Marayke Jonkers
Encyclopedia
Marayke Jonkers is a Paralympic
medal winning swimmer
from Queensland, Australia. She won two bronze medals at the 2004 Summer Paralympics
and a silver medal at the 2008 Summer Paralympics
. She attended the University of the Sunshine Coast
. She is involved with disability sport advocacy.
. When she was eight months old, she was involved in a car accident that resulted in her becoming a paraplegic. She uses a wheelchair to get around. She attended university, studying Communications and Social Science at the University of the Sunshine Coast
where she earned a pair of Bachelors degrees. She works as a motivational speaker. In 2009, she became a graduate employment consultant for STEPS Disability Qld Inc.
working in with ABC Online and the Stateline television show. She has had stories published in The Sunshine Coast Daily
and The Weekender. She answered fashion questions in the April 2008 edition of Link Magazine.
, individual medley, freestyle and butterfly.She also set a world record for the 100 metres butterfly event. She started her competitive swimming career in 1998. Her training included swimming 576 kilometres (357.9 mi) a year, and training six days a week. She has participated in swimming competitions in over thirteen countries. She compete in the SB3 classification, which means she has a more severe physical disability than those in classifications of 4 to 6. She has also swum in the S4 class. She represents the Maroochydore Swimming Club at national competitions.
Jonkers competed at the 2000 Summer Paralympics
, the first time she had represented Australia at the Paralympics
. At the 2002 International Paralympic Committee World Championships, she won two swimming silver medals. At the 2004 Summer Paralympics
, Jonkers won two swimming bronze medals. She competed at the 2008 Summer Paralympics
, where she was one of Australia's oldest competitors. She earned a silver medal at the Games in the 150m individual medley, with a time of 3:28.88 in the S4 class. In 2009, she set a world record in the 150m individual medley at Australia's national short course championships held in Hobart, Tasmania. In 2010, she competed at the Queensland Swimming Age Multi Class Championships. She competed in the 100m Breaststroke FEMALE event, finishing third with a time of 02:50.59. In 2010, at the age of 30, she also competed at the 2010 Telstra Australian Championshipsthe Over 12 years 150m Medley event where she made the final finished with a time of 4:07.51. She also made the finals in the Over 12 years 50m Breaststroke event. She is training to compete at the 2012 Summer Paralympics
.
.
during the 2008 Summer Olympics
.
the month that she was recognised. She used her prize money to set up the "Sporting Dreams Fund," which helps to people with disabilities develop their sporting talents. In 2010, she was named the Sporting Wheelie of the Year by Sporting Wheelies and Disabled Sport and Recreation Association of Queensland Inc. In 2011, she was a Australia Day Ambassador.
Paralympic Games
The Paralympic Games are a major international multi-sport event where athletes with a physical disability compete; this includes athletes with mobility disabilities, amputations, blindness, and Cerebral Palsy. There are Winter and Summer Paralympic Games, which are held immediately following their...
medal winning swimmer
Swimming (sport)
Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
from Queensland, Australia. She won two bronze medals at the 2004 Summer Paralympics
2004 Summer Paralympics
The 2004 Summer Paralympics were held in Athens, Greece, from September 17 to September 28. The twelfth Paralympic Games, an estimated 4,000 athletes took part in the Athens programme, with ages ranging from 11 to 66. Paralympic events had already taken place during the 2004 Summer Olympics as...
and a silver medal at the 2008 Summer Paralympics
2008 Summer Paralympics
The 2008 Summer Paralympic Games, the thirteenth Paralympics, took place in Beijing, China from September 6 to September 17, 2008. As with the 2008 Summer Olympics, equestrian events were held in Hong Kong and sailing events in Qingdao....
. She attended the University of the Sunshine Coast
University of the Sunshine Coast
The University of the Sunshine Coast is a public university based on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia. Having opened in 1996 as the Sunshine Coast University College with 524 students, the institution was renamed the University of the Sunshine Coast in 1999. In 2011, the student body was...
. She is involved with disability sport advocacy.
Personal
Jonkers was born on 13 September 1981 and is from Queensland, Australia. She lives in Sunshine Coast, QueenslandSunshine Coast, Queensland
The Sunshine Coast is an urban area in South East Queensland, north of the state capital of Brisbane on the Pacific Ocean coastline. Although it does not have a central business district, by population it ranks as the 10th largest metropolis in Australia and the third largest in...
. When she was eight months old, she was involved in a car accident that resulted in her becoming a paraplegic. She uses a wheelchair to get around. She attended university, studying Communications and Social Science at the University of the Sunshine Coast
University of the Sunshine Coast
The University of the Sunshine Coast is a public university based on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia. Having opened in 1996 as the Sunshine Coast University College with 524 students, the institution was renamed the University of the Sunshine Coast in 1999. In 2011, the student body was...
where she earned a pair of Bachelors degrees. She works as a motivational speaker. In 2009, she became a graduate employment consultant for STEPS Disability Qld Inc.
