At 14 I was selected to represent Australia at the 2022 Virtus Oceania Asia Games in Brisbane, at 15 I represented Australia again at the 2023 Virtus Global Games in Vichy, France and now at the young age of 16, I will become Australia's 16th Indigenous Paralympian when I compete at the 2024 Paris Paralympics in the sport of athletics. 

My coaches (Jacinta Doyle and Anula Costa) have been training me knowing this was a possibility and now all those hard sessions will pay off.

A proud Walpiri woman from the Northern Territory, I now live in Sydney where I attend Endeavour High School, a sports focussed school with a proud history of developing Olympians and now Paralympians with me being their first Paralympian.

I won't won’t be alone in Paris with my family also travelling to be there to watch and support me. Your donation ensures that they can be there for my big moment and will provide the ongoing financial support I need for future competitions.

I will be the first person of Warlpiri descent to compete at the Paralympics, it’s a big deal for all my family in the NT. Lots of my cousins, nieces and nephews look up to me and that is something that will be pushing me when I race and the legs start to burn in that last 100m.

Over the past 3 years I have steadily grown as an athlete winning medals at National Championships and the Virtus Oceania Asia Games. I currently hold the Australian under 15, under 17 and under 20 T20 records in the 100m, 200m and long jump, in her Paralympic event the 400m she holds the under 17, under 20 and open T20 records. The previous open T20 400m record was set 8 years before I was born.  

The Athletics team will depart Australia on the 16^th of August headed for Montpellier where they will go into camp until the 25^th when they will arrive in the Paralympic village in Paris. Telaya’s Paralympic schedule is: 400m heats (2 Sep), 400m Final (3 Sep) and Long Jump Final (6 Sep).