Victoria Pendergast
{{Short description|Australian F58 athletics shot put competitor (born 1991)}}
{{good article}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2014}}
{{Use Australian English|date=March 2014}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
| name = Victoria Pendergast
| image = PENDERGAST Victoria.2013 Processing.JPG| imagesize =
| caption = Victoria Pendergast April 2013
| fullname =
| nicknames =
| headercolor = green
| textcolor = yellow
| nationality = {{AUS}}
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1991|01|25|df=yes}}
| birth_place = Gosford, New South Wales
| death_date =
| death_place =
| residence =
| height =
| weight =
| country = Australia
| sport = Para-alpine skiing
| event = Downhill
Super-G
Giant Slalom
Slalom
| disability_class = LW12
| worlds =
| regionals =
| nationals =
| paralympics =
| pb =
| medaltemplates =
}}
Victoria "Tori" Pendergast (born 25 January 1991) is an Australian F58 athletics shot put competitor and LW12.1 classified Para-alpine skier. When she competed at the 2014 Winter Paralympics in Sochi, she became Australia's first female sit skier at the Winter Paralympics. She competed in two events, finishing seventh in women's slalom sit-ski and tenth in the women's giant slalom sit-ski. She also won a silver and a bronze medal in the slalom and super-G at the 2013 North America Cup, and a bronze medal in the giant slalom at the 2013 IPC World Cup in Thredbo.
Personal
Victoria "Tori" Pendergast was born in Gosford, New South Wales on 25 January 1991. She has sacral agenesis, and was born missing the lower part of her spine. She attended Loreto Normanhurst, and in 2013 she graduated with a degree in business and marketing from the University of Technology, Sydney.{{cite web|url=http://www.utsunion.uts.edu.au/sports/victoriapendergast11.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120321055231/http://www.utsunion.uts.edu.au/sports/victoriapendergast11.pdf|archive-date=21 March 2012|publisher=University of Technology, Sydney|access-date=21 November 2012|location=Sydney, Australia|title=Victoria Pendergast|year=2011}} In early 2014, she was working as a telemarketer.{{cite web|title=Victoria Pendergast|url=http://www.paralympic.org.au/team/victoria-pendergast|publisher=Australian Paralympic Committee|access-date=11 February 2014|archive-date=10 February 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140210235322/http://www.paralympic.org.au/team/victoria-pendergast|url-status=dead}} She is an F58 classified shot put competitor who finished 8th in the Girls Shot Put Disability Open at the 2004 Schools Athletics Championships.{{cite news|title=Your Games: School and Weekend Club Results – Part Two of Four|newspaper=Daily Telegraph|date=22 June 2004|author=MATP|page=38|url=http://docs.newsbank.com/openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid/iw.newsbank.com:AUNB:ATLB&rft_val_format=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=105465A5F1EFE40E&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated5&req_dat=1053B823C33F21F9}}
Skiing
Pendergast is an LW12.1 classified skier,{{cite web|url=http://japanpara.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/SG_Female.pdf|publisher=Japan Paralympics|location=Japan|date=22 March 2012|title=2012 Japan Para Alpine Ski Championships|access-date=21 November 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140322055819/http://japanpara.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/SG_Female.pdf|archive-date=22 March 2014|url-status=dead}} the classification for athletes "with good sitting balance... and double above knee limb loss."{{cite web |url=http://www.paralympic.org.au/sites/default/files/APC_Media%20Guide_Sochi%202014%20Winter%20Paralympic%20Games_WEB.pdf |access-date=13 April 2014 |title=2014 Australian Paralympic Winter Team Media Guide |publisher=Australian Paralympic Committee }}{{Dead link|date=July 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} She was spotted on the slopes by officials from Disabled Winter Sports Australia during a family ski holiday. This led to her participation in Athlete Development Programs run by Disabled Winter Sports Australia. Born missing the lower part of her spine, she is suited to sit-skiing and embraced hurtling down a mountain at {{convert|80|kph}} in a custom built sled. She made her international debut at the New Zealand Winter Games in 2010.
