Brydee Moore

Brydee Moore is certainly going to be one to look out for in the field events at the 2008 Beijing Paralympics. Competing in the javelin, shot put and discus, she will be hoping to throw her way towards a medal haul for Australia.

Born with cerebral palsy, Brydee lives by the motto “see the athlete, not the disability.” Malaysia did not know what hit it when Brydee came home from the 2006 FESPIC Games, her first international competition, with gold medals in the discus and shot put. Her throwing distance of 11.67m in the discus set a new Australian record. Brydee holds the Australian records in the F33 classification for all three of her throwing disciplines, and her shot put distance of 6.47m is only three centimetres off the world record.

Brydee credits her coach, John Eden, as one of her role models and proudly wears a tiki charm that he has given her around her neck. She says that she cannot take it off, and given that she has a green belt in karate, you would have to be a brave person to try and take it from her. Brydee’s achievements have been recognised on several occasions, with the Wheelchair Sports Victoria Best Female Award for 2004 and 2005 and the Variety Club Junior Sportsperson Award for 2006 among her list of awards.

Away from the field Brydee says that she is a good cook and enjoys comedies such as Kath and Kim and Summer Heights High. After being disappointed at not being old enough to compete in the Athens 2004 Paralympics, Beijing 2008 is Brydee’s chance to fulfil her dream of being number one in the world in shot put, javelin and discus.