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10012-Elizabeth Kosmala photo

Elizabeth Kosmala

Australia flag
Australia
Archery
9
3

Biography

Impairment information

Type of Impairment
Spinal Cord Injuries
Origin of Impairment
Congenital
Classification
SH1

Further personal information

Family
Husband Stan, sons Luke and James
Other names
Elizabeth Richards
Residence
Adelaide, SA, AUS
Languages
English

Sport specific information

When and where did you begin this sport?
She began competing in the sport in 1970.
Why this sport?
"I began with archery and the person I used to shoot arrows with suggested I go to a rifle range. He had been invited there and I said I didn't want to be a rifle shooter. But I went, tried it and my first shot went through the middle of the target."

International debut

Year
1970
Competing for
Australia

General interest

Nicknames
Libby (paralympic.org.au, 22 May 2012)
Hobbies
Swimming. (paralympic.org, 07 Jun 2015)
Awards and honours
She received the Tanya Denver Award at the 2016 The Advertiser and Channel 7 Sports Star of the Year Awards in Australia. The award recognises inspirational athletes who have reached an elite sporting level. (adelaidenow.com.au, 17 Nov 2016)

At the 2012 Australian Paralympian of the Year Awards, she was presented with the President's Medal for Excellence in Sportsmanship by the Australian Paralympic Committee [APC]. (paralympic.org, 12 Nov 2012)

She was Australia's flag bearer at the opening ceremony of the 1996 Paralympic Games in Atlanta. (insideworldparasport.biz, 29 Aug 2011)

She was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia [OAM] in 1985. (sportingshootermag.com.au, 04 Mar 2013)
Other sports
She competed in athletics and swimming at the 1972 Paralympic Games in Heidelberg. (abc.net.au, 15 Sep 2008)
Famous relatives
Her husband Stan has competed in shooting Para sport. He also won gold in lawn bowls at the 1988 Paralympic Games in Seoul. (paralympic.org.au, 27 Apr 2011)
Impairment
Until her 50s she thought she had spina bifida. However, doctors then told her they believed her paraplegia resulted from complications at birth. (abc.net.au, 15 Sep 2008)
Other information
RETIREMENT
She announced her retirement from competitive shooting after competing at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. (abc.net.au, 07 Oct 2016)

BREAK
She took a nine-month break from the sport to look after her two grandsons after competing at the 2012 Paralympic Games in London. She returned to international competition in March 2014 at the World Cup in Stoke Mandeville, England. "A lot of people cannot believe that a woman in her 70s can still be competing in Olympic or Paralympic Games. But rifle shooting is a sport where if you are still able to hold the rifle without any tremor, and you can still see well, you can still shoot very well." (paralympic.org, 07 Jun 2015)

PARALYMPIC GAMES VETERAN
She competed at 12 consecutive Paralympic Games between 1972 and 2016. She also attended the 1968 Games in Tel Aviv as an administrative staff member. (paralympic.org, 07 Jun 2015; paralympic.org.au, 2012)

