Canberra-based vision-impaired athlete Taryn Dickens has been invited to represent Australia in the FIS Para Nordic Skiing World Cup in March 2023, putting her on track to compete at the 2026 Winter Paralympics.

Taryn won gold in Australian Masters Track Cycling earlier this year, following a life-changing Cone-rod dystrophy diagnosis in May 2019.

She was informed that her navigation of the world would become increasingly difficult as her eyesight disappears, pushing her to switch from road cycling soon after she qualified for the Gran Fondo World Tour.

Taryn, a current serving member of the Australian Navy, became a veteran dog recipient in May 2021 to Gigi, the Defence Community Dog, who has helped her adapt to a complete loss of colour vision and get back on the track.

Following her win, Taryn was tapped on the shoulder by the Veterans and Emergency Services Para-Biathlon Australia (VESPA) for the 2026 Paralympics.

Despite only learning to ski in July, she proved to be a natural, and after training and qualifying, Taryn received an invitation from Snow Australia to participate in the Para World Cup finals in Utah, USA, setting her on a pathway to compete at the 2026 Winter Paralympics in Italy.

Should she be successful, the Canberran athlete will be the first female Australian vision-impaired Paralympian to participate in Para biathlon cross-country skiing.

Sadly, whilst Gigi can help Taryn train, she isn’t able to physically compete alongside her, prompting Taryn to call for financial support to help fund her journey towards the Paralympics.

“I will require a ski guide to train and compete with,” said Taryn, who will also need an Eco Aims Sonic rifle to compete in the Vision Impaired Biathlon.

“I’ve been incredibly fortunate to have a community of people around me, and value your support in making this possible,” she said. “I’ll be competing for us all, including Gigi.”

At 40 years old, Taryn says she hopes to continue proving that you can become an athlete later in life, achieving your dreams with the help of the right people, and furry friends.

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