Alexandra Viney

TAS | Mercantile Rowing Club

Tasmania-born Al Viney was a promising young rower throughout her high school years. At the age of 18, in 2010, Al survived a high-speed car accident caused by a drunk driver. The accident left her with lasting impairments to her left elbow, forearm and hand.

Believing that her time as an athlete had passed, Al channeled her passion for sport into a career; graduating with a Bachelor of exercise and sport science (sports nutrition) from Deakin University and working as a sport scientist and strength and conditioning coach in Geelong until 2019.

In May 2018, Al was asked whether she had considered becoming a Para-athlete, an option she’d been unaware of. In November that year she began her journey as a Para-athlete when she sat in a boat for the first time since her accident, a second chance at her rowing dream.

Al was selected for the Australian Senior Para-Rowing Team in the PR3 Mixed Coxed four in February 2019. That May, she made her international debut at the Gavirate International Para Regatta, placing second in the PR3 four. She then placed fourth in the world at her first World Championships, in the bow of her selected boat class qualifying a place for Australia for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.

At Tokyo, Al competed with crew-mates Nikki Ayers, Tom Birtwistle, James Talbot, and coxswain Renae Domaschenz in the PR3 Mixed Coxed Four to finish in fourth place with a time of 7:34.73.

Outside of her training in pursuit of Paralympic selection, Al is studying for a Master of Business (sports management) and operates a small business. She hopes to continue to raise awareness around road safety, mental health, women in sport and opportunities for people with impairments.