For Vanessa Low, the Australian para-long jumper, life comes to a full circle this week at the New Delhi 2025 World Para Athletics Grand Prix.
The 34-year-old has carried India’s Kanteerava Stadium to the world with her ’12°47’ N 77°37’ E’ tattoo. She made her international athletics debut at the venue for Germany at the age of 18 in the 2009 Para World Games.
“It was very chaotic. The transport didn’t work well and there were all sorts of struggles but I loved every minute of it,” she recalls in an interview to Sportstar.
43°32’ S 17.2° 38’ E, 45°46’ N 4°50’ E, 25°17’ N 51°32’ E are the other three tattoos on her right forehand, carrying the memories of Christchurch, Lyon and Doha, locations of the 2011, 2013 and 2015 Para Athletics World Championships.
She won her first World Championships gold medal at the Doha World Championships in the women’s long jump T42 event.
In the recent times, Low clinched three successive Paralympic games — in the women’s long jump T42 event for Germany at Rio and subsequently the T63 category at the Tokyo and Paris Games in 2021 and 2024 for Australia — after changing allegiance following her marraige to coach Scott Reardon.
She is likely to addd to her gold medal tally at the New Delhi Grand Prix. However, it is not the medals that drives her.
I was fairly unfortunate and fortunate that I wasn’t very talented when I started out. It took me seven years to win my first Paralympic medal,” Low who lost both her legs above the knee in a train accident in her youth, said.
“I found the beauty in the sport before I won my first gold medal. So, nothing much changed after that medal. I thought I would be done after Paris. I thought I would be able to let go. But I really love the training. I feel I can achieve more. I feel it’s hard to leave the sport when you know you can do better. I am aware of my age but as long as I love it, I will continue. I’m motivated not just by getting a chance to compete but also by how I can change how others see the sport,” she added.