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Paralympian becomes Australia’s first female paratriathlete
July 24, 2010

Paralympic swimmer Marayke Jonkers will become the first female Australian paratriathlete  to compete at a world championships, when she races at the ITU world triathlon championships in Budapest, Hungary on September 11- two weeks after she races at the world swimming championships in Eindhoven, the Netherlands.

Jonkers, who won silver and bronze medals for swimming at the past two Paralympics, will fly to Europe on August 3rd to begin preparations for the dual world championships.

The 28-year-old says she took up triathlon in September last year as a form of cross training, and is thrilled to have the chance to compete internationally.

“I’d always thought triathlon was an awesome sport because I knew how hard I trained to be competitive in one sport, so it would blow me away to think that people could be so good at three sports,” Jonkers said.

“I’d been doing some hand cycling for cross training, so I thought that given I had two of the three disciplines under control – swimming and cycling – that I might as well make the leap and try triathlon.”

For her first race, Jonkers competed in the sprintman event at the 2009 world championships festival on the Gold Coast, before qualifying for the Budapest world championships with a personal best time of 2.23.06 at the QLD triathlon Championships in Redcliffe during.

The world championships will be a sprint distance event: swim 750m, cycle 20km and run 5km. Jonkers will use a handcycle for the bike leg and a racing wheelchair for the run.

Marayke, who has been a paraplegic since she was involved in a car accident at eight months of age, said the goal in Budapest was to do a personal best time.

 “I’m really looking forward to having other athletes to race. There is not a lot of competition when it comes to being a paratriathlete in Australia, so it’s more a matter of racing against yourself. This means I have not idea how I will compare with the other girls, but I will give it everything I’ve got! As I learnt in swimming that if you concentrate on improving yourself and chipping away at your best time, eventually the medals and world records come along as a by-product.”

However Jonkers has  no plans to retire  from swimming, and has been training hard for the IPC (International Paralympic Committee) World Championships where she hopes to bring home medals for Australia.

“This is my first major international competition since the Beijing Paralympics, and so I wanted to go over there in good shape.”

Jonkers will race in three events: the 50m breaststroke, 150m Individual medley and as part of the medley relay team.

“I’m especially excited to swim the relay, as this is the first time in 10 years Australia has qualified a women’s relay team.  In my 12 years on the team I’ve never once raced a relay.”

She is currently ranked second in the world, and qualified for the team at the national swimming championships in March.

She also has her sights set on swimming at  the London 2012 Paralympic Games.

Jonkers says Paratriathlon is not yet a paralympic sport, but is looking to join the Paralympics in Rio 2016.

December 2009

Beijing silver medallist gives grants to up and coming athletes

Paralympic  medal winning swimmer  Marayke Jonkers  has awarded grants to 22 athletes at the second annual presentation ceremony for her  foundation ‘Sporting Dreams’.

She says she hopes the grants, which assist with equipment, training and competition costs, will help the athletes in their quests to become Paralympians.

“All the recipients are very talented athletes, who have demonstrated a commitment to training and have achieved remarkable success in their sporting careers so far. This grant will allow them to focus on training and competing as they work towards their goal of competing at the London 2012 Paralympic Games,” she said.

The athletes compete in a wide range of sports including swimming, athletics, seven-a-side football, quad rugby, cycling, handcycling, wheelchair basketball, and BMX.

Marayke won a silver medal in her sole event at the Beijing paralympic Games, the 150m Individual Medley. She also won two bronze medals at the Athens 2004 Paralympics, and placed 4th and 6th at her first Paralympics in Sydney 2000.

Jonkers learned to swim after she became paraplegic in a car accident as a child. When doctors told her mother Marayke would never walk, she taught her to swim instead.

Marayke has gone on to break over 70 Australian records. This year at the National short course championships she broke the Australian and world record for the 150m Individual medley, and the national record for 50m breaststroke. The 2005 Queensland young achiever of the year  is now training for London 2012.

She founded Sporting Dreams in 2008, after winning the Cosmopolitan Fun, Fearless female awards. Sporting Dreams aims to help athletes with disabilities to achieve fun, fitness and personal development through sport and to support future paralympic champions. Jonkers has always wanted to give something back to sport, and to ensure up and coming athletes have the same opportunities she has had.

