Lisa Llorens

{{short description|Australian Paralympic athlete}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2020}}

{{Use Australian English|date=July 2011}}

{{Infobox sportsperson

|name=Lisa Llorens

|image=251000 - Athletics Lisa Llorens portrait - 3b - 2000 Sydney portrait photo.jpg

|imagesize=

|caption=Portrait of Llorens at the 2000 Summer Paralympics

|fullname=

|nicknames=

|nationality=

|club=

|collegeteam=

|birth_date=

|birth_place=

|death_date=

|death_place=

|height=

|weight=

|medaltemplates=

{{MedalSport|Athletics}}

{{MedalCompetition|Paralympic Games}}

{{MedalGold|1996 Atlanta|Women's Long Jump MH}}

{{MedalGold|2000 Sydney|Women's 200m T20}}

{{MedalGold|2000 Sydney|Women's High Jump F20}}

{{MedalGold|2000 Sydney|Women's Long Jump F20}}

{{MedalSilver|2000 Sydney|Women's 100m T20}}

{{MedalBronze|1996 Atlanta|Women's 200m MH}}

{{MedalCompetition|IPC Athletics World Championships}}

{{MedalGold|1998 Birmingham|Women's 100m T20}}

{{MedalGold|1998 Birmingham|Women's Long Jump F20}}

{{MedalGold|1998 Birmingham|Women's High Jump F20}}

{{MedalGold|2002 Lille|Women's Long Jump F20}}

{{MedalSilver|1994 Berlin|Women's 200m T20}}

{{MedalSilver|1994 Berlin|Women's Long Jump T20}}

{{MedalSilver|2002 Lille|Women's 100m T20}}

}}

File:261000 - Athletics track 200m T20 Lisa Llorens gold medal podium - 3b - 2000 Sydney medal photo.jpg

File:261000 - Athletics track Lisa Llorens starting blocks - 3b - 2000 Sydney race photo.jpg

File:23 ACPS Atlanta 1996 Track Sharon Rackham Chris Nunn.jpg

Lisa Christina Llorens, OAM{{cite web|url=https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/887598|title=Llorens, Lisa Christina|publisher=It's an Honour|accessdate=12 January 2012|archive-date=28 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201128154149/https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/887598|url-status=live}}(born 17 January 1978){{cite book|title=Australian Media Guide : 2000 Paralympic Games Sydney|year=2000|publisher=Australian Paralympic Committee|location=Sydney|pages=30}} is an Australian Paralympic athlete. She was born in Canberra. She specialises in Paralympic high jumping, long jumping, and sprinting, participating in competitions for athletes with autism.{{cite news

|last=Flanagan

|first=Martin

|date=2013-05-11

|title=Making a difference

|url=http://www.smh.com.au/sport/making-a-difference-20130510-2jdfb.html

|newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald

|location=Sydney, Australia

|access-date=2016-09-18

}}

Llorens is known as "The Cheetah" because she has a great affinity with cheetahs. She commented "I feel like I have a connection with the cheetahs, because I'm quite shy, like a cat, and I run so fast." An educational documentary was made about her called Lisa Llorens: A Cheetah on the Track.{{cite book|last=Barrett|first=Neil|title=Lisa Llorens : cheetah on the track|year=2001|publisher=Video Education Australasia|url=http://trove.nla.gov.au/work/34902823|format=Video}} From 1998 to 2002, she held an athletics scholarship from the Australian Institute of Sport for Athletes with a Disability.{{cite book|title=Excellence : the Australian Institute of Sport|year=2002|publisher=Australian Sports Commission|location=Canberra|isbn=1-74013-060-X|pages=122}}