During the North American 2010/2011 skiing season, Pendergast was based in Avon, Colorado, and competed in eight races, where she earned four bronze medals and a silver medal, and finished the season ranked 66th.{{cite web|url=http://skiracing.nastar.com/index.jsp?pagename=results&page=comp&compid=775291&year=2011 |title=The Next Generation of Ski & Snowboarding Racing! |publisher=Ski Racing : Nastar.com |date=15 September 2006 |access-date=21 November 2012}} That season, she also participated in a 2-month long national development team training camp in Colorado. As a member of Australia's development team, she competed at a competition in December 2012 at Copper Mountain,{{cite web |url=http://www.paralympic.org.au/news/winning-start-winter-season |title=Winning start to winter season |location=New South Wales, Australia |publisher=APC Corporate |date=16 December 2011 |access-date=21 November 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120817235032/https://www.paralympic.org.au/news/winning-start-winter-season |archive-date=17 August 2012 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all }} and at the 2012 Japan Para Alpine Ski Championships in the women's sitting super-G event.{{cite web|url=http://www.paralympic.org/news/ipc-celebrates-women-alpine-skiing |title=IPC Celebrates Women in Alpine Skiing |publisher=International Paralympic Committee |date=13 August 2011 |access-date=21 November 2012}}
Pendergast won a silver and bronze medal in the slalom and super G at the 2013 North America Cup, and a bronze medal in the giant slalom at the 2013 IPC World Cup in Thredbo.{{cite news|last=Lulham|first=Amanda|title=Paralympic ski newcomer Tori Pendergast setting her sights on winning a medal at Sochi|url=http://www.couriermail.com.au/sport/more-sports/paralympic-ski-newcomer-tori-pendergast-setting-her-sights-on-winning-a-medal-at-sochi/story-fnii0hmo-1226760313889|access-date=11 February 2014|newspaper=Courier Mail|date=15 November 2013}} By February 2014, she was ranked 12th in the world in downhill and giant slalom, and 13th in slalom and super-G.
At the 2014 Winter Paralympics in Sochi, Pendergast became Australia's first ever female sit skier at the Winter Paralympics.{{cite web|title=Australia names Winter Paralympics team for Sochi including 14-year-old Para-snowboarder Ben Tudhope|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-02-04/australia-names-winter-paralympics-team-for-sochi/5236974|publisher=ABC News |date=5 February 2014|access-date=11 February 2014}} She competed in two events, finishing seventh in the women's slalom sit-ski and tenth in the women's giant slalom sit-ski.{{cite web|title=Sochi 2014 Latest Results |url=http://www.paralympic.org.au/sochi-2014/latest-results/latest-results |work=Australian Paralympic Committee |access-date=17 March 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140316222545/http://www.paralympic.org.au/sochi-2014/latest-results/latest-results |archive-date=16 March 2014 }}
Pendergast competed in three Women's Sitting events at the 2015 IPC Alpine Skiing World Championships in Panorama, Canada. She finished sixth in the Slalom but did not finish the Super-G and Giant Slalom.{{cite web|title=Victoria Pendergast|url=http://www.paralympic.org/Athletes/Biographies|website=International Paralympic Committee Athlete Profiles|access-date=21 March 2015}}
At the 2018 Winter Paralympics, her second Games, she finished fourth in the Women's Downhill Sitting and eighth in the Women's Giant Slalom.{{cite web |title=Victoria Pendergast |url=https://www.paralympic.org/asp/redirect/ipc.asp?page=athletebio&personid=1103498&sportid=564 |website=International Paralympic Committee website |access-date=11 February 2019}}{{cite web|title=Australian Paralympic Winter Team for PyeongChang 2018 announced|url=https://www.paralympic.org.au/australian-paralympic-winter-team-for-pyeongchang-2018-announced/|website=Australian Paralympic Committee website|access-date=20 February 2018}}
At the 2019 World Para Alpine Skiing Championships in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia, she competed in two events but failed to finish.{{cite web |title=Tori Pendergast Results 2019 World Para Skiing World Championships |url=https://www.paralympic.org/sella-nevea-kranjska-gora-2019/schedule-results/info-live-results/asfa19/eng/zb/engzb_alpine-skiing-athlete-profile-n14426-pendergast-victoria.htm |website=International Paralympic Committee website |access-date=10 February 2019}}
She announced her retirement from alpine skiing in September 2020.{{Cite web|last=Houston|first=Michael|date=6 September 2020|title=Dual Para-athlete Pendergast announces retirement from skiing|url=https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1098102/tori-pendergast-para-alpine-skiing|access-date=7 September 2020|website=Inside the Games}}
References
{{reflist|30em}}
External links
{{Wikinews|Wikinews interviews Australian sit skier Victoria Pendergast}}
- {{Paralympics Australia|victoria-pendergast}}
- {{IPC athlete|id=victoria-pendergast|old_id=1103498}}
- {{YouTube|id=visrr1EI4dQ|title=Victoria Pendergast (2nd run) Women's slalom sitting at Sochi 2014 Paralympics}}
- {{YouTube|id=si3gwYTPpSw|title=Victoria Pendergast (2nd run) Women's giant slalom sitting at Sochi 2014 Paralympics}}
{{2014 Australian Paralympic Team}}
{{2018 Australian Paralympic Team}}
{{Portal bar|Australia|Biography|Sports}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pendergast, Victoria}}
Category:Alpine skiers at the 2014 Winter Paralympics
Category:Alpine skiers at the 2018 Winter Paralympics
Category:Amputee-category Paralympic competitors
Category:Sportspeople from Gosford
Category:Sportswomen from New South Wales
Category:People with caudal regression syndrome
Category:Australian female alpine skiers