Kane Perris

Started: He took up Para cycling in 2020. (gofundme.com, 07 Sep 2022) Reason: He participated in a Western Australian Institute of Sport [WAIS] talent identification programme and was selected to train in the sport ahead of the 2020 Paralympic Games. (gofundme.com, 07 Sep 2022) Additional Info: PILOT INSPIRATION He draws inspiration from his sighted pilot Luke Zaccaria. He teamed up with Zaccaria when he first began Para cycling in 2020. "Some of these training sessions have been some of the hardest trainings that I've done in my career [speaking in 2024]. But I get excited for these challenges now. I'm going to sound a little bit cheesy here, but I'm truly inspired by Luke. He just shows up every single training session, and just has this dog about him, and works so hard, and to know that he's the man that's on the front of the tandem is truly inspiring. It makes me want to turn up and work as hard as I possibly can, and be able to say at the end of the training session, 'I worked harder than you'." (Instagram profile, 22 Feb 2024; visability.com.au, 18 Feb 2024) OCCUPATION He has worked as a member of the exercise physiology team at VisAbility, a service provider for people with vision impairments in Perth, WA, Australia. He first became a VisAbility client at six months old. "I saw the role and felt like it was an opportunity to give back to VisAbility and the low and no vision community. I aim to empower people with vision impairment to push boundaries and challenge themselves. I'm so lucky to have the support of VisAbility throughout this journey. I've gradually moved from full-time hours, down to just one day a week as my training regime amps up [speaking in 2024]." (Facebook profile, 17 Apr 2024; visability.com.au, 18 Feb 2024)

Sporting Relatives: His older brother Chad has represented Australia in Para athletics, including at the 2016 and 2020 Paralympic Games. He and Chad were both selected to compete at the 2024 Games in Paris. (SportsDeskOnline, 12 Aug 2024; Instagram profile, 02 Aug 2024; paralympic.org.au, 30 Jul 2024)