Joann Formosa
 Formosa on the field in 2012 | ||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nationality | Australia | |||||||||
| Born | 19 February 1961 | |||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||
| Country | Australia | |||||||||
| Sport | Equestrian | |||||||||
Medal record
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Joann Formosa, OAM (born 19 February 1961) is an Australian Para-equestrian, who won a gold medal at the 2012 London Paralympics.
Personal
Joann Helen Formosa was born on 19 February 1961,[1][2] and is from Broadford[1] in central Victoria.[3] She attended university, where she studied art.[1]
Formosa has spinal cord and nerve damage, caused by an accident following an attempt to open a gate while she was riding a horse.[1][4] She can walk with the aid of crutches,[5] though she is not self-sufficient, and requires assistance from nursing staff at Mitchell Community Health Services.[4] She has severe allergies to substances including horse feed and hay.[6]
Equestrian
Formosa started competing in equestrian in 1980.[1] Before her accident, she competed in dressage and show-jumping events.[4] She helped found Kilmore Adult Riding Club, the first adult pony club in her region.[4]
Formosa is a Grade 1B equestrian dressage competitor.[1][5] As a competitor in this class, she is required to perform a "dressage test involving medium to collected walk, a quarter walk pirouette and a long rein walk, as well as working trot and lengthening in the trot."[5] She competes without stirrups as she does not have enough leg control to justify them.[4] She has been coached by Manuela McLeans since 2011.[4][7] She is a member of Riding for the Disabled Victoria,[8] and is based at the Australian Equine Behaviour Centre at Clonbinane.[9] As of 2012, she has a scholarship with the Victorian Institute of Sport.[10]
At the 2006 Victorian State Dressage Championships, Formosa finished first in the Grade 1B event while riding Greenhill Chromes Reflection.[11] She competed in the 2006 World Equestrian Games, where she made her national team debut and competed in her first competition outside Australia.[1][9] After returning from this competition, Formosa had an accident while riding her horse.[1] She was a member of Australia's 2009 National High Performance Squad.[12] In 2009 she competed in the Australian Masters Game.[13] She finished first in the 2011 National Championship in the Grade 1B category.[1][9] At the Victorian-hosted 2011 Oceania Championships, she won two gold medals.[1] At the 2012 London Paralympics, she won a gold medal in the Mixed Dressage - Championship grade Ib event.[14] She qualified on Worldwide PB, a "former Wanganui-owned Hanoverian stallion" that she acquired in December 2011.[3][5]
Recognition
In November 2013, Formosa was awarded the Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI) Against All Odds award.[15] She was awarded an Order of Australia Medal in the 2014 Australia Day Honours "for service to sport as a Gold Medallist at the London 2012 Paralympic Games."[2]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 "Joann Formosa". Australia: Australian Paralympic Committee. 2012. Retrieved 13 July 2012.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Australia Day honours list 2014: in full". Daily Telegraph. 26 January 2014. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Price, Libby (9 July 2012). "Riding high for the Paralympics". Bush Telegraph. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 "Horses Formosa off to London". Weekly Times Now. 21 June 2012. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Iain Hyndman (17 July 2012). "Worldwide lands London spot". Wanganui Chronicle. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
- ↑ Paxinos, Stathi (3 September 2012). "Battler downs champion to take gold". The Age. Retrieved 19 October 2012.
- ↑ "Joann Formosa". Australian Equine Behaviour Centre. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
- ↑ Burin, Margaret (16 July 2012). "Mini Olympics puts spotlight on Paralympics potential". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 "Joann Formosa". Equestrian Australia. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
- ↑ "Victorian Athletes Selected for London Olympics and Paralympics". VicSport. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
- ↑ Cleland, Fran (20 September 2006). "Crowning glory for RDA riders". The Weekly Times (Melbourne, Australia). p. 62. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
- ↑ Fran Cleland (25 May 2009). "Horses Battams to lead Para squads". Weekly Times. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
- ↑ "12th AUSTRALIAN MASTERS GAMES". Geelong Advertiser (Australia). 21 February 2009. p. 55. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
- ↑ Joann Formosa's profile on paralympic.org. Retrieved 19 October 2012.
- ↑ "Australia’s Joann Formosa honoured at FEI Awards Gala". International Paralympic Committee News. 13 November 2013. Retrieved 19 November 2013.