Wheelchair tennis hero Dylan Alcott is named 2022 Australian of the Year for his selfless work for disabled Aussies - and delivers a tear-jerking and inspirational acceptance speech. Dylan Alcott has been crowned the 2022 Australian of the Year for his inspiring work with disabled Aussies.

How is Dylan Alcott a hero?

Dylan Alcott, a 31-year-old athlete, Paralympian, philanthropist, media commentator and advocate, has received the prestigious award for achievements in both his sport and his disability awareness work. Alcott began his athletic career in wheelchair basketball, then switched sports to tennis.

What makes Dylan Alcott a good leader?

Dylan's true passion is his work as a motivational speaker, and through his inspirational storytelling, he is continually trying to alter and change the way people with disabilities are perceived in the wider community. He works as a keynote corporate speaker, bringing disability awareness to schools.

What will Dylan Alcott be remembered for?

Not only has he maintained a world No. 1 ranking, but last June and July, he became the first quad singles player to win the French Open and Wimbledon. At the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, Dylan secured his place in the history books when he won the quad wheelchair singles to win his fourth Paralympic gold medal.

How is Dylan Alcott a role model?

The longtime wheelchair tennis star was recognised for his distinguished service to Paralympic sport and as a role model for people with a disability. Alcott won his Australian Open quad wheelchair singles semi-final on Tuesday afternoon before flying to Canberra for the evening ceremony.

Who manages Dylan Alcott?

Aspire Talent Group provides talent management services to Australian of the Year Finalist, and 15-time tennis Grand Slam singles champion, Dylan Alcott OAM.

How do I contact Dylan Alcott?

Contact

1. Get In Touch. Get in touch to find out how you can help us to change the lives of young people with disabilities.
2. Our support available to help you. P: 03 9624 2250.

What is Dylan Alcott legacy?

Paralympic champion and tennis golden grand slam winner Dylan Alcott is the 2022 Australian of the Year, describing himself as the “luckiest guy in this country” as he was honoured for his powerful disability advocacy and unmatched legacy in the sport he credits with saving his life.

Why is Dylan Alcott quad?

Another important change came literally by accident. Alcott was originally an open division player as a junior. Later he had an accident, where he fell out of his chair and damaged his hand, leading him to be reclassified into the quad division when he returned to tennis in 2013/14.

Why is Dylan Alcott disability?

The 31-year-old has been disabled following a surgery to cut out a tumour that was wrapped around his spinal cord when he was two-days-old. As a wheelchair user, Alcott has experienced prejudice, bullying and discrimination. He admitted he used to hate himself as he “hated being different”.

Why is Dylan Alcott inspirational?

By telling his inspirational story of life, Dylan continually tries to alter and change the way people with disabilities are perceived in the wider community. He works as a keynote corporate speaker, bringing disability awareness to schools.

How did Dylan Alcott show resilience?

In the first session of A Speaker Series, Dylan spoke to the power of resilience and how it helped him through his own experiences. He inspired us to harness the art of taking risks to achieve our goals and provide ways to motivate ourselves to get moving when the going gets tough.

How did Schroeder become disabled?

Schröder has split hand/split foot syndrome (SHFM), a rare genetic disorder which has caused his hands and feet to develop abnormally.

Why does Dylan Alcott have a hump on his back?

The lump was actually a tumour wrapped around the newborn's spine. Martin says the first surgery to remove it was a delicate and nerve-wracking procedure. "We kissed him when he went in for that first operation, in all honesty not knowing if we'd see him 13 hours later," he said.

How much money has Dylan Alcott won?

With this weekend's men's and women's singles champions each taking home a staggering $2.875 million, Alcott said the amount was grossly out of whack with wheelchair tennis. "I won the lead-in tournament here and it was like $1,300," he said. "How much is a flight from Europe, $3,000?

What is the big lump on Dylan Alcott's back?

He was born with a tumour wrapped around his spinal cord which was operated on during the first few weeks of his life. The tumour was successfully cut out; however, it left Alcott a paraplegic, requiring him to use a wheelchair.

How did Dylan Alcott become quadriplegic?

Alcott is a wheelchair user, after an operation to remove a tumour on his spine when he was three weeks old left him a paraplegic.

Who has the most wheelchair Grand Slams?

Esther Mary Vergeer (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈɛstər vərˈɣeːr]; born 18 July 1981) is a retired Dutch wheelchair tennis player. Combining singles and doubles, she has won 48 Grand Slam tournaments, 23 year-end championships and 7 Paralympics titles.

Why did Dylan Alcott win Aussie of the year?

Dylan Alcott has been named Australian of the Year and awarded an Officer of the Order (AO) in the Australia Day Honours List for distinguished service to Paralympic sport, particularly to tennis, and as a role model for people with a disability, and to the community through a range of organisations.

Was Dylan Alcott born disabled?

Mr Alcott is a paraplegic because he was born with a tumour wrapped around his spinal cord. He has spoken about being bullied because of his disability as a child; he was introduced to wheelchair tennis as a youngster and soon fell in love with the sport.

What is Kurt Fearnley disability?

Kurt Harry Fearnley, AO (born 23 March 1981) is an Australian wheelchair racer, who has won gold medals at the Paralympic Games and 'crawled' the Kokoda Track. He has a congenital disorder called sacral agenesis which prevented fetal development of certain parts of his lower spine and all of his sacrum.

How is Dylan advocating for people with disabilities?

In 2017, with a passion for providing opportunities for young people with disabilities, he founded the Dylan Alcott Foundation. The Foundation provides mentoring grants and scholarships to help enrich the lives of young people with disabilities by eliminating the barriers of entry to get involved in sports and study.

How much has the Dylan Alcott foundation raised?

JDRF continually strives to improve the lives of people suffering from T1D by funding national and international research with the express aim of eradicating this disease. In 2017, this organisation raised $11.7 million with $8.5 million raised via fundraising events, such as the JDRF One Walk.

How many fingers does Schroder have?

Sam has three toes on each foot and is missing most of his fingers as a result of the syndrome. Despite this, Sam has worked tirelessly to improve his tennis, becoming one of the world's top quad wheelchair players at just 20 years old.

How many fingers does Sam Schroder have?

I was born with split-hand/split-foot syndrome, meaning I only have one finger per hand and I'm missing large parts of both my feet and toes.