Australian Ambassador visits Carrick-on-Suir relatives of his country's paralympian athletics star Sarah Walsh

Caption picture above: Members of the Walsh family with Australian Ambassador to Ireland Gary Gray during his visit to the family. From left: Martin Walsh, uncle, and cousin; Muireann Walsh, Olivia Walsh, aunt and Emer Walsh, cousin, Fionn Walsh, Martina Walsh and Aoife Walsh, cousins and aunt and Theresa Walsh, grandmother with Australian Ambassador Gary Gray. Picture: Anne Marie Magorrian

Australian Ambassador to Ireland the Hon. Gary Gray visited the Carrick-on-Suir home of Theresa Walsh on May 13 in recognition of the outstanding performances of her granddaughter Australian based paralympic champion athlete Sarah Walsh.

Sarah’s aunt, uncles and cousins gathered at her paternal grandmother Theresa Walsh’s home in Coolnamuck, the homestead where Sarah’s father Tom grew up.

Sarah, born in Australia in 1998, is an exceptional athlete who has represented Australia in para-athletics with an ever-increasing personal best in the Long Jump.

She was born with fibular hemimelia and her parents Tom and Patricia (Clones, county Monaghan) had a harrowing decision to the age of 15 in 2014 at the International Sports Event in Glasgow which was a lead up to the Commonwealth Games.

Sarah has since then and represented Australia in major world para athletics championships winning medals and exceeding her personal best.

At the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics, which took place in August 2021, Sarah finished 7th in the long jump make that resulted in a below knee amputation when she was just 18-months-old.

After pursuing a passion for surfing and many sports in her childhood, Sarah was drawn to the long jump after receiving a prosthetic running blade when she was 10-years-old.

This led to Sarah representing Australia from the age of 15 in 2014 at the International Sports Event in Glasgow, which was a lead up to the Commonwealth Games.

Sarah has since then represented Australia in major world para athletics championships winning medals and exceeding her personal best. At the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics in August 2021, she finished 7th in the long jump with a jump of 5.11m.

Australia’s Ambassador to Ireland Gary Gray had read of Sarah’s wonderful success in the local media and wanted to meet her family in Carrickbeg.

He was warmly welcomed into the family home and spent time talking to Sarah’s Irish relatives and also to Sarah via Facetime from Australia.

He enquired about her upcoming events which will see Sarah compete in the Oceania Athletics Championships in Mackay, Australia in June.

The Walsh family presented the Ambassador with a framed print of Carrick-on-Suir by renowned local artist Tony Oakey.

Ambassador Gray said he was delighted to have met Sarah’s wonderful family and he wished every success for Sarah in the future.