Australian Paralympic gold medallist dies at age 28

Australian Paralympic cycling champion Paige Greco has died at 28.

Greco, who won Australia’s first gold medal of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, passed away on Sunday at her home in Adelaide following a “sudden medical episode,” AusCycling confirmed.

Her family is “devastated” by her loss but “incredibly proud of the person she was and the way she represented Australia,” her mother Natalie said in a statement released through AusCycling. “Paige meant everything to us. Her kindness, determination and warmth touched our family every single day,” she added.

Born with cerebral palsy, Greco began her sporting journey in track and field before switching to cycling in 2018. She went on to secure multiple World Championship titles and World Cup medals. At the Tokyo Games, she set a world record in the women’s C1–3 3,000m individual pursuit and later earned two bronze medals in the C1–3 road race and time trial.

Although health issues kept her out of last year’s Paris Paralympics selection events, she returned to top-level competition this year. In August, she claimed another bronze at the para-cycling World Championships in Belgium in the C3 road race.

News of Greco’s death prompted tributes from across Australia’s sporting community. AusCycling CEO Marne Fechner described her as an “extraordinary athlete” whose “positive spirit and courageous outlook” left a lasting impact. Paralympics Australia CEO Cameron Murray praised not only her international achievements but also her “kindness,” “quiet determination,” and ability to make people feel “included and supported.”