Who was the first Aboriginal athlete to win a gold medal at the Olympics?
Nova Peris, an Aboriginal Australian from Darwin, made history at the Atlanta 1996 Olympics by becoming the first Aboriginal athlete to win an Olympic gold medal. She was part of the victorious Hockeyroos team that clinched first place in Atlanta. But before we move forward, let's first understand what an Aboriginal athlete means.
An Aboriginal athlete is one who is a member of an Indigenous or Aboriginal group and plays sports, and comes from a special group of people who were living in a country long before others arrived. These groups include Native Americans in the US, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Australia, and First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples in Canada.
Aboriginal athletes often face unique challenges and barriers in their sports careers, and their achievements are often celebrated as a source of pride and inspiration for their communities.
Nova Peris’ achievements
Coming back to Nova Peris, she had an extraordinary sports career, representing Australia in both hockey and athletics across different Olympic Games. Peris represented Australia for 13 years, competing in two Olympics, four World Championships, three Champions Trophy tournaments, and the Commonwealth Games. She also became the first mother to be a gold medalist for Australia since Shirley Strickland in 1956.
After securing a gold medal with the Hockeyroos in Atlanta, Peris shifted her focus to athletics and won gold in the 200m and 4x100m relay at the 1998 Commonwealth Games. Thus, Nova Peris became the only person to win gold medals in both the Olympics and Commonwealth Games in different sports.
Her athletic career peaked with her participation in the Sydney 2000 Olympics, where she reached the semi-finals of the 400m event and helped Australia’s 4x400m relay team to a fifth-place finish. Her personal best in 400m, achieved during the Sydney Games, was an impressive 51.28 seconds.
Her back-to-back representations at the Olympics across two sports (Hockey at Atlanta 1996 and Athletics at Sydney 2000) made her the first-ever athlete to do so.