Llorens competed at the 1996 Summer Paralympics in Atlanta, winning gold and bronze medals in track and field events.[http://www.hansard.act.gov.au/hansard/1996/week08/2084.htm Legislative Assembly for the ACT], Hansard, 25 June 1996 {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110401210655/http://www.hansard.act.gov.au/hansard/1996/week08/2084.htm |date=1 April 2011 }}[http://www.hansard.act.gov.au/hansard/1996/week10/3064.htm Legislative Assembly for the ACT], Hansard, 4 September 1996 {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110329195114/http://www.hansard.act.gov.au/hansard/1996/week10/3064.htm |date=29 March 2011 }} She received a Medal of the Order of Australia for her 1996 gold medal. She also represented Australia at the 2000 Summer Paralympics in Sydney, and won three gold medals in the 200 metre sprint, the high jump, and the long jump, and a silver medal in the 100 metre sprint.[http://www.ausport.gov.au/ais/sports/athletics/achievements "Athletics - Achievements"], Australian Institute of Sport {{webarchive |url=https://archive.today/20120724173441/http://www.ausport.gov.au/ais/sports/athletics/achievements |date=24 July 2012 }} She broke the Paralympic world record three times during her four long jumps.[https://archive.today/20120905022037/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/paralympics/news/2000/10/26/daag/ "Athlete of the hour"], CNN, 27 October 2000

Llorens also competed at the IPC Athletics World Championships in 1994, winning silver in both the long jump and the 200m; and in 1998, won gold in the 100m, high jump, and long jump .[http://www.dsa.org.au/life_site/text/sport/index.html "Sport"], Disability Services Australia Ltd {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110207212725/http://www.dsa.org.au/life_site/text/sport/index.html |date=7 February 2011 }} She took part in the Paralympic World Cup in 1998, winning gold in the 100 metre sprint, the high jump and the long jump.[http://www.ausport.gov.au/ais/sports/athletics/achievements "Athletics - Achievements"], Australian Institute of Sport {{webarchive |url=https://archive.today/20120724173441/http://www.ausport.gov.au/ais/sports/athletics/achievements |date=24 July 2012 }} In 2004, due to the International Paralympic Committee's decision to remove events for intellectually disabled athletes from its official activities, Llorens retired, as she felt that there was nothing left for her to achieve in sport.{{cite news|title=Cheetah starts her final chase|url=http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-20486546_ITM|accessdate=13 February 2012|newspaper=Asia Africa Intelligence Wire|date=28 February 2004}}

The Australian Paralympic Committee describes her as "Australia’s most outstanding female athlete with an intellectual disability", along with Crystal-Lea Adams.[http://svc033.wic007tv.server-web.com/apc_news_detail.asp?id=129 "2005 INAS-FID World Athletics Championships, Day 1, 26/Sept/2005"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080719225116/http://svc033.wic007tv.server-web.com/apc_news_detail.asp?id=129 |date=19 July 2008 }}, Australian Paralympic Committee, 28 September 2005

In 1997, she was awarded the Australian Capital Territory Female Sportstar of the Year,{{cite web|title=Australian Capital Territory Sportstar of the Year Honour Roll |url=http://www.actsport.com.au/index.php?id=36 |work=ACTSPORT Website |accessdate=10 February 2012 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120210000323/http://www.actsport.com.au/index.php?id=36 |archivedate=10 February 2012 }} and Young Canberra Citizen of the Year.{{cite web|title=Past Winners|url=http://www.youthawards.edetails.com.au/past_winners.html|work=Young Canberra Citizen of the Year|accessdate=12 February 2012|archive-date=5 July 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120705203552/http://www.youthawards.edetails.com.au/past_winners.html|url-status=dead}} In November 2015, she was inducted into the ACT Sport Hall of Fame.{{cite news|last1=Gul|first1=Jonathon|title=Nine Canberra athletes added to ACT Sport Hall of Fame|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-11-23/nine-canberra-athletes-added-to-act-sport-hall-of-fame/6966582|accessdate=30 November 2015|work=ABC News|date=23 November 2015}} In 2016, Llorens was induced into the International Sports Federation for Persons with Intellectual Disability (INAS) Hall of Fame.{{cite web|title=Three new members inducted to INAS Hall of Fame|url=https://www.paralympic.org/news/three-new-members-inducted-inas-hall-fame|website=International Paralympic Committee website|accessdate=24 April 2017}}