Katrina Lea Webb-Denis, OAM (born 22 May 1977) is an Australian Paralympic athlete with

cerebral palsy Cerebral palsy (CP) is a group of movement disorders that appear in early childhood. Signs and symptoms vary among people and over time, but include poor coordination, spasticity, stiff muscles, Paresis, weak muscles, and tremors. There may b ...

. She has won gold, silver and bronze medals in athletics at three Paralympic Games.

Personal

201000 - Opening Ceremony athletics competitor Katrina Webb torch 2 - 3b - 2000 Sydney opening ceremony photo

141100 - Athletics track Katrina Webb auographs flag for kids - 3b - 2000 Sydney candid photo

Webb has a mild form of

which was diagnosed when she was two years old. Her parents did not tell her of the disability. Her cerebral palsy was diagnosed again when she won an

Australian Institute of Sport The Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) is a high performance sports training institution in Australia. The institute's headquarters were opened in 1981 and are situated in the northern suburb of Bruce, Canberra. The AIS is a division of the ...

netball scholarship. AIS staff found a weakness in her right leg, which was shorter than her left leg. She was then encouraged to become involved in disability sport. After winning the 100m at the 1996 Atlanta Games, she faced criticism over her legitimacy to compete at the Games. She has a physiotherapy degree from the

University of South Australia The University of South Australia is a public research university based in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1991, it is the successor of the former South Australian Institute of Technology. Its main campuses along North Terrace are ...

. Her father Darryl played league football for

North Adelaide Football Club The North Adelaide Football Club, nicknamed the Roosters, is an Australian rules football club affiliated with the South Australian National Football League (SANFL) and SANFL Women's League (SANFLW). The club plays its home games at Prospect ...

. Her cousins are Olympic basketballer

Rachael Sporn Rachael Pamela Sporn is an Australian former basketball player and three-time Olympian. Career Born in Murrayville, Victoria, Rachael Pamela Sporn debuted in the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) in 1986 with the West Adelaide Bea ...

and AFL players Kieran and Trent Sporn. She married former Australian Olympic water polo player Eddie Denis. Her first child Sebastian Zavier Denis was born on 27 December 2007. She was the first torch bearer to enter the Olympic Stadium for the Opening Ceremony of the Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games. In 2006 Katrina was selected to present on behalf of the

International Paralympic Committee The International Paralympic Committee (IPC; ) is an international non-profit organisation and the global governing body for the Paralympic Movement. The IPC organizes the Paralympic Games and functions as the international federation for nin ...

to the United Nations in New York. In November 2017, Webb was inducted into the South Australian Sports Hall of Fame. Webb was appointed Deputy Chef de Mission for the Australian Team at the

2026 Commonwealth Games The 2026 Commonwealth Games (), officially known as the XXIII Commonwealth Games and Glasgow 2026 (; ), is a planned multi-sport event scheduled from 23 July to 2 August 2026, to be hosted in Glasgow, the largest city in Scotland, for members ...

Athletic achievements

* 1994 all Australian Netball Squad 17 & under * 1995

Netball Scholarship * 1996 Atlanta Paralympic Games: Gold 100m, Gold 200m, Silver Long Jump * 1997

Medal of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an Australian honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of then ...

for her gold medals in Atlanta * 1998 IPC Athletics World Championships: Silver 400m, Silver 100m & Gold Javelin & WR * 1997–2000 South Australian Athlete Ambassador for Health & Disabilities * 2000 Sydney Paralympic Games: Silver 400m, Silver 100m and Bronze 200m;

Australian Sports Medal The Australian Sports Medal is an award given to recognise achievements in Australian sport to commemorate Australian participation in major sporting events. Original recipients of the award included competitors, coaches, sports scientists, off ...

* 2001

Centenary Medal The Centenary Medal is an award which was created by the Australian Government in 2001. It was established to commemorate the centenary of the Federation of Australia and to recognise "people who made a contribution to Australian society or g ...

* 2002 World Athletic Championships: Silver 100m and Silver 400m * 2004 New World record for the 200m T38 class * 2004 Athens Paralympic Games: Gold 400m and Paralympic Record * 2004 South Australian Sports Institute Female Athlete of the Year * 2005 Australian Institute of Sport Athletics Scholarship Canberra *

2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games The 2006 Commonwealth Games, officially the XVIII Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Melbourne 2006, were an international multi-sport event for members of the Commonwealth held in Melbourne, Australia between 15 and 26 March 2006. It w ...

Silver 100m

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Webb, Katrina 1977 births Living people Paralympic athletes for Australia Cerebral palsy-category Paralympic competitors Track and field athletes with cerebral palsy Athletes (track and field) at the 1996 Summer Paralympics Athletes (track and field) at the 2000 Summer Paralympics Athletes (track and field) at the 2004 Summer Paralympics Athletes (track and field) at the 2006 Commonwealth Games Medalists at the 1996 Summer Paralympics Medalists at the 2000 Summer Paralympics Medalists at the 2004 Summer Paralympics Paralympic gold medalists for Australia Paralympic silver medalists for Australia Paralympic bronze medalists for Australia Commonwealth Games silver medallists for Australia Recipients of the Medal of the Order of Australia Recipients of the Australian Sports Medal Sportswomen from South Australia Australian Institute of Sport netball players Australian female javelin throwers Australian female long jumpers Australian female sprinters Paralympic medalists in athletics (track and field) Australian netball players Netball players from South Australia Medallists at the 2006 Commonwealth Games 21st-century Australian sportswomen Commonwealth Games silver medallists in athletics