletics Championships in Perth.

At the 2025 World Para Athletics Championships in New Delhi, she won the gold medal in the Women's Long Jump T63 in 5.49m (+0.5). It was her third world championships gold medal.

Low is coached by Scott Reardon after being coached by Iryna Dvorskina.

Recognition

2020 – Athletics Australia 2019 Female Para-athlete of the Year. 2020 - Canberra Sport Awards - Para athlete of the Year 2022 – Medal of the Order of Australia for service to sport as a gold medallist at the Tokyo Paralympic Games 2020 2022 - Athletics Australia Amy Winters Award for Female Para Athlete of the Year 2024 - Athletics Australia Amy Winters Award for Female Para Athlete of the Year 2025 - Athletics Australia Amy Winters Award for Female Para Athlete of the Year