Melissa Leckie
Personal information
NationalityAustralian
Born(1984-02-07)7 February 1984
Died4 November 2022(2022-11-04) (aged 38)
Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
Sport
CountryAustralia
SportCycling
Disability classHC B

Melissa Katherine Leckie (7 February 1984 – 4 November 2022)[1] was an Australian Paralympic cyclist. She competed at the 2008 Beijing Paralympics. Leckie was also a disability services and anti-bullying advocate.

Personal life

Leckie was born on 7 February 1984.[2] She was bullied at school as she was shorter than other classmates. On 12 June 2001, Leckie became a paraplegic after she returned to her old school and jumped from third floor in a suicide attempt.[3] She spent over 12 months as an inpatient in the Hampstead Rehabilitation Centre due to the lack of government support in upgrading her family home.[4] She undertook a Bachelor of Education, Junior Primary and Primary at the University of South Australia.[5]

Leckie was an advocate for disability services. In 2012, she interrupted a speech by Prime Minister Julia Gillard at disability services conference in Sydney.[6] She highlighted that disability pension was only 57 per cent of national minimum wage.[6] In 2012, Leckie raised the issue of the lack of disability parking in Adelaide when fighting parking fines.[7]

Sport

As a child, Leckie was a talented gymnast and diver.[3] In 2002, after becoming a paraplegic, she raced against Louise Sauvage in the Adelaide's City-Bay Fun Run.[8]

Leckie took up hand-cycling in 2006 and busked in Adelaide's Rundle Mall to purchase a hand-cycle.[9] In March 2007, she competed in her first race - Wild West Handcycling Tour in Perth. In 2007, she won two silver medals at a world championship event in France.[8]

At the 2008 Beijing Paralympics, she competed in two hand-cycling events - finishing sixth in the Women's Road Individual Time Trial HC A-C and eighth in the Women's Road Individual Road Race HC A-C.[10] Leckie was a category B hand cyclist and competed against more able Category C cyclists.

Leckie was an Australian Paralympic Committee Talent Search athlete and held a South Australian Sports Institute scholarship.[2]

References

  1. ↑ "Mel Leckie - Death Norice". Herald Sun. 11 November 2022. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
  2. 1 2 Media Guide : 2008 Beijing. Sydney: Australian Paralympic Committee. 2008.
  3. 1 2 Sadler, Rahni (9 March 2010). "Beating the Bullies full transcript". Yahoo News. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
  4. ↑ "Inquiry Into Disability Care And Support - Adelaide Public Hearings, 16 June 2010" (PDF). Prime Minister and Cabinet. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
  5. ↑ "Mental Health Week 2009 - Overcoming challenges at university - Mel Leckie". University of South Australia Youtube. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
  6. 1 2 Ireland, Judith (3 December 2012). "Disabled woman interrupts PM". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
  7. ↑ Keller, Candice (5 June 2012). "Disabled parking fine fight in court". The Advertiser. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
  8. 1 2 Pilkington, Jarrad (7 August 2004). "Striving to race for green and gold glory". The Advertiser. p. 51.
  9. ↑ McWhirter, Fiona (24 January 2010). "Crippled after a terrible fall, Paralympian is turning her life around to inspire others enduring torment Bullied, I tried to kill myself". Sunday Mail. p. 14.
  10. ↑ "Mel Leckie". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
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