Results

Unit Date Rank
Heidelberg 1972 Paralympic Games (Heidelberg, Germany)
Event Medal Unit Date Rank
Women's 50 m Backstroke 3 Final Round 6
Women's 50 m Backstroke 3 Heats 7
Women's Pentathlon 3 Final Round 4
Women's Javelin 3 Final Round 19
Women's 4x40 m Open Final Round 13
Women's 60 m Wheelchair 3 Heats 21
Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games (Sydney, Australia)
Event Medal Unit Date Rank
Mixed Air Rifle Prone SH1 Final Round 7
Mixed Air Rifle Prone SH1 Preliminary 8
Women's Air Rifle Standing SH1 Final Round 6
Women's Air Rifle Standing SH1 Preliminary 6
Mixed Free Rifle Prone SH1 Preliminary 13
Women's Sport Rifle 3x20 SH1 Preliminary 7
Women's Sport Rifle 3x20 SH1 Final Round 7
Atlanta 1996 Paralympic Games (Atlanta, United States of America)
Event Medal Unit Date Rank
Women's Standard Rifle 3x20 SH1 Preliminary 12
Mixed English Match SH1 Preliminary 11
Women's Air Rifle 3x20 SH1 Final Round 5
Women's Air Rifle 3x20 SH1 Preliminary 3
Mixed Air Rifle Prone SH1 Preliminary 10
Women's Air Rifle Standing SH1 Preliminary 16
Barcelona 1992 Paralympic Games (Barcelona, Spain)
Event Medal Unit Date Rank
Mixed Olympic Match SH2 Preliminary 15
Mixed Air Rifle 3x40 SH2 Preliminary 13
Mixed English Match SH1>3 Final Round 6
Mixed English Match SH1>3 Preliminary 4
Mixed SB Free Rifle 3x40 SH1-2 Preliminary 11
Mixed Air Rifle Standing SH1>3 Preliminary 22
Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games (Beijing, China)
Event Medal Unit Date Rank
Mixed Free Rifle Prone SH1 Qualification 33
Mixed Air Rifle Prone SH1 Qualification 19
Women's Sport Rifle 3x20 SH1 Qualification 9
Women's Air Rifle Standing SH1 Final Round 4
Women's Air Rifle Standing SH1 Qualification 2
Athens 2004 Paralympic Games (Athens, Greece)
Event Medal Unit Date Rank
Women's Sport Rifle 3x20 SH1 Final Round 8
Women's Sport Rifle 3x20 SH1 Preliminary 8
Mixed Free Rifle Prone SH1 Preliminary 20
Mixed Air Rifle Prone SH1 Preliminary 22
Women's Air Rifle Standing SH1 Preliminary 10
Stoke Mandeville & New York 1984 Paralympic Games (Stoke Mandeville (GBR), New York (USA), Great Britain)
Event Medal Unit Date Rank
Women's Air Rifle Standing 2-6 Final Round 1
Women's Air Rifle Kneeling 2-6 Final Round 1
Women's Air Rifle Prone 2-6 Final Round 1
Women's Air Rifle 3 Positions 2-6 Final Round 1
Arnhem 1980 Paralympic Games (Arnhem, Netherlands)
Event Medal Unit Date Rank
Mixed Air Rifle 3 Positions 2-5 Final Round 2
Mixed Air Rifle Kneeling 2-5 Final Round 2
Mixed Air Rifle Standing 2-5 Final Round 8
Mixed Air Rifle Prone 2-5 Final Round 1
Toronto 1976 Paralympic Games (Toronto, Canada)
Event Medal Unit Date Rank
Mixed Rifle Shooting 2-5 Final Round 1
Women's Pairs Open Final Round 5
Women's FITA Round Open Final Round 6
Seoul 1988 Paralympic Games (Seoul, South Korea)
Event Medal Unit Date Rank
Women's Air Rifle Kneeling 2-6 Final Round 1
Women's Air Rifle Prone 2-6 Final Round 1
Women's Air Rifle 3 Positions 2-6 Final Round 1
Women's Air Rifle Standing 2-6 Final Round 2
Mixed Air Rifle Prone 2-6 Final Round 15
Mixed Air Rifle 3 Positions Team 2-6 Final Round 12
Mixed Air Rifle Standing Team 2-6 Final Round 12
Mixed Air Rifle Kneeling Team 2-6 Final Round 10
Mixed Air Rifle Prone Team 2-6 Final Round 12
2010 IPC Shooting World Championships (Zagreb, Croatia)
Event Medal Unit Date Rank
Women's 10m Air Rifle standing SH1 Qualification 2010-07-17 9
Mixed 10m Air Rifle prone SH1 Qualification 2010-07-19 19
London 2012 Paralympic Games (London, Great Britain)
Event Medal Unit Date Rank
R2 - Women's 10 m Air Rifle Standing SH1 Final Round 2012-08-30 8
R2 - Women's 10 m Air Rifle Standing SH1 Qualification 2012-08-30 8
R3 - Mixed 10 m Air Rifle Prone SH1 Qualification 2012-09-01 24
2014 IPC Shooting World Championships (Suhl, Germany)
Event Medal Unit Date Rank
Women's 10m Air Rifle standing SH1 Final 2014-07-19 7
Women's 10m Air Rifle standing SH1 Qualification 2014-07-19 5
Mixed 10m Air Rifle prone SH1 Qualification 2014-07-21 48
Team R3 - Mixed 10m Air Rifle prone SH1 Qualification 2014-07-21 5
Rio 2016 Paralympic Games (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
Event Medal Unit Date Rank
R2 - Women's 10 m Air Rifle Standing SH1 Qualification 2016-09-08 18
R3 - Mixed 10 m Air Rifle Prone SH1 Qualification 2016-09-10 37