Three-time Paralympic Athlete, Carlee Beattie has announced her retirement today after a phenomenal career spanning 11 years. The 6-time International Medalist, 2015 World Champion, World Record holder and our very own Oceania Athletics Staff Member has opened up about her injury that has prompted her retirement less than a year out from the Tokyo Paralympics.
In 2017, I suffered a tibial plateau fracture during training. My surgeon did say to me that I should retire then and there, but I was determined to give it another crack. It was an arduous extended return to training and competition, and in June this year, I competed for the first time in nearly 3 years. I was chasing a qualifier for the World Champs, and I came very close! But alas, my injured left knee could no longer cope with the strain of jumping. I’ve had a great career that I’m proud of and enjoyed almost every minute of it.
Thanks to everyone who has been a part of this journey with me – coaches, training partners, family, friends, etc. Athletics really did change my life for the better, and I’m grateful that I can continue to be a part of it in some capacity.
A true athlete at heart, Beattie from Warwick, Queensland grew up playing plenty of other sports including field hockey and netball. She competed in the 2000 Netball State Titles, where she was named the competition’s most valuable player. Identified by teachers, she was destined for Para Sports Success. Carlees impairment is congenital – her left arm is not fully formed, and is classified as an arm amputee.
Carlee made her international debut at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games. Highlights from her career include:
- 2011 IPC Athletics World Championships (Christchurch, NZ): Long Jump🥈 and 100m🥉
- 2012 London Paralympic Games: Long Jump 🥈
- In 2012, she was named one of Zoo Weekly’s sexiest Paralympians
- 2013 IPC Athletics World Championships (Lyon, France): Long Jump🥈
- At the 2015 IPC Athletics World Championships in Doha, Qatar 🥇 Carlee held off Yunidis Castillo (CUB) and Anna Grimaldi (NZL) in the women’s long jump T47, to win gold with a season-best jump of 5.75 metres.
- 2016 Rio Paralympic Games: Long Jump 🥉
“Career Highlight “Breaking the 6m barrier, to set a new world record in the women’s long jump F46″. The record still stands at 6.01m (T46/47)”
While Beattie is hanging up the Spikes, she will always be close to the track. Carlee is currently on the Athletes Advisory Group (AAG) for World Para Athletics. Beyond that, she is an invaluable member of the Oceania Family. Before joining the OA Office in May 2018, Carlee worked at the Commonwealth Games as the Athletics Coordinator. It’s fair to say that Athletics is a big part of Carlee’s life! Part of Carlee’s role at OAA has been applying and managing various projects within the region. Her aspirations as a Project manager is to share her knowledge in nutrition and to utilise her experiences as an elite para-athlete to promote change throughout the Oceania Region.
Congratulations Carlee, we wish you all the best for your future endeavours.
