I see pride in my son’s eyes, says three-time Paralympic gold medalist Vanessa Low

Three-time Paralympic gold medalist and reigning world champion long jumper Vanessa Low’s day starts with waking up her toddler Matteo, followed by her commitments as a full-time athlete.

Four track and six gym sessions during the week, a little bit of pilates and recovery sessions consume a large portion of her time.

The Australian has had two above-knee amputations of her legs while her husband Paralympic gold medallist Scott Reardon has one prosthetic leg.

Her three-year-old son, she says, is the odd one out in the family and has friends that are inquisitive of his parent’s prosthetics.

The 34-year-old made her international debut at the World Games in Bangalore representing Germany 16 years ago. The sport and Vanessa have come a long way since. And despite having achieved almost everything that the sport offers, Vanessa is still hungry - for one more Olympics and another 6-meter mark.

Vanessa opened up to The Bridge on the sidelines of the World Para Athletics Grand Prix 2025.

Excerpts from an interview:

Having a toddler at home, what efforts go in to strike a balance between being a full-time athlete and a mom?

At first there were some challenging aspects where it was hard to always be there. Now he’s at the age where he understands what I do. He sees me when I exercise everyday and he copies everything I do. I see him. What he’s doing is perfect for a hurdle drill and snatches. He has the perfect long jump routine already. And, he thinks it’s the most normal thing in the world. He’s growing up around the sport I love. I love having him there. Yes, it’s different now than it was 5 years ago. My life looks very different but it has changed for the positive. I think the priorities of being a mom and being the best athlete actually meant that I am now a better athlete because I can manage.

Does Matteo get curious about the prosthetics?

It's funny because he will be three this year and he understands that there’s a difference. My husband also has one prosthetic leg and Matteo is the odd one out in the family. He’s now getting to the age where his little buddies are trying to ask about it. And he feels proud about it. He’s almost like, yes, my mom got these special computerized legs and there’s a certain pride that he says yes my mom is special. It’s great to see how his perception seems to be very different and that’s where I think it’s really important to show kids that disability does not have a negative aspect. I see that in his eyes.

How do you strike a balance between sport and family?

I am busy training all different aspects to try to help my body recover while also trying to make sure I give enough time and energy towards my family and my son. So, there’s a good balance between full-time training while I’m spending family time.

How do you go about handling inquisitive eyes? What is your suggestion to parents?

The one thing we really need to work on is getting people behind us. We need to get a word out. Once people know that events are happening, they come. Look at the Paralympics and we have full stadiums so it’s not a sport that people don’t want to watch.

Being a parent, even before having my son, I see it very important to invite the conversation. I have gone to grocery shops where kids pick up on my disability and ask questions. Parents are embarrassed about the kids asking. I like to take time right there to help them understand because people aren't scared of the things. If we can take the time to explain and have them touch a lake. Have them ask all the silly questions that seem silly for an adult but seem interesting for a child. It helps them understand that it's no longer a big deal. They're more accepting and understanding of disability. More people come up and ask questions and that is a really good thing because it means you are touching people and it means they care.

This is your second visit to India, how has your experience been so far?

It's been a really positive experience in India, the hospitality. Everyone has been very accommodating and welcoming.

The athletes are currently in their off-season especially after the Paris Paralympics. The World Championship is also six months away. What made you travel for the New Delhi Grand Prix?

In Australia, we are almost in the middle of our domestic season so it feels a little faster than others. It’s always nice to set your heads out ahead of the World Championship. To get a feel for how it’s going to be. If you’ve done something for the second time it’s always easier so I am trying to take this as a great opportunity to just get a feeling for India.

How do you rate the facilities at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium?

There’s a lot of positives. I think India not having had a Grand Prix in the past we expected it to be quite chaotic. We actually found it quite the opposite. It’s well structured and everyone is very helpful. We literally have to look confused in the lobby and someone will come in to help. It’s been a positive surprise to say how supporting India seems to be of us playing here.

Some good, some bad in the stadium. We are aware the track is going to be re-laid before the world championship. The beauty of us having the championship here means the athletes here are going to get a new track and they will benefit in the long run.

What are your key takeaways from here?

It's gonna be a little bit hotter later in the year. So heat management is going to be one of the onsets on our plan. The one thing we don’t have to be concerned about is the organisation. We can rely on the local organising committee to do a great job because they have done a great job here at the Grand Prix. It will only improve from here. We really hope we can draw in some crowd. Trying to think how we can get the word out and get people behind us to have a full stadium when we come back in September.

You have won multiple medals, what keeps you motivated?

I wasn’t the talented one and I wasn’t successful right away. I had to work 7 years to get my first gold medal. I know what the sport looks like for not winning a medal. I’d like to say that when winning a gold, nothing actually changes. I found the beauty and love in the sport before winning the gold. The motivation just stuck around because I had the love for the sport and I know what it does for the people and for the world.

2009 Bangalore was your first classification tournament. You represented Germany then. It’s almost 16 years, what has changed since?

It was my first trip and that’s why I expected it to be chaotic. We just had to go along with whatever it was and the transfer didn’t really work well and we had a lot of struggles. But I loved every moment because it was my first team and for me that was the best thing ever. Looking back 16 years, what I took home was love for the culture, the beauty of the sport is getting to meet people all around the world. I love the sport because I get to travel places that operate differently, that have different values and contribute differently. The sport has come a long way. It has become a lot more professional. It has definitely evolved. I think it wasn’t normal to have events like these in countries like India and that is a positive development.

Of all your achievements, which one is close to your heart?

The silver medal is probably one of my special ones. It was in the 100m race and I wasn’t the most talented one. I can’t dismiss Paris. Winning the medal being a young mom and having made a successful return. It has the power to inspire a lot of young female athletes knowing that there’s a space for them. In the long run, they don’t have to choose between family life and being an athlete.

Would you try to make the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics?

I thought I was going to be done after the Paris Olympics. But I still love training. I feel like I still have more to give. I haven’t achieved what I can. I can jump bigger. LA is definitely on my mind. I would like to jump a 6-meter mark and it seems like a big big jump considering the world record was 3.79 when I joined.