Susan Powell (cyclist)

Susan "Sue" Powell, OAM (born 30 May 1967) is an Australian cyclist. At the 2012 London Paralympics, she won a gold medal in the Women's Individual Pursuit C4, setting a new world record in the process, and a silver medal in the Women's Individual Pursuit C4. At the 2016 Rio Paralympics, Powell won the silver medal in the 3 km Women's Individual Pursuit C4.

Susan Powell
2016 Australian Paralympic team portrait of Powell
Personal information
NationalityAustralian
Born (1967-05-30) 30 May 1967
Nowra, New South Wales
Sport
CountryAustralia
SportCycling
Disability classC4
ClubVikings Cycling Club ACT
Medal record
Women's cycling
Paralympic Games
Gold medal – first place2012 LondonWomen's Individual Pursuit C4
Silver medal – second place2012 LondonWomen's Individual C 4 Road Time Trial
Silver medal – second place2016 Rio de JaneiroWomen's Individual Pursuit C4
Bronze medal – third place2016 Rio de JaneiroWomen's road time trial C4
UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships
Gold medal – first place2009 BogonoWomen's Individual Time Trial LC2
Silver medal – second place2009 BogonoWomen's Road Race LC2
Silver medal – second place2010 Baie-ComeauWomen's Individual Time Trial C2
Bronze medal – third place2010 Baie-ComeauWomen's Road Race C2
Gold medal – first place2011 RoskildeWomen's Individual Time Trial C4
Gold medal – first place2011 RoskildeWomen's Road Race C4
Bronze medal – third place2013 Baie-ComeauWomen's Individual Time Trial C4
Bronze medal – third place2013 Baie-ComeauWomen's Road Race C4
Silver medal – second place2014 GreenvilleWomen's Road Race C4
Bronze medal – third place2014 GreenvilleWomen's Individual Time Trial C4
Silver medal – second place2015 NottwilWomen's Road Race C4
UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships
Gold medal – first place2011 MontichiariWomen's 3 km Individual Pursuit C4
Silver medal – second place2011 MontichiariWomen's Time Trial C4
Silver medal – second place2012 Los AngelesWomen's Time Trial C4
Silver medal – second place2012 Los AngelesWomen's 3 km Individual Pursuit C4
Bronze medal – third place2012 Los AngelesWomen's Scratch Race C4-5
Gold medal – first place2014 AguascalientesWomen's 3 km Individual Pursuit C4
Bronze medal – third place2014 AguascalientesWomen's Time Trial C4
Gold medal – first place2015 AppledornWomen's 3 km Individual Pursuit C4
Bronze medal – third place2015 AppledornWomen's Time Trial C4
Silver medal – second place2016 MontichiariWomen's 3 km Individual Pursuit C4

Personal

Susan Jennifer Powell was born on 30 May 1967 in the New South Wales city of Nowra.[1][2][3] In 2007, she had a spinal cord injury, which caused weakness in her right leg, due to a field hockey accident.[1][2] She has a Bachelor of Applied Science, a Master of Environmental Science and a PhD in Environmental Science.[1] As of 2012, she lives in the Australian Capital Territory where she is a Research Fellow at the University of Canberra specialising in riverine and wetland ecology and hydrology.[1][2][4]

Cycling
Powell at the 2012 London Paralympics

Powell is a C4 classified cyclist.[1][2] She is a member of the Vikings Cycling Club ACT, and is coached by Sian Mulholland[1] and Glenn Doney.[2]

Powell initially began cycling to improve her fitness for hockey and golf. After the hockey accident, she found that she could still participate in cycling, so she took the sport more seriously.[1][2] She made her Australian national team debut at the 2009 Para-cycling Road World Championships and has since won 6 world championships (3xPursuit, Road and 2x Road TT). Sue has been named Champion of Champions at four consecutive Australian Paracycling Track Championships as well as three times Female Paracyclist of the Year.[1]

At the 2012 London Paralympics, she won a gold medal in the Women's Individual Pursuit C4, setting a new world record in the process, and a silver medal in the Women's Time Trial C4.[5] Competing at the 2013 Para-cycling Road World Championships in Baie-Comeau, Canada, she won two bronze medals in the Women's Individual Time Trial C4 and Women's Road Race C4.[6]

Powell at the 2012 London Paralympics

At the 2014 UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships in Aguascalientes, Mexico, she won a gold medal in the Women's 3 km Individual Pursuit C4, a bronze medal in the Women's Time Trial C4 and finished fourth in the Women's C1-5 Scratch Race.[7] Competing at the 2014 UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships in Greenville, South Carolina, Powell won two medals - silver medal in the Women's Road Race C4 and bronze medal in the Women's Time Trial C4.[8]

