Aussie Gallagher wins Paralympic bronze

Seventeen months ago Jessica Gallagher was ruled ineligible for the Beijing
Paralympic Games just one day before the opening ceremony.

Frustrated when her vision was deemed too strong for the visually-impaired shot putt
and long jump she set the Vancouver Winter Games as her new sporting goal.
On Sunday, Gallagher, an osteopath who hails from Geelong, became the first
Australian woman to win a medal at a winter Paralympics when she claimed bronze in
the women's slalom as was hailed a future superstar.
To make the success - Australia's first medal of the 2010 Games - even sweeter, the
triumph came on Gallagher's 24th birthday.
Gallagher and teammate Melissa Perrine, who finished eighth, are only the second and
third Australian women to represent Australia at a winter Paralympics.
Gallagher and her sighted guide Eric Bickerton set up the medal-winning performance
in the first run, posting the third fastest time behind Austrian Sabine Gasteiger
and Canadian Viviane Forest.
Their positions didn't change after the second run, as 53-year-old Austrian
Gasteiger claimed the second gold and fifth medal of her Paralympic career.
Gallagher wore a smile as wide as Corio Bay as she collected her medal, while
Bickerton beamed with pride.
Making the feat more impressive is the fact she has only been skiing competitively
for 14 months.
Gallagher suffers from a congenital disorder, which means her eyesight gets worse
over time. Her vision, too good for Beijing, has deteriorated to a point where she
can now compete, and win medals.
"It's very ironic," she said.
"It's not something you want at the end of the day ... I'd prefer to have my sight."
There's a clear rapport between Gallagher and Bickerton, despite the fact the
Queenslander is nearly double her age.
"We have worked really hard to make sure there is that team connection there,"
Gallagher said.
"Trust is a huge part of being a visually impaired athlete."
She says the only time she gets sick of him is when he sings through the headsets
they use to communicate to one another while skiing.
Gallagher hasn't given up on athletics either, and will focus on the London
Paralympics in 2012 once Vancouver has wrapped up.
"I have a lot of things that I need to achieve in athletics that I haven't done
yet," she said.
"Athletics and skiing are completely different sports and I love them both for
different reasons.
"I'll make the decision after London about how I'll go on."
It's not hard to find a rave review for Gallagher's performance. Australian
Paralympic head coach Steve Graham tipped much bigger things to come.
"Without a doubt, she can be a superstar of the technical events in our sport within
another 12 months," he said.
Bickerton says he'll act as Gallagher's guide as long as he's welcome.
"If Jess wants to ski through to Sochi (the Russian host of the 2014 Paralympics),
I'll ski through to Sochi," he said.
"You're looking at an athlete that's going to be competing in winter and summer
(sports) for a long, long time.
"She hasn't even begun to achieve yet."