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A Lunch with Dylan Alcott AO, Australian of the Year

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Dylan Alcott AO

A Lunch with Dylan Alcott AO, Australian of the Year

In a major coup, AADA has secured Australian of the Year 2022, Dylan Alcott AO, to speak at the carsales luncheon.

Not many people can lay claim to being a Paralympic gold medallist and world champion whilst still being in their teenage years. Then again, there aren’t many people like Dylan Alcott AO.

Australian of the Year 2022, Dylan Alcott AO, a dual sport athlete, has represented Australia on the international stage in both wheelchair basketball and wheelchair tennis since the age of 13.

In 2008, at the age of 17, Dylan was a member of the Australian wheelchair basketball team, The Rollers, who won a gold medal victory at the 2008 Paralympic games in Beijing. As a result, Dylan became the youngest ever wheelchair basketball gold medallist in history. At the 2016 Rio Paralympics Dylan won gold in both the singles and doubles tennis, making him one of an elite few to have won Olympic gold in two different sports at two separate Olympics.

In total, he won 15 career grand slam titles, including a ‘Golden Slam’ in 2021, made up of the Australian, French and US Opens, Wimbledon, and the Paralympic titles. He retired from the sport after losing the 2022 Australian Open final.
Dylan was born with a rare type of tumour wrapped around his spinal cord, which required immediate surgery only weeks after birth. After a three-year battle for his life, Dylan defied the odds and through sheer determination and hard work, he has become one of Australia’s best and widely recognised Paralympians.

One of Dylan’s greatest achievements was being inducted as a member of the Order of Australia in 2009 at the age of 18. From there, Dylan and The Rollers followed up their win in Beijing with victory at the 2010 FIBA World Championships, becoming the first Australian basketball team ever to win the title. At the tournament, he was selected in the World All Star 5, making him the best player in his position in the world. In 2012, he returned from the London Paralympic Games with a silver medal.

In 2013, Dylan re-launched his tennis career and was granted a wild card into the 2014 Australian Open, reaching the semi-final. After only 18 months into his comeback, Dylan won his first ever grand slam title, The Australian Open, and reached the ranking of number one in the world.
Dylan made sports history in 2016, as the first wheelchair athlete to win the Newcombe Medal, the highest individual award in Australian tennis. Dylan won Gold in both the singles and doubles tennis at the 2016 Rio Paralympics, was the winner of the 2016 Australian Open and was named the 2016 GQ Sportsman of the Year.

In 2021, Dylan became the only male in any form of tennis to win the Golden Slam, winning the Australian, French, Wimbledon and now US Open Championships, together with his gold medal from the Tokyo Paralympic Games. He joins Steffi Graf, who in 1988 is the only other person in history to do so.

Dylan’s achievements are not only restricted to the sporting field. In 2017, Dylan created the Dylan Alcott Foundation, a foundation to help young people who are struggling to come to terms with their disabilities and improve quality of life through mentoring, scholarships, and grants that assist individuals in being involved in education and sport. Dylan is also an entrepreneur and is the co-founder of Get Skilled Access, a training provider educating corporates and governments on better understanding and treating customers with disabilities. In addition, he is the founder of Able Foods, a purpose-led business providing high quality food and opportunities for people with disability to lead healthier and happier lives.

He was nominated for 2017 Young Australian of the Year and, in 2022, was awarded Victoria Australian of the Year, among many other awards.

Dylan Alcott is a keen philanthropist and broke the world record playing wheelchair tennis for 24 consecutive hours non-stop, raising an incredible $100,000 for two charities.

Dylan’s true passion is his work as a motivational speaker, and through his inspirational storytelling, he is continually trying to alter and change the way people with disabilities are perceived in the wider community.

He’s an Australian hero, and an inspiration to all. Prepare to be inspired.

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The post A Lunch with Dylan Alcott AO, Australian of the Year appeared first on 2022 AADA Convention and Expo.


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