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Susan Seipel (born 4 April 1986) is an Australian Para-canoeist, a gold and bronze medallist in kayak and outrigger canoe at the
2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the April ...
and 2016 World Championships. She won a bronze medal at the
2016 Rio Paralympics The 2016 Summer Paralympics (), the 15th Summer Paralympic Games, were a major international multi-sport event for athletes with disabilities governed by the International Paralympic Committee, held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 7 to 18 Septe ...
and a silver medal at the
2020 Summer Paralympics The , branded as the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, was an international multi-sport parasports event held from 24 August to 5 September 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. They were the 16th Summer Paralympic Games as organized by the International Paralym ...
.


Personal

Seipel, a Bellbowrie resident of
Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...
, was born with Arthrogryposis Multiplex, a rare disorder characterised by fusion of joints and absent muscle formation in her legs. Born in Ipswich, Queensland she attended St Peter Claver College. In 2003, she completed Information Technology certificates and in 2004, a TAFE course in horse management. In 2008, she completed a Diploma of Applied Science, Equine Studies Major at the
University of Queensland , mottoeng = By means of knowledge and hard work , established = , endowment = A$224.3 million , budget = A$2.1 billion , type = Public research university , chancellor = Peter Varghese , vice_chancellor = Deborah Terry , city = ...
. She has undertaken a course in Professional Leadership at
La Trobe University La Trobe University is a public university, public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. Its main campus is located in the suburb of Bundoora, Victoria, Bundoora. The university was established in 196 ...
. Seipel was awarded a Full Sporting Blue at
Griffith University Griffith University is a public research university in South East Queensland on the east coast of Australia. Formally founded in 1971, Griffith opened its doors in 1975, introducing Australia's first degrees in environmental science and Asia ...
whilst undertaking a Bachelor of Psychology (Hons). She is a volunteer and ambassador for the
RSPCA The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) is a charity operating in England and Wales that promotes animal welfare. The RSPCA is funded primarily by voluntary donations. Founded in 1824, it is the oldest and largest a ...
at
Wacol, Queensland Wacol is a suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the , Wacol had a population of 3,761 people. Geography Wacol is bounded to the west by the Brisbane River and to the north loosely by Wolston Creek. It is south-west of ...
.


Sporting career


Swimming

Seipel's sporting career began at the age of four as part of her physiotherapy program. She learned to swim at the Bellbowrie Club and competed against her able-bodied classmates at Our lady of the Rosary Primary School, Kenmore. She held six Queensland State records between the age of 13-15 and three Australian National Age records in freestyle and backstroke.


Equestrian

At the age of seven, Seipel's sporting passion began to change after learning to ride horses at the McIntyre Riding Centre for the Disabled in the western suburbs of
Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...
. Seipel said: "We used to go past the Centre on the way to my school and I always saw the horses. I really loved animals and wanted to have a go there. My parents thought it would be good therapy and took me along." In 1998, she competed for the first time at the National Riding for Disabled (RDA) Dressage Championships, where she gained first place in her warm- up test against international riders. After competing at these Championships for nine successive years, Seipel made her International debut at the FEI Pacific Rim Para-equestrian Dressage International, held at Milner Downs Equestrian Centre in Langley, Canada. It was here she gave her best performance winning a bronze medal and qualified for the
2008 Summer Paralympics The 2008 Summer Paralympic Games (), the 13th Summer Paralympic Games, took place in Beijing, China from September 6 to 17, 2008. As with the 2008 Summer Olympics, equestrian events were held in Hong Kong and sailing events in Qingdao. It wa ...
Beijing, China, but was not selected in the team to represent Australia. Summary of equestrian achievements:
*Australian Para Dressage Team for the World Equestrian Games 2010 *Australian Riding for the Disabled (RDA) National Dressage Champion 1999, 2006, 2008 *Reserve Para Equestrian Dressage Champion 2010 *Short listed for 2008 Beijing Paralympics *State Riding for the Disabled Queensland Dressage Champion 9 times *2007 Queensland Young Achiever for Sports Award *2009
Equestrian Australia Equestrian Australia (EA) is the national governing body for equestrian sports in Australia. These sports include the FEI-recognized disciplines of dressage, eventing, show jumping, equestrian vaulting, endurance riding, reining, para-eque ...
National Para Dressage Development Squad *2010
Equestrian Australia Equestrian Australia (EA) is the national governing body for equestrian sports in Australia. These sports include the FEI-recognized disciplines of dressage, eventing, show jumping, equestrian vaulting, endurance riding, reining, para-eque ...
National Para Dressage Elite Squad In leaving Equestrian, Seipel said: "I did Equestrian for 18 years, competing at National and International level. I decided to take a break because it's quite an expensive sport".


