The Aussie champion Liesl Tesch is all set to take on the world in the 2016 Rio Paralympics sailing event that starts on September 12. She has the gold medal in her name in the two person keelboat race (SKUD18). Tesch started her Paralympics career as a wheelchair basketball player and later took on to sailing where her fortunes changed for good. She has had a successful career in the sailing arena.

It was the Sydney Heads sailing that tempted her to shift her sport of wheelchair basketball to sailing. Her current sailing partner Dan Fitzgibbon reached out to her seeing her documentary about sailors with disabilities. He asked her if she was interested in going for a sail and she readily agreed – joining him on a Trogir Bareboat Yacht Charter. She thought that she could make it to the Paralympics in Rio, but never in her wildest dreams thought that could she try her hand out at the London 2012 Paralympics. She not only took part in the London 2012 event, but also won gold medal along with her partner Dan in 2012.

Tesch says that she wants to sail all around the world and through the sailing sport wants to change the perception of the world. She says that the sport has great power and can easily transform people. There is no doubt that she will make a huge difference in the future and help in making the future bright for disabled athletes.

She is very much happy to have won a gold medal in London 2012 and was satisfied to have done it in her first attempt as a sailor in a major event. She is a great human being and a very good advocate for sport, disabled sport and sailing.

She has got her task cut out along with her partner Fitzgibbon when the two defend their SKUD 18 gold medal on the Pão de Açucar race area of Guanabara Bay.