Kristyn Comino
17 March 2014: The University of Canberra has welcomed a new student athlete to its ranks who's already on track to race at the Rio Paralympic Games in 2016 and aiming for gold: hearing and vision impaired triathlete Jonathan Goerlach.
The 31-year-old moved to Canberra from Nowra this year to study at the University and help meet his goal of competing at the Games by training at the Australian Institute of Sport and with his squad Performance Triathlon Coaching under coach Corey Bacon.
Goerlach discovered paratriathlon was going to be recognised as a Paralympic sport for the first time in Rio when he was living in the Netherlands in 2011. Making some calls back home to Australia confirmed he was eligible for the sport, but his journey to try and qualify hasn't been without its challenges.
"When I started training I hadn't ridden a road bike before and couldn't swim a single lap of a pool because I nearly drowned when I was four and never learnt to swim. So I think even though the challenge of triathlon was even greater for me than for most I've come a long way since then. A lot of things have fallen into place so I've just got to keep training to reach my goals," Goerlach said.
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Paratriathlete and new UC student Jonathan Goerlach pictured on campus. Photo Michelle McAulay |
Goerlach is making strides towards his dream, having recently won the Australian and Oceanic Paratriathlon Championship and the Elwood ITU Paratriathlon World Cup. The next step is competing at the Chicago ITU Paratriathlon World Cup race in June, which he said is a significant race ahead of the Paratriathlon World Championships in Canada in August.
And it's not just Goerlach that will be competing, as he's guided by fellow University student athlete Jack Bigmore. The athletes are tethered together for the swimming and running components of the triathlon and ride tandem in the cycling aspect.
"We've been recognised as a medal contention for the Rio Paralympics in 2016 but we are aiming for the gold. It's going to be amazing racing against the best in the world and hopefully beating them to achieve our goals," Goerlach said.
Goerlach needs an able-bodied guide to compete with him as he has a condition known as Usher Syndrome that saw him lose his night vision by age 18 and his peripheral vision by 30. He was also born with a hearing impairment which requires him to wear hearing aids.
"My disabilities affect every decision I make, just walking around I'm constantly on high alert and aware of my surroundings. I often need to stop and get my bearings," he said.
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Jonathan Goerlach (right) competes with his guide and fellow UC student Jack Bigmore. Photo supplied |
"If I'm in a place where there are too many people I have an identity cane I can take out of my bag so people are aware I'm vision impaired, otherwise people think I'm just being rude when I bump into them!"
Despite his light-hearted nature about it now, Goerlach admits he "went through some hard times", especially with losing his vision.
"I have tunnel vision, so whereas normal eyesight is about 180 degrees of peripheral vision I have about four to six degrees in both eyes, which will continue to deteriorate. When I had my eyes checked about seven years ago and realised how bad my eyesight was – and that it would continue to worsen – it was a massive reality check and took a while for me to deal with what that meant.
"But it's all good now, I'm turning a negative into a positive. Through determination, sacrifices and hard work lots of opportunities have presented themselves."
Goerlach, who says "sport is like a religion to me", is studying a double degree of sports coaching and exercise science and sports management at the University. He said combining his studies with paratriathlon training and also working as a soft tissue therapist has been "a challenge to find the balance", but that the University has been "super supportive of my needs".
"The University of Canberra has been amazing. The staff at the Inclusion and Welfare office have been particularly helpful, they went out of their way to help me apply and enrol," Goerlach, who moved on campus in January, said.
Volunteering for the Australian Paralympic Committee during the past two years has seen him nurture young talent and he said it "makes a huge difference in their lives" which is why he decided to study at the University and work in that field.
"Sport has had such a positive impact on my life and the people around me, I want to work for people with disabilities in sport, both at a development level and coaching, I think it's immensely rewarding."
The University of Canberra is an Elite Athlete Friendly University and currently has over 65 student athletes, one of the highest numbers in Australia.
You can follow Jonathan's progress on social media:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/JonathanGoerlachAthlete
Twitter: @JonosRoadToRioInstagram: @JONO0711
