Jayne Parsons (Taranaki) wasn’t always a sportsperson, only becoming involved in cycling when she was 44 years old when her mother suggested she should look at buying a tandem so she could join in with her husband and 5 year old daughter in their daily rides to and from school.
The 10 minute school rides rapidly turned into 25-50 km bike rides up and down hills, then to Paralympic Blind Tandem Cycling competitor google searches, is where Jayne’s 2006 self funded NZ pioneering cycling endeavours began with friend and pilot rider Michelle Laurenson.
Jayne who is totally blind made her Paralympic debut at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games competing in 4 different road and track tandem cycling events, her medal success came on the road competing in the 25km road time trial with partner and sighted pilot rider Annaliisa Farrell. Together they claimed bronze, New Zealand’s first ever Paralympic tandem cycling medal.
Jayne competed from 2006 up until her career was ended by a back injury just before the beginning of the 2012 London Paralympic Games. During her Para cycling career, Jayne won 5 Para Cycling Track World Championships, including a gold in Italy in 2011 in the 3000m Track Pursuit with sighted pilot Sonia Waddell.
Retired from Para cycling now, Jayne moved to Australia with her family.
Paralympian #161 Annaliisa Farrell, officially received Jayne’s numbered’ Paralympic pin on her behalf at the ParaFed Canterbury Sports Awards in Christchurch in November 2021.