“Athletes with disabilities train just as hard as other athletes, and experience the same thrill of winning, yet they face additional expenses. A push bike costs $100, whereas a handcycle costs at least $1500. Athletes with disabilities are also great role models, encouraging all Queenslanders to live a fit and healthy lifestyle,” she said.

The foundation provides two level of grants to Queensland based athletes with physical disabilities .Introductory level grants ($250) assist athletes to take up a sport and development grants ($500) are to assist established athletes with training and competition costs.

The ceremony was held at and sponsored by the University of the Sunshine Coast, where Marayke studied for her two degrees in Journalism and Community Work.

Marayke is now seeking sponsors to assist with  providing grants to athletes next year and is available for motivational speaking engagements in return for a donation to  Sporting Dreams.

She is training for the London 2012 Paralympics and the 2010 IPC world swimming championships.

Marayke wins award for outstanding Sunshine Coast Paralympian

30 January 2009

Marayke Jonkers has taken out  one of the major awards at the Sunshine Coast sport star of the year awards.

At the gala black tie event Marayke won the trophy  for the most outstanding performance the Beijing Olympic and Paralympic Games  in recognition of her silver medal in the 150m individual medley in which she set an Oceania record.

She says it is a great honour.

“As a kid growing up I always saw these awards being announced in the newspaper and dreamed about being up there on the stage one day too. Now I have done it twice, as I also won this award in 2004. It is amazing to see my name on the trophy beside great athletes like Paralympic gold medallists Brendan Burkett and Jeff Hardy

It is also wonderful to see the achievements of Paralympic athletes recognised alongside Olympians and other elite athletes.”

Jonkers was competing at her third Paralympics, after winning 2 bronze medals in Athens 2004.

As sport star of the month for May she was also in the running for the senior sport star of the year award, which was won by Olympic relay swimmer Melanie Schlanger.

The gala awards were held at the Hyatt regency in Coolum on January 30th and guest speaker was league legend Wally Lewis.

Marayke will make her return to the pool in March at the national Championships, after a 5 month break due to illness.

During her time away from the pool Marayke presented the first athlete grants for her charity Sporting Dreams, which helps provide funds to future Paralympic champions.

Premier congratulates QLD Olympians and Paralympians

Marayke with QLD Premier Anna Bligh	Marayke learns a few moves from the Olympic Synchronized swimming team	With the Olympic and paralympic flags.

Queenslands Olympians and paralympians received a special send off from Premier Anna Bligh during two separate functions in Brisbane this week.

The first event was an official announcement of Queensland athletes, held at radion NOva.

At the second event, held at parliament house, athletes were presented with a cheque for $5000 to recognise their achievement in making their team and assist with preparations for Beijing.

Marayke welcomes new sponsor: Thinking Ergonomix

July 2008

Marayke's chances of gold have been given a boost, with the announcement of a sponsorship deal with Sydney based ergonomic furniture company thinking Ergonomix.

Thinking Ergonomix has donated $15,000 to support Marayke's competition and training costs for the next year.

Already Marayke has used the funds for physio,massage, nutrition and to buy a desperately needed piece of equipment called an ergometer.

"I am so excited to be working with Thinking Ergonomix.After 12 years of swimming this is my first major sponsor.It is wonderful to see an Australian Company supporting a paralympian, and the money will really enable me to take my training to the next level."

During a receny trip to Sydney before the Grand Prix swim meet Marayke toured the Thinking Ergonomix factory and delivered a motivational talk to all the staff during a lunch break.

" I was taken by the positive, can do attitude and the friendly nature of the crew at Thinking Ergonomix, and the innovative and stylish nature of their products,"she said.

To find out more visit www.thinkingergonomix.com

Marayke wins Sport star of the month

June 3 2008

“This award is really close to my heart because reading about previous winners in the newspaper is one of the things that inspired me to train for the Paralympics. Plus I love frocking up for a great night at the sport star of the year awards” she said.
She was presented with her $250 winners cheque at a breakfast held in Caloundra RSL Club( Major sponsors of the awards) for all sport star of the month winners from January to May.

The breakfast  guest list read like a whos who of Sunshine Coast sport, with Beijing bound Olympian Samantha Hammill (swimming), Paul Flemming (boxing) along with talented junior sport star of the month winners.Sunshine Coast Olympic great Denise Boyd was also there representing her Beijing bound daughter Alana Boyd (high jump) and Clint Robinson (kayaking) was represented by his father.