Media career
As part of her university studies, she completed an internship with the Australian Broadcasting CorporationAustralian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
working in with ABC Online and the Stateline television show. She has had stories published in The Sunshine Coast Daily
The Sunshine Coast Daily
The Sunshine Coast Daily is the only daily newspaper specifically serving the Sunshine Coast region of Queensland, Australia. The newspaper is owned by APN News & Media...
and The Weekender. She answered fashion questions in the April 2008 edition of Link Magazine.
Swimming
Jonkers has broken more than 70 Australian national swimming records in the breaststrokeBreaststroke
The breaststroke is a swimming style in which the swimmer is on his or her chest and the torso does not rotate. It is the most popular recreational style due to its stability and the ability to keep the head out of the water a large portion of the time. In most swimming classes, beginners learn...
, individual medley, freestyle and butterfly.She also set a world record for the 100 metres butterfly event. She started her competitive swimming career in 1998. Her training included swimming 576 kilometres (357.9 mi) a year, and training six days a week. She has participated in swimming competitions in over thirteen countries. She compete in the SB3 classification, which means she has a more severe physical disability than those in classifications of 4 to 6. She has also swum in the S4 class. She represents the Maroochydore Swimming Club at national competitions.
Jonkers competed at the 2000 Summer Paralympics
2000 Summer Paralympics
The 2000 Paralympic Games were held in Sydney, Australia, from 18 October to 29 October. The eleventh Summer Paralympic Games, an estimated 3800 athletes took part in the Sydney programme. They commenced with the opening ceremony on 18 October 2000...
, the first time she had represented Australia at the Paralympics
Australia at the Paralympics
Australia has sent delegations to the Summer Paralympics since the first games in 1960, and to the Winter Paralympics since 1980, ....
. At the 2002 International Paralympic Committee World Championships, she won two swimming silver medals. At the 2004 Summer Paralympics
2004 Summer Paralympics
The 2004 Summer Paralympics were held in Athens, Greece, from September 17 to September 28. The twelfth Paralympic Games, an estimated 4,000 athletes took part in the Athens programme, with ages ranging from 11 to 66. Paralympic events had already taken place during the 2004 Summer Olympics as...
, Jonkers won two swimming bronze medals. She competed at the 2008 Summer Paralympics
2008 Summer Paralympics
The 2008 Summer Paralympic Games, the thirteenth Paralympics, took place in Beijing, China from September 6 to September 17, 2008. As with the 2008 Summer Olympics, equestrian events were held in Hong Kong and sailing events in Qingdao....
, where she was one of Australia's oldest competitors. She earned a silver medal at the Games in the 150m individual medley, with a time of 3:28.88 in the S4 class. In 2009, she set a world record in the 150m individual medley at Australia's national short course championships held in Hobart, Tasmania. In 2010, she competed at the Queensland Swimming Age Multi Class Championships. She competed in the 100m Breaststroke FEMALE event, finishing third with a time of 02:50.59. In 2010, at the age of 30, she also competed at the 2010 Telstra Australian Championshipsthe Over 12 years 150m Medley event where she made the final finished with a time of 4:07.51. She also made the finals in the Over 12 years 50m Breaststroke event. She is training to compete at the 2012 Summer Paralympics
2012 Summer Paralympics
The 2012 Summer Paralympic Games will be the fourteenth Paralympics and will take place between 29 August and 9 September 2012. The Games will be held in London, United Kingdom after the city was successful with its bid for the Paralympics and Summer Olympic Games.Even though 2012 will be London's...
.
Paratriathlon
Jonkers has competed in several paratriathlon competitions, including the 2010 ITU Triathlon World Championships in Budapest, Hungary. The first paratriathlon competition she competed in was in 2009, when she competed in the 2009 ITU Triathlon World Championships in Gold Coast, QueenslandGold Coast, Queensland
Gold Coast is a coastal city of Australia located in South East Queensland, 94km south of the state capital Brisbane. With a population approximately 540,000 in 2010, it is the second most populous city in the state, the sixth most populous city in the country, and also the most populous...
.
Advocacy
Jonkers is an advocate for disability sport, and encourages children to participate in disability sport. In 2008, she signed a letter asking for a truce to be called in DarfurDarfur
Darfur is a region in western Sudan. An independent sultanate for several hundred years, it was incorporated into Sudan by Anglo-Egyptian forces in 1916. The region is divided into three federal states: West Darfur, South Darfur, and North Darfur...
during the 2008 Summer Olympics
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
.
Recognition
At the age of 23, Jonkers was named the Queensland Young Achiever 2005 by the Premier. In 2007, she was named the inaugural winner of Cosmopolitan magazine's "fun fearless female award" recognising Australia's most inspirational women who are encouraging others to pursue their dreams. She was featured on page 76 of CosmopolitanCosmopolitan (magazine)
Cosmopolitan is an international magazine for women. It was first published in 1886 in the United States as a family magazine, was later transformed into a literary magazine and eventually became a women's magazine in the late 1960s...
the month that she was recognised. She used her prize money to set up the "Sporting Dreams Fund," which helps to people with disabilities develop their sporting talents. In 2010, she was named the Sporting Wheelie of the Year by Sporting Wheelies and Disabled Sport and Recreation Association of Queensland Inc. In 2011, she was a Australia Day Ambassador.