Paralympics 2024: Rising Australian star Telaya Blacksmith shows she belongs on world stage

Teenage sensation Telaya Blacksmith made a big impression as she made her international debut in front of tens of thousands of fans in Paris.

As Telaya Blacksmith was introduced to the Stade de France, you might have thought she had raced in a Paralympic Games final before.

She hadn’t.

This was a 16-year-old rising star from Australia making her international debut.

The way she handled the occasion in front of tens of thousands of people appeared as if she had done it before.

She smiled from ear-to-ear and walked calmly to her starting blocks.

Telaya Blacksmith was all smiles at her first Paralympics. Photo: Jacquelin Magnay

A Warlpiri woman originally from Lajamanu in the Northern Territory, who now lives in Sydney, Blacksmith finished eighth in the women’s 100m final.

A day earlier, the teenager set a new national record for the T20 classification which includes people with an intellectual disability.

“The final was pretty hard but now I know what to look forward to by making the next Paras,” Blacksmith said.

Telaya Blacksmith finished eighth in the women’s 100m final. Photo: Jacquelin Magnay

“I’m happy I got this far to be honest.

“Another four years, I’ll do it again, and I’ll see what happens from there.”

In the pre-race preparations, Blacksmith’s bubbly personality was there for all to see.

She chatted away with her fellow competitors as if they were on a casual stroll around the track.

Blacksmith said it’s all part of who she is.

“I usually like making friends out there and meeting new people,” she said.

“It’s the crowd, it’s the adrenaline, it’s just so much fun.”

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While she’s making her way on the international stage, Blacksmith is also a keen Australian rules player.

She’s part of the famed Sydney Swans Academy and plays locally for the Miranda Bombers in the AFL Sydney Juniors competition.

In the lead-up to the Games, she stayed involved by being a volunteer boundary umpire.

Moving forward, she doesn’t know which direction she’ll go in.

“I think I’m gonna try and see what happens and try and juggle it all and see what goes from there,” she said.

Blacksmith’s commitments in Paris aren’t finished just yet either as she prepares to compete in the long jump later in the week.

Originally published as Paralympics 2024: Rising Australian star Telaya Blacksmith shows she belongs on world stage