Australian of the Year Dylan Alcott immortalised in Madame Tussauds wax figure

Australian of the Year Dylan Alcott has come face-to-face with his very own wax figure for the first time. Here’s what he thought.

Exclusive first unveiling of Paralympian, Dylan Alcott's (AO) wax figure at Madame Tussauds in Darling Harbour. Picture: NCA NewsWire/David Swift

Why have one Australian of the Year when you can have two?

Sporting legend Dylan Alcott came face-to-face and wheel to wheel with an exact wax replica of himself at Madame Tussauds Sydney.

The 31-year-old athlete, Paralympian, and disability advocate said he’s “pretty honoured,” to be one of the first wheelchair users immortalised in wax at the unveiling on Wednesday morning.

“I was obviously a bit nervous because you see some of the horror ones,” Alcott told Confidential, “but it’s actually really good. It looks so much like me.”

Alcott’s figure sits in a custom-built, Melrose Gazelle wheelchair, featuring the moulded fibre seat shell that helps deliver increased responsiveness during sport, and is dressed in the custom Nike collection that he wore in the 2022 Australian Open final, and sporting his Babolat tennis racquet.

Believe it or not, this isn’t sporting legend Dylan Alcott. It’s his brand-new wax replica at Madame Tussauds in Sydney. Picture: NCA NewsWire/David Swift

Making a wax figure takes about nine months. The Madame Tussauds team took 100 measurements and 300 photographs of Alcott back in March.

“I had to flex for four hours and do that pose, it was quite taxing,” Alcott, who retired from wheelchair tennis in 2022 as world number one, said.

Dylan’s wax figure will be in great company in the Madame Tussauds’ Sports zone – alongside the likes of Sally Pearson, Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, Dawn Fraser, Tim Cahill and Lleyton Hewitt. Picture: NCA NewsWire/David Swift

“Each strand of head hair, beard hair, and armpit hair is copied and inserted into the wax. My reaction was genuine, I was so impressed.”

A team of eight took 100 measurements and 300 photographs of Alcott to create the replica. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Swift

A team of highly skilled sculptors spent approximately 170 hours moulding, before hair inserters and colourists added the crucial finishing touches.

Guests will also be able to try out a replica of Alcott’s wheelchair on the tennis court, to gain an understanding of Paralympic sport.

“This definitely is one of the cooler things to happen in my career, and something that I never thought would happen,” Alcott added. “Look at the people around, you’ve got Obama, Kylie Minogue and Don Bradman, and me. Bloody oath I’d even have it at home, I want to have it next to our bed.”

Special guests from the Dylan Alcott Foundation, which supports young Australians with disabilities, were invited to attend the big reveal and were among the first to try the interactive doubles wheelchair experience.

“It’s not only that there’s someone with a disability in here, but it’s done in such a cool, normal way alongside everybody else that makes it good representation,” Alcott said.

“The biggest change for me recently is as Australian of the Year, so many people stop me on the street to say hi and congrats. Hopefully I make everyone proud.”