Torita Blake
2016 Australian Paralympic team portrait of Isaac
Personal information
NationalityAustralian
Born (1995-07-05) 5 July 1995
Moree, New South Wales
Sport
CountryAustralia
SportParalympic athletics
ClubUniversity of Queensland
Coached byWayne Leaver
Medal record
IPC Athletics World Championships
Bronze medal – third place2015 Doha400 m T38
Bronze medal – third place2017 London400 m T38

Torita Blake (born 5 July 1995) is an Indigenous Australian athlete. She represented Australia at the 2012 Summer Paralympics in athletics and won a bronze medal at the 2015 IPC Athletics World Championships.[1][2] She represented Australia at the 2016 Rio Paralympics in athletics.[3]

She competed as Torita Isaac up until 2016.[4]

Personal

Blake was born on 5 July 1995 in Moree, New South Wales.[5][6] She is from Logan, Queensland.[7][8] She was born with cerebral palsy, is blind in her right eye and has only 10% minimised vision in her left.[5][8] She has fractured her legs eleven times.[9] She has broken both arms falling off a horse.[9] Blake is an Indigenous woman from the Dunghutti Aboriginal people.[6]

Blake is an ambassador for the Raise the Bar Academy, a program run by Athletics Australia and Melbourne University, for indigenous secondary school students. She said "I've always wanted to inspire and show my heritage off. I'd like to be a mentor to indigenous kids and also kids with disability in sports. I want to represent Australia, but also my community and my culture. If I can show young indigenous kids you can do something, that nothing can stop you, then that's extra special for me."[10]

Athletics

Isaac at the 2012 London Paralympics
Isaac at the 2012 London Paralympics

Isaac first joined an athletics club in 2011,[6][7][9][10] and specialises in sprints.[11] She has been classified as a T13 before being reclassified to T38.[8][9] She is a former member of Jimboomba Athletics Club.[8]

Isaac competed in the 2012 Sydney Track Classic, 2012 Brisbane Track Classic and the 2012 Adelaide Track Classic.[12] At the 2012 Summer Paralympics, she finished seventh in the 100 m T38, seventh in the 200 m T38 and fourth in the 4 × 100 m Relay T35-38event.[5][8][13]

Competing at the 2013 IPC Athletics World Championships in Lyon, she finished seventh in both the Women's 100m and 200m T38.[5] At the 2015 IPC Athletics World Championships in Doha, she won a bronze medal in the Women's 400m T38.[2]

At the 2016 Rio Paralympics, her aim was to receive a podium finish although unfortunately missed out placing 4th overall in the 400 m T38 event with a time of 1:04.47[14]

At the 2017 World Para Athletics Championships in London, England, she won a bronze medal in the Women's 400m T38 and finished seventh in the Women's 200m T38.[15][16]

She is coached by Wayne Leaver in Brisbane.[5][10]

References

  1. ↑ "Shining stars on the road to the Paralympics | Tracker". Archived from the original on 16 December 2013. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
  2. 1 2 "Doha 2015". Athletics Australia website. 26 October 2015. Retrieved 26 October 2015.
  3. ↑ "Australian Paralympic Athletics Team announced". Australian Paralympic Committee News, 2 August 2016. Retrieved 2 August 2016.
  4. ↑ "Torita Blake". Athletics Australia website. Retrieved 21 July 2017.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 "Torita Isaac profile". International Paralympic Committee website. Retrieved 26 October 2015.
  6. 1 2 3 "Torita Isaac". Australia: Australian Paralympic Committee. 2012. Archived from the original on 18 July 2012. Retrieved 13 July 2012.
  7. 1 2 Kay, Ross (9 August 2012). "Who are our Queensland Paralympians? - ABC Wide Bay Qld — Australian Broadcasting Corporation". Abc.net.au. Retrieved 16 August 2012.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 Boswell, Tom (11 July 2012). "London looms for Jimboomba athlete Torita Isaac | News, events and sport for Logan". The Courier-Mail. Retrieved 16 August 2012.
  9. 1 2 3 4 "Isaac ready for London". Moree Champion. 7 August 2012. Retrieved 16 August 2012.
  10. 1 2 3 Lawrence, Ellisa (5 September 2016). "Paralympics 2016: We're the Superhumans - Queensland's champions". Courier Mail. Retrieved 5 September 2016.
  11. ↑ "Sullivan named among final seven for Australian London 2012 athletics team | Athletics News". insideworldparasport.biz. 20 July 2012. Archived from the original on 21 July 2012. Retrieved 16 August 2012.
  12. ↑ "Torita Isaac recent performances". Nswathletics.info. Retrieved 16 August 2012.
  13. ↑ "Paralympics Team List". BigPond Sport. 6 January 2012. Archived from the original on 4 September 2012. Retrieved 16 August 2012.
  14. ↑ "Women's 400m - T38 Schedule & Results – Paralympic Athletics". Rio Paralympics Results. Archived from the original on 24 October 2016. Retrieved 5 November 2016.
  15. ↑ Ryner, Sascha. "A silver lining for Australia". Athletics Australia News, 16 July 2017. Retrieved 21 July 2017.
  16. ↑ Ryner, Sascha. "Photo decider sees O'Hanlon reclaim glory". Athletics Australia News. Retrieved 21 July 2017.
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