TIME TO LEAVE
Burdekin star hangs up paddle
BURDEKIN’S paralympian Andrea Mcdonnell has announced she will step down from elite competition, just more than two years after winning bronze in the Commonwealth Games.
Mcdonnell competed in the Rio Paralympics in 2016 before claiming bronze in her event at the Commonwealth Games in 2018.
She was also a baton bearer during the Burdekin leg of the Queen’s Baton Relay in 2018.
The para table tennis champion said she had made the difficult decision in hopes of seeing a new guard of Australian athletes rise in the ranks.
“It was a really hard decision to withdraw from the national squad (Para) but I had been thinking long and hard for several weeks prior,” Mcdonnell said.
“I felt I had achieved so much for a woman from a little country town with no table tennis club and really wanted to finish my international career on a high.
“Although I knew it was the right decision to step down and make way for younger players, I certainly had a few tears just thinking about the possibility of not seeing all my amazing teammates again.”
She will finish her international career on a high after winning a total of nine international medals and six national titles in Para events over a period of seven years.
“Medals and titles are certainly great and every athlete loves to win but just knowing I may have helped someone along my journey or even inspired another para-athlete to do their best and never give up is so much more rewarding,” Mcdonnell said.
While table tennis had always been a part of Mcdonnell’s life it was not until a workplace accident in 1999 that she reached the international stage.
“Once I attended my first para tournament at the Oceania titles in Canberra and met the team and coaches, I was hooked and couldn’t wait to be classified so I could join the team,” she said.
Of all her career highlights, Mcdonnell said wearing the Australian team colours at the Rio Paralympic Games and winning a bronze medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast would be lasting memories.
“There are so many highlights and every time I put on the Aussie tracksuit and represent Australia along with my teammates, gave me such a buzz,’’ she said.
I FELT I HAD ACHIEVED SO MUCH FOR A WOMAN FROM A LITTLE COUNTRY TOWN WITH NO TABLE TENNIS CLUB.
ANDREA MCDONNELL