Canoeing

In 2012, Seipel attended a Para-canoe 'come and try day'. She was encouraged to take up Para-canoeing by Australian Olympian
Amanda Rankin Amanda Rankin (born 22 October 1976) is an Australian sprint canoeist who has competed since the mid-2000s. She won a bronze medal in the K-4 1000 m event at the 2003 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships in Gainesville. Rankin also compet ...
. and in 2013 joined the Brisbane Canoeing Club. Seipel is classified a KL2 and competed at the 2014 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships in Moscow where she finished sixth in the Women's KL2 (formerly TA) K1 200m. Determined to pursue her competitive spirit, Seipel mastered the kayak (K1) and outrigger (V1) canoes winning in both boats at domestic trials. At the 2015 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships in
Milan Milan ( , , Lombard language, Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the List of cities in Italy, second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4  ...
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
, she won the gold medal in the Women's V–1 200 m VL2 and bronze medal in the Women's K–1 200 m KL2, a
2016 Rio Paralympics The 2016 Summer Paralympics (), the 15th Summer Paralympic Games, were a major international multi-sport event for athletes with disabilities governed by the International Paralympic Committee, held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 7 to 18 Septe ...
event. Following her success, and with the support of Australian Canoeing, Seipel decided to move from Brisbane to the Gold Coast Queensland, where she could train full-time with the national coach Andrea King and access the AIS training facilities at Varsity Lakes. At the 2016 ICF Para-canoe World Championships,
Duisburg Duisburg () is a city in the Ruhr metropolitan area of the western German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Lying on the confluence of the Rhine and the Ruhr rivers in the center of the Rhine-Ruhr Region, Duisburg is the 5th largest city in No ...
,
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...
, she won the gold medal in the Women's 200 m Vl2 and bronze medal in the Women's 200 m KL2, a Paralympic Games event. Seipel won the bronze medal in the 200 m KL2 when paracanoe made its debut at the Rio Paralympics. At the
2017 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships The 2017 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships, the 43rd edition of the World Championships, were held in Račice, Czech Republic, from 23 to 27 August 2017. Explanation of events Canoe sprint competitions are contested in either a Canadian ...
, Račice,
Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. Th ...
, she won the gold medal in Women's VL2 200m and finished fourth in the Women's KL2 200m. At the
2018 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships The 2018 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships, the 44th edition of the World Championships, were held in Montemor-o-Velho, Portugal, from 22 to 26 August 2018. Explanation of events Canoe sprint competitions were contested in either a Canadia ...
,
Montemor-o-Velho Montemor-o-Velho () is a town and municipality of the Coimbra District, in Portugal. The population of the municipality in 2011 was 26,171, in an area of 228.96 km². History In 711, the Arab occupation of the Iberian Peninsula began. Mont ...
,
Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, In recognized minority languages of Portugal: :* mwl, República Pertuesa is a country located on the Iberian Peninsula, in Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Macaronesian ...
, she finished sixth in the Women's KL2 200m and fourth in the Women's VL2 200m. At the
2019 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships The 2019 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships, the 45th edition of the World Championships, were held in Szeged, Hungary from 21 to 25 August 2019. The championships served as the primary qualification regatta for the 2020 Olympic and Paralym ...
,
Szeged Szeged ( , ; see also other alternative names) is the third largest city of Hungary, the largest city and regional centre of the Southern Great Plain and the county seat of Csongrád-Csanád county. The University of Szeged is one of the m ...
,
Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croa ...
, she won the silver medal in the Women's VL2 200m and bronze medal in the Women's KL2 200m. At the
2020 Summer Paralympics The , branded as the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, was an international multi-sport parasports event held from 24 August to 5 September 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. They were the 16th Summer Paralympic Games as organized by the International Paralym ...
. Seipel won a silver medal in the Women's VL2 200m with a time of 1:01.481, over 4 seconds longer than the eventual winner
Emma Wiggs Emma Clare Wiggs, (born 14 June 1980) is a British paracanoeist and former sitting volleyball player, who competes in the KL2 classification of paracanoe. She won gold at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in the KL2 category, gold and silver at th ...
of Great Britain. Seipel also competed in the Women's KL2 200m and came seventh. Seipel finished fifth in both the Women's KL2 200m and VL2 200m at the 2022 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships. In 2021, she was awarded Paddle Australia's Paracanoeist of the Year. Seipel trains with the Brisbane Canoeing Club.


References


External links

* * *
Susan Seipel
at
Paddle Australia Paddle Australia is the governing body for the sport of canoeing and kayaking in Australia. History The body was founded in Bexley, New South Wales on 10 September 1949 as the Australian Canoe Federation and affiliated with the Internat ...

archive
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Seipel, Susan 1986 births Living people Australian female canoeists Paralympic canoeists for Australia Paralympic medalists in paracanoe Paralympic bronze medalists for Australia Paralympic silver medalists for Australia Canoeists at the 2016 Summer Paralympics Canoeists at the 2020 Summer Paralympics Medalists at the 2016 Summer Paralympics Medalists at the 2020 Summer Paralympics Sportswomen from Queensland Sportspeople from Ipswich, Queensland ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships medalists in paracanoe 21st-century Australian women