Former Tullibigeal Grasshoppers footballer and Winter Paralympian Josh Hanlon has been named the Paralympics Australia 2022 Rookie of the Year.
Paralympics Australia held their awards night for the 2020 Tokyo Summer Paralympics and the 2022 Beijing Winter Paralympics on Thursday, 9 June at Doltone House in Sydney. Josh’s Mum and Dad were able to attend the awards ceremony with him.
Josh was nominated in two categories for his Paralympic Games: 2022 Male Athlete of the Year and 2022 Rookie of the Year.
On debut at 2022 Beijing Winter Paralympics, he recorded a sixth placing in the slalom and 11th in the giant slalom.
“An amazing effort by Chooka in his first Paralympics Games!” a post on the Josh Chooka Hanlon’s Adventure Facebook Page read.
“Like Josh mentioned in his short and improvised speech, this June long weekend marks four years since he drove himself to hospital extremely ill.
“We continue to be amazed by his resilience, how far he has come in such a short time and proving that anything is possible if you have the right mindset!” the post concluded.
Paralympics Australia said the event was a “chance to celebrate the extraordinary achievements of Australia’s Paralympic Teams at the Tokyo 2020 and Beijing 2022 Paralympic Games.”
“For reasons we all know, this was an extremely challenging period. Yet, through their relentless determination, resilience and phenomenal skills, the athletes, coaches, and staff who represented us at the Summer and Winter Games brought honour to themselves and captured the hearts and minds of millions of Australians at a time when the nation needed it most.
“Of course, such success would not have been possible without the incredible support behind our athletes from families, friends, our fabulous corporate partners, federal and state governments, and the wider Australian community. To the many people who contributed to the Australian Paralympic Team’s success, we say thank you.”