41 Facts About Louise Sauvage

Alix Louise Sauvage, OAM was born on 18 September 1973 and is an Australian paralympic wheelchair racer and leading coach.

Louise Sauvage won nine gold and four silver medals at four Paralympic Games and eleven gold and two silver medals at three IPC Athletics World Championships.

Louise Sauvage was Australian Female Athlete of the Year in 1999, and International Female Wheelchair Athlete of the Year in 1999 and 2000.

Louise Sauvage was born in 1973 in Perth, Western Australia, the daughter of Rita and Maurice Louise Sauvage.

Louise Sauvage's mother was a Ten Pound Pom from Leicestershire, England, while her father was born in the British colony of Seychelles.

Louise Sauvage was born with a severe congenital spinal condition called myelomeningocele, which inhibits the function of the lower half of the body, giving limited control over the legs.

Louise Sauvage used calipers to help walk until she received her first wheelchair.

Louise Sauvage's myelomeningocele required her to have 21 surgical operations by the time she was ten years old.

Louise Sauvage has not had any subsequent surgery to fix the curve in her spine.

Louise Sauvage grew up in Joondanna, Western Australia, attending Tuart Hill Primary School and Hollywood Senior High School before leaving to complete a TAFE course in office and secretarial studies.

Louise Sauvage underwent 20 operations before the age of 10.

Louise Sauvage's parents encouraged her to participate in sport from a very young age.

Louise Sauvage started swimming when she was three years old, with her parents enrolling her in swimming classes to help her build upper body strength.

Louise Sauvage started to compete in wheelchair sport at the age of eight.

Louise Sauvage took up competitive wheelchair racing when she was 15.

Louise Sauvage was forced to retire from swimming when she turned 14, because of surgery.

When Louise Sauvage first started competing in wheelchair racing, the chairs all had four wheels and were similar to the chairs that they used off the track.

Louise Sauvage was being marketed by the Australian Paralympic Federation as Australia's top female wheelchair road racer.

Louise Sauvage was in danger of not going to the 1992 Paralympics because of funding issues for the Australian Paralympic Federation.

Louise Sauvage went on to win a further three Boston titles in 1998,1999 and 2001.

Louise Sauvage has won the Los Angeles Marathon, Honolulu Marathon and Berlin Marathon.

From 1993 to 2001, Louise Sauvage won every IAAF wheelchair demonstration event at IAAF World Athletics Championships.

In 2000, Louise Sauvage won the Olympic demonstration event and was expected to win the Paralympic gold.

Louise Sauvage trained 10 to 14 hours a week when she was actively competing.

Louise Sauvage's training was very focused, and she attempted to make it fun to help her maintain interest.

Louise Sauvage was coached by Jenni Banks, who oversaw much of Sauvage's development as an elite wheelchair athlete, from her first international success at the World Games in Assen in 1990, to her best ever medal tally at the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Atlanta in 1996.

Louise Sauvage was an athletics coach with the Australian team 2008 Beijing Games and 2011 IPC Athletics World Championships.

In 2010, Louise Sauvage was a speaker at the IPC Women in Sport Summit.

In February 2011, Louise Sauvage participated in the Charter Hall Malabar Magic Ocean Swim.

Louise Sauvage was the Australian Paralympian of the Year in 1994,1996,1997 and 1998.

Louise Sauvage was the Australian Institute of Sport Athlete of the year in 1997 and in 2001 inducted into the AIS 'Best of the Best'.

In 2000, Louise Sauvage was named the Female Athlete of the Year in the Sport Australia Awards.

Louise Sauvage was awarded the Australian Sports Medal in 2000.

In 2004, Louise Sauvage carried the Australian flag into the stadium at the 2004 Summer Paralympics.

Louise Sauvage was inducted onto the Victorian Honour Roll of Women in 2001 and into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 2007.

In 2009, Louise Sauvage was awarded Legend status in the New South Wales Hall of Champions.

In November 2018, Louise Sauvage was awarded Sport NSW Coach of the Year.

In 2019, Louise Sauvage was made a Legend in the Sport Australia Hall of Fame.

Louise Sauvage became the first Australian Paralympian to be awarded Legend status.

Louise Sauvage was awarded Paralympics Australia 2020 Coach of the Year.

Several Paralympians cite Louise Sauvage as inspiring them to become athletes, including wheelchair racer Kurt Fearnley.