The time is finally here for Old Flinderian (Class of 2019) Katja Dedekind to compete at the 2021 Tokyo Paralympic Games - her second Paralympics! Our Flinders community will be cheering Katja on from 26-29 August.
Katja is a wonderfully positive role model for our students and our wider community - demonstrating how to give your best and reach your potential. We love the goal she shares on her Paralympics Australia website profile page: "To give 100%"
Here, Katja shares some ‘fast facts’ about her swimming career, including during her senior school years at Matthew Flinders Anglican College. Achievements include her first Paralympics at Rio in 2016 where at just 14 years of age - one of the youngest competitors - she won a Bronze medal in the Women’s 100m Backstroke (S13). For all her effort and persistence, it's wonderful to see Katja reap the rewards!
Head of Senior School, Mr Gary Davis met Katja before she flew to Tokyo, and gifted her a mini Erol the Emu mascot as a good luck charm from all of us at Flinders.
Note: See Katja’s televised swim event times at the Paralympics, listed below.
Photos: These photos are of Katja volunteering her time to assist at the Flinders Junior Primary Swimming Carnivals in 2019 and 2020, held at the Flinders Aquatic Centre.
KATJA’S FAST FACTS
- I am currently studying a Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing at the University of the Sunshine Coast.
- I am a vision-impaired swimmer and train at the USC High Performance Centre, as part of the High Performance Student Athlete Program.
- During my schooling at Flinders, I competed in numerous competitions at State and National level and attended the Pacific School Games.
- I was selected onto my first Australian team in 2016, at age 15, for the ‘Rio Paralympic Games’ where I won Bronze in the S13 100m backstroke. The classification S13 is allocated to visually impaired athletes.
- I have made 4 Australian teams - 2016 Paralympics team, 2017 World Para Swimming Championship team, 2018 Para Pan Pacs team and the 2019 World Para Swimming Championships team.
- I won my first international Gold medal in the 100 backstroke at the 2018 Para Pan Pacs in Cairns.
- In September, 2020 I competed at the World Para Swimming Championships in London where I made the finals in all my events.
- In February 2021, I competed at the Para World Series in Melbourne, winning two golds.
- I am now off to the 2021 Tokyo Paralympic Games, which will be my second Paralympics!
WATCH KATJA SWIM AT THE TOKYO PARALYMPICS 2021
Thursday, 26 August 100m Backstroke
Heats 11:47am
Finals 8:14pm
Friday, 27 August - 400m Freestyle
Heats 11:55am
Finals 8:34pm
Sunday, 29 August - 50m Freestyle
Heats 11:21am
Finals 7:17am
