OAM honours
Golden rewards for Jayden
It took only seconds for Drouin resident Jayden Warn’s life to be changed forever.
Left in a wheelchair after a car accident the day before his 17th birthday, Jayden is proof that persistence and overcoming adversity are possible after the Paralympic gold medallist received an Order of Australia Medal in the Australia Day honours on Thursday.
It has been a whirlwind of celebrations and awards since the 22-year-old won gold in Rio as part of Australia’s wheelchair rugby team in September. With his wedding and moving into a new house just weeks away, Jayden said being notified of the OAM was “just a cherry on top to a fantastic couple of months”.
“I’m more than honoured, honoured is an understatement” said Jayden. “There’s no prouder moment than putting on the green and gold. It doesn’t matter where we are in the world, you get to represent your family and country. And now I have three letters at the end of my name.”
From p1 Jayden, who regularly shares his story to high school students to promote road safety awareness, said he never would have guessed how his life would change.
“I never ever wanted to do a sport professionally. I always had other plans. To end up where I am now, I guess everything happens for a reason. There’s no point worrying about something you can’t change.”
The youngest of the 12-man gold medal winning squad for Rio, Jayden said winning the final against arch-rivals the United States in double overtime was hard to describe.
“Even just sitting here now, my adrenalin gets going just thinking about it,” said Jayden. It was just the best feeling ever.”
Having heard about the thrill of winning gold by squad veterans who were at the London Paralympics, Jayden said “what they told me just didn’t match up” to his experience. He said being part of what was widely considered the best game of wheelchair rugby ever played was awesome.
“We just wanted to prove to them and ourselves that we could do it,” he said. “In the scheme of things, I’m glad it went to double overtime as it made the win that much better. Every time I think of it, it puts a smile on my face.”
Including wins over France and Sweden in practice games prior to the tournament, Jayden said Australia defeated all seven teams at the Paralympics – “we beat the world”.
Gold in Rio topped off a fantastic four years representing Australia. He has also won gold medals at 2014 IWRF World Championships in Denmark and 2016 Japan Para Invitational Championships in Japan as well as three silver medals and a bronze medal at other international events.
Jayden will now focus on repeating the winning feeling at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics and 2018 world championships in Sydney.
Jayden was a front seat passenger when the vehicle he was travelling in collided with another on Princes Way between Warragul and Drouin in 2011. The accident was caused by a brief lapse in concentration.
He broke three vertebrae in his neck and three vertebrae in his back, leaving him a C5 incomplete quadriplegic.
A keen motorcross and BMX rider, Jayden discovered wheelchair rugby in rehab – “I never tried any other wheelchair sport” and the full contact sport quickly changed his life.
“I travel the world, play the sport I love and represent the country I love,” said Jayden. “I’d be lying if I said, I didn’t have my down days. I tell myself to get over it. There’s always somebody worse off.”
Importantly, Jayden visits schools and sporting clubs to share his story and raise the profile of wheelchair rugby and Paralympic sports.
His main message to teenagers is, “you don’t have to be doing stupid things in the car for something bad to happen”.
It wasn’t only his accident which inspired him to push through a hate of public speaking, he buried two friends two months after his accident.
“If I can get through to one kid, then I’ve done my job,” said Jayden. “I know what it’s like to be that age. I thought I was invincible.
Jayden paid tribute to his fiancée Megan Haasz, family and friends for their support.
“Every achievement that I get is an achievement for them,” he said.