Paralympic gold medallist Jodi Elkington-Jones is Penrith’s Australia Day Ambassador for 2016.
“She’s a great match for our City,” Penrith Mayor Karen McKeown said.
“Sport has always been Jodi’s passion, and being diagnosed with cerebral palsy as a toddler has done nothing to hold her back.
“She represented Australia in a range of events at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in India, the International Paralympic Committee World Championships in New Zealand in 2011 and the 2012 London Paralympics.”
Jodi discovered her ability for long jump and won the 2014 National title in Melbourne.
She went on to win gold at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, with all six of her jumps big enough to win her the gold medal.
Jodi is now in training for the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio.
Organised by the Australia Day Council, the Australia Day Ambassador Program sees distinguished Australians volunteer their time and energy to help inspire pride and celebration in hundreds of local communities across the country.
Weekender Newsroom
This post has been published by the team in our newsroom.