World record holder Julia Story chasing incredible new feat at Virtus Global Games in Vichy

A dynamic Drummoyne duo are gunning for gold in this year’s Virtus Global games. Learn more about world record holder Julia Story, coach Kathleen Hextell and their upcoming visit to Vichy.

Julia Story will be heading to Vichy, France for the Virtus Global Games this summer.

THREE world records, 10 gold medals, countless national championship titles.

Julia Story is not your average para rower.

The internationally decorated Drummoyne powerhouse has represented Australia five times throughout her successful 20 year rowing career, and this summer she will be taking centre stage yet again at the Global Virtus Games, the world’s premier international competition for athletes with intellectual disabilities.

Julia Story (middle), Kathleen Hextell (left), and a local Canada Bay Councillor pictured practising. Picture: Supplied

“I’m very excited. I’m glad I’ve got picked to go represent Australia again,” Story said.

Accompanying the 38-year old rowing rocket will be longtime volunteer coach, coxon, and confidant Kathleen Hextell, who has been working with Story since 2018.

“We’re really fortunate with the current level of competition we've gotten here in Australia,” Hextell said.

“Rowing Australia itself has committed a lot to the development of Para rowers, and committed to the intellectually impaired guys as well as part of that.”

Story will be rowing in the PR3 intellectual impairment classification with 2019 Virtus gold-winning teammates Brote Marshall (NSW), MacIntyre Russell (QLD), and Aaron Skinner (VIC).

Eligibility for this category relies on athletes having an IQ of less than 75, completing a psychiatric evaluation, drug testing, and receiving a diagnosis of their disability before 18 years old.

Julia Story will be heading to Vichy, France for the Virtus Global Games this summer. Picture: Supplied

The fantastic four will be travelling to Vichy, France with its 121-strong Australian cohort, welcoming 1000 athletes from over 50 countries to the prestigious games.

And they’ve set their sights for gold. Story will be returning to her former PR3 team, coached by Michael Russell of the University of Queensland Boat Club, that has topped the podium in almost every Virtus Global Game, the only exception being in 2004 when the squad struck silver in Sweden.

“We're really lucky that we do have some very good coaches and some very good support staff around that we do have a tendency to take away most of the meddles,” Hextell said.

The Virtus Global Games are held in the preceding year to the Paralympics and are considered a stepping stone for sporting success. The June competition will oversee the inclusion of athletes in the autism group for the first time in the event’s history.

Hextell will be coaching and coxing for her second time at the upcoming championship regatta where Story will be rowing a single skull, double and quad.

The water sport fanatic began volunteer coaching Story at the Drummoyne Boat House in 2018 and believes: “it's not always about winning, it’s about setting a personal best is about achieving something.”

At the 2019 Games held in Brisbane, Story won six gold, one silver, one bronze, and earned two world records. For Hextell, seeing Para rowers like Julia achieve their goals is “what you live for.”

“When I started coaching, I found that this is an amazing way to give back and encourage other people to enjoy the sport that I love,” she said. “Para athletes are no different to the able bodied guys, everybody's got their own challenges. Some people pick up the sport faster than others.”

When asked why she decided to start coaching para rowers, Hextell said “it was more of an opportunity I think.”

Story had been looking to make a return to elite competitions after she had suffered a major back injury in 2003 and Hextell was more than willing to help by guiding her student through nerve pain tests, hearing issues, and physios.

Since then, neither have looked back. Together, the pair focus on visually learning and improving technique through giving extensive explanations and viewing video recordings.

“Someone like Jules can't count to 10 in her head, she’s got no concept of being able to follow a race plan of 30 straight pieces. So you’ve got to figure out another way that she can do that. It’s a challenge on a different level, I suppose,” Hextell said.

Story and Hextell most recently went to the National Championships in Western Australia where she represented NSW and came in third.

At the Virtus games this summer, her goal is to “just to come back with all gold medals.”

“We're really lucky that in Australia our para athletes can compete in the same regattas as able bodied rowers,” she said.

“So a lot of the Olympians and elites are basically rowing in the same regatta as what Julia and the para rowers are, I think it just serves a really wonderful mix.”