Jonkers chose to share the morning with her closest fans and supporters: Mum Marion, boyfriend Alex and grandparents Frankjie and John Borgh.

Sunshine Coast junior and senior sport star of the Month winners

Jan-Senior Julie Keegan World Lamn Bowls Champion
Junior kelsey Cottrell World Championships Silver medalist

Feb- Senior Ashley Noffke Cricketer
Junior- Kate Lee Willams National Water polo

March- Senior Alana Boyd Olympian
Junior-Samatha Hammill OLympian,

April- Senior Clint Robinson Olympian Paul Fleming Olympian
Junior Dev Leahy National lifesaving Champion

May Senior Marayke jonkers and Todd Kidd Olympian
Junior Chris Friend National Champion Surfing.

Not a bad bunch and we are only at May with 7 months to go.

Marayke's Beijing Blog

May 2008

Fans can now read about Marayke’s progress towards Beijing in an online Blog through The Weekender Magazine.

“One of the best parts of Being a Paralympian is sharing it with other people who have supported me. And it is amazing how many people are inspired to take up exercise or make positive changes in their lives,” she says.

To read the blog go to www.theweekender.com.au or click on the blog section of this website.

Paralympian’s new event earns her Beijing selection

30 March 2008
By Paul Munnings in the Sunshine Coast Daily

After suffering the disappointment of having her pet event removed from the Paralympics program, Maroochydore’s Marayke Jonkers has still managed to earn a place in the Australian squad for Beijing.

In another example of how the 26-year-old is able to shun adversity, she changed events six months out from the Paralympic trials and earned her shot at another Paralympics medal as an individual medley swimmer.

The first man to tell Jonkers of her selection for a third Paralympics was another Coast Paralympian, Brendan Burkett, who had the job of finding the 18 selected swimmers in the confines of the Homebush pool on Friday night.

“He’s been my hero since I was a little girl and for him to be the first to tell me I’d made a third team was fantastic,” Jonkers said yesterday.

“They only had 18 places to fill and they chose the women who swam closest to the world record in the trials, and who they thought would be most likely to succeed in Beijing.

“It made it harder to be selected than for any other team I’ve been on.”

What made it extra challenging for Jonkers was when her favourite event, the 50m breaststroke was dropped from the Paralympics schedule.

She was only notified of the news in September and immediately changed her focus to the 150m medley, an event which covers backstroke, breaststroke and freestyle.
“To find out only six months before the trials, after training for three years, was really tough to hear,” Jonkers said.

“So I thought I’m just going to have to make it doing something else.
“It’s a nice thrill to make it in the team in an event which is not my best event.
“I was ranked sixth in the world and now I’m up to fourth. Hopefully I can improve that a bit more.”

Jonkers was fourth in her debut Paralympics appearance in Sydney in 2000, but then won two bronze medals in Athens four years ago. She doesn’t know if Beijing, which is 160 days away, will be her last.

“I’m going to put the decision on what I’m going to do off until after Beijing,” she said. “I want to focus on swimming well there.”

Marayke Wins Gold at her first Handcycling National Championships

7 May 2006

Competing at her first National Championships in Sydney, Marayke has won the women’s road race just 10 months after taking up handcycling.

It was a remarkable effort, considering she was using a borrowed bike and the chain came off during her race. Ironically, her custom built XLT gold handcycle arrived from America two days after she came home.

Although quick to point out she was the only female in her event, this didn’t give her an easy ride as she had to meet a strict time criteria in order to win a medal.
She also competed in the individual time trial, completing the course in a time of 29:28.07.

Marayke took up handcycling as a form of cross training in 2005.

Despite her success, she is yet to decide whether to take up the sport when she retires from swimming. "I am really enjoying the challenge of learning all about a new sport, but I still want to go faster in the pool before I retire," she says.

The innaugural championships were held in conjunction with the Masters National championships. Handcyclists from Western Australia, Tasmania, Queensland and New South Wales battled it out over three days in the individual time trial and roadrace events. The event was held at the Sydney ragatta centre, Penrith Lakes.

More Handcycling stories featuring Marayke
Sunshine Coast cycling club
http://www.sunshinecoastcycling.com.au/news/154