Powell repeated her 2014 results at the 2015 UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships in Appledorn, Netherlands by winning the gold medal in the Women's 3 km Individual Pursuit C4 and a bronze medal in the Women's Time Trial C4.[9][10] At the 2015 UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships in Nottwil, Switzerland, she won the silver medal in the Women's Road Race C4 and finished fourth in the Women's Time Trial Race C4.[11][12] The following year she finished second to Shawn Morelli in the Women's 3 km Individual Pursuit C4 at the 2016 UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships in Montichiari, Italy. Powell broke her sea-level personal best time twice in the competition.[13] In May 2016 she was selected in the Australian team for the 2016 Rio Paralympics.[14]

At the 2016 Rio Paralympics, Powell won the silver medal in the Women's 3 km Individual Pursuit C4. It was Australia's first medal of the games.[15] She followed the silver medal with a bronze medal in the Women's Road Time Trial C4.[16] Powell's other results were eight in the Women's 500 m Time Trial C4-5 and ninth in the Women's Road Race C4-5.[17]

Since 2011, she has had a scholarship with the ACT Academy of Sport.[1][18]

Recognition

Powell was awarded an Order of Australia Medal in the 2014 Australia Day Honours "for service to sport as a Gold Medallist at the London 2012 Paralympic Games."[3] She was the Australian Capital Territory Female Athlete of the Year and Sportstar of the Year in 2011, 2012 and 2014. In 2014, she was the joint winner with bmx rider Caroline Buchanan and joined basketballer Lauren Jackson as the only triple winner.[19] She was Cycling Australia's Female Paracyclist of the Year in 2009, 2010 and 2011.[20] In 2016, she was named Athlete of the Year – Para Sport at the Canberra Sport Awards.[21]

References
  1. "Sue Powell". Cycling Australia. Archived from the original on 15 May 2013. Retrieved 14 August 2012.
  2. "Susan Powell". Australia: Australian Paralympic Committee. 2012. Archived from the original on 21 September 2012. Retrieved 13 July 2012.
  3. "Australia Day honours list 2014: in full". The Daily Telegraph. 26 January 2014. Archived from the original on 22 June 2014. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
  4. "Australians Keen to Secure Maximum Places for London Paralympics". International Business Times. 16 February 2012. Archived from the original on 26 January 2013. Retrieved 14 August 2012.
  5. "Susan Powell". Paralympic.org. International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 19 October 2012.
  6. "Para-cycling Road World Championships - Results". UCI Website. Archived from the original on 1 February 2014. Retrieved 2 September 2013.
  7. "Australia finishes Para Track Worlds as top nation". Cycling Australia News. 14 April 2014. Archived from the original on 15 April 2014. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
  8. "Eight medals for Australia at Para-cycling Road World Championships". Cycling Australia News. 2 September 2014. Archived from the original on 3 September 2014. Retrieved 2 September 2014.
  9. "Triple medal treat on opening day of Para Track Worlds". Cycling Australia News. 27 March 2015. Archived from the original on 2 March 2016. Retrieved 7 May 2015.
  10. "Gallagher & Powell defend world titles; Australia claims four medals on day three". Cycling AustraliaNews, 29 March 2015. Archived from the original on 19 September 2016. Retrieved 7 May 2015.
  11. "Cooke and Bridgwood claim gold at UCI Para-cycling World Championships". Cycling Australia News. 31 July 2015. Archived from the original on 11 March 2016. Retrieved 2 August 2015.
  12. "Alistair Donohue defends world title at Para-cycling Road Worlds". Cycling Australia News. 2 August 2015. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 2 August 2015.
  13. "Gallagher gold headlines six medal haul on day three". Cycling Australia News. 20 March 2016. Archived from the original on 26 October 2016. Retrieved 20 March 2016.
  14. "Australian Paralympic Team announced". Australian Paralympic Committee News, 30 May 2016. Archived from the original on 3 October 2018. Retrieved 30 May 2016.
  15. "Rio 2016 Paralympics: Lakeisha Patterson wins gold in world record time, Powell takes silver". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 9 September 2016. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
  16. "Susan Powell". Rio Paralympics Official site. Archived from the original on 22 September 2016. Retrieved 15 September 2016.
  17. "Susan Powell". Rio Paralympics Official site. Archived from the original on 22 September 2016. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  18. "OLYMPIC HOPEFULS". The Canberra Times. Canberra, Australia. 26 November 2011. Archived from the original on 18 October 2018. Retrieved 17 July 2012.
  19. Polkinghorne, David (31 October 2014). "Caroline Buchanan and Sue Powell named ACT Sportstar of the Year". The Canberra Times. Archived from the original on 20 November 2014. Retrieved 4 November 2014.
  20. "Susan Powell". Cycling Australia. Archived from the original on 5 November 2014. Retrieved 5 November 2014.
  21. Dutton, Chris (9 December 2016). "Rio Olympic Games golden girl Kim Brennan and NBA star Patty Mills win ACT sport awards". The Canberra Times. Archived from the original on 9 December 2016. Retrieved 15 December 2016.
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