Paralympian Ellie Cole is like no one you’ve ever met before. After losing her right leg to cancer at age 3, in 2021 she became Australia’s most decorated female Paralympic athlete, with a record-breaking 17 Paralympic medals and OAM to her name.
At age three, Ellie’s right leg was amputated after she suffered a life-threatening sarcoma cancer. Rather than dwell on adversity, Ellie has instead shown an incredible ability to overcome the odds.
In her 16yrs in the pool, Ellie has risen to prolific heights and, in recognition was honoured as the flagbearer at the Tokyo 2020 Closing Ceremony.
Ellie is raw and real, funny and wonderfully charismatic, refreshingly humble and completely unaware of the true inspiration she is. A popular speaker, she finds ways to connect with her audiences; whether students, corporate teams or senior boards and she is incredibly passionate about the subject of diversity and inclusion, leveraging her strong platform as an athlete to highlight important causes.
It’s not only Ellie’s courageous story but her unrivalled sense of humour, wonderful humility and never-say-die attitude that make her a true Australian inspiration.
