Brandie O'Connor
{{Short description|Australian bicycle racer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Use Australian English|date=October 2014}}
{{Infobox sportsperson|
| name = Brandie O'Connor
| nationality = {{AUS}}
| club = Vikings Cycling Club
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1973|12|24|df=yes}}
| birth_place = Brisbane
|
| sport = Para-cycling
| disability = Visual impairment
| disability_class =
| medaltemplates =
{{MedalSport | Women's para-cycling}}
{{MedalCountry | {{AUS}} }}
{{MedalCompetition|UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships}}
{{MedalSilver|2014 Aguascalientes|Women's tandem sprint B}}
{{MedalSilver|2014 Aguascalientes|Women's tandem 1 km time trial B}}
{{MedalSilver|2015 Appledoon|Women’s Tandem Sprint}}
{{MedalCompetition|Commonwealth Games}}
{{MedalBronze | 2014 Glasgow |Women's tandem sprint B}}
{{MedalBronze | 2014 Glasgow |Women's tandem 1 km time trial B}}
}}
Brandie O’Connor (born 24 December 1973) is a vision impaired Australian paracyclist and has won medals at the World Championships and Commonwealth Games..
Personal
O'Connor was born on 24 December 1973 in Brisbane, Queensland.{{cite web|title=Brandie O'Connor Profile|url=http://www.cycling.org.au/High-Performance/Rider-Profiles/Female/ProfileId/141/Brandie-O|website=Cycling Australia website|accessdate=24 August 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923212310/http://www.cycling.org.au/High-Performance/Rider-Profiles/Female/ProfileId/141/Brandie-O|archive-date=23 September 2015|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|title=Brandie O'Connor|url=http://www.paralympic.org.au/team/brandie-oconnor|publisher=Australian Paralympic Committee|accessdate=20 August 2015|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150412211152/http://www.paralympic.org.au/team/brandie-oconnor|archivedate=12 April 2015}} She was born with rod monochromatism which affects her ability to see. O’Connor describes her condition, "what I see at 6 meters, 'normal' eyes see at 60 meters."{{cite web|title=Brandie O'Connor|url=http://www.aimforthestars.com.au/recipient/brandie-oconnor|publisher=Aim For the Stars|accessdate=20 August 2015}} She has a Bachelor of Commerce and works as a policy officer.
Career
In 2006, O’Connor started training and identified a pilot (person who is fully sighted and steers the bike) in Kerry Knowler. Breaking her clavicle and two ribs in a cycling accident this put O’Connor out of action until late 2007. O’Connor tried adaptive rowing and tried for the Beijing Paralympics but missed out. She made her international cycling debut at the 2010 UCI Paracycling Road World Championships in Canada. In 2012, she competed at the UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships in Los Angeles, United States and finished fourth in the Women's Individual Time Trial and fifth in the 3 km Pursuit.{{cite web|title=Profile – Brandie O'Connor|url=http://www.paralympic.org.au/team/brandie-oconnor|website=Australian Paralympic Committee website|accessdate=24 August 2015|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150412211152/http://www.paralympic.org.au/team/brandie-oconnor|archivedate=12 April 2015}}{{cite web|title=Bronzed Brandie O'Connor to return with two medals from Glasgow|url=http://www.smh.com.au/commonwealth-games-glasgow-2014/commonwealth-games-news/bronzed-brandie-oconnor-to-return-with-two-medals-from-glasgow-20140728-zxibq.html|work=The Sydney Morning Herald|accessdate=20 August 2015}} With pilot Breanna Hargrave, she won silver medals in the Women's Tandem Sprint and Tandem 1 km Time Trial at the 2014 UCI Para-Cycling Track World Championships. O'Connor and Hargrave won bronze medals in the Women's Tandem Sprint B and Women's Tandem 1 km Time Trial B at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland. At the 2015, UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships in Apledoorn, Netherlands, O'Connor and Hargrave won a silver medal in the Women's Tandem Sprint and fifth in the Women 1 km Time Trial.{{cite web|title=2015 Track World Championships results|url=http://www.uci.ch/para-cycling/results/|website=UCI Cycling website|accessdate=24 August 2015}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20150923212310/http://www.cycling.org.au/High-Performance/Rider-Profiles/Female/ProfileId/141/Brandie-O Cycling Australia profile]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20150412211152/http://www.paralympic.org.au/team/brandie-oconnor Australian Paralympic Committee profile]
{{DEFAULTSORT:OConnor, Brandie}}
Category:Paralympic cyclists for Australia
Category:Paralympic cyclists with a vision impairment
Category:Commonwealth Games medallists in cycling
Category:Commonwealth Games bronze medallists for Australia
Category:ACT Academy of Sport alumni
Category:Australian female cyclists
Category:Cyclists at the 2014 Commonwealth Games
Category:Australian blind people
Category:Medallists at the 2014 Commonwealth Games
Category:Cyclists from Brisbane