Joany Badenhorst

Background

About Joany Badenhorst

Joany is a passionate, driven and engaging motivational speaker with a personal and professional journey riddled with challenging hurdles, incredible coincidences and World stage victories. Yet, her story's most exciting element, is her ability to overcome, inspire and never lose that spicey smile and positive mindset. Beginning in remote South Africa, Joany lost her leg (below knee) in a traumatic tractor accident at 11-years old. From being told she ‘wasn't going to make it’, to having an amputee surgeon coincidently stumble across her case and take on the amputation, Joany's hospital journey was riddled with emotions which challenge even the wisest heads. Joany was introduced to Para-athletics by Oscar Pistorius himself and tasted competitive success for the first time - just 12-months following her amputation. The family migrated to Australia shortly after and she made the Australian shadow squad for the 2012 London Paralympics in the marque 100m and high jump events. And so came Joany's 1st injury. A year before the games, complications to her previous amputation, pulled her from competition, professional retirement and intensive rehabilitation to relearn how to walk. However, Joany's spirit wouldn’t break. After winning a 10-exercise balance competition against her Prosthetist to gain a 'high-heel' prosthetic foot for high-school graduation, an Australian Snow talent scout saw her and introduced Snowboarding. Years later, Joany achieved multiple podium finishes and a position at the 2014 Sochi Paralympic games. Almost certain to medal, the second injury blunder came. Concussion, dislocated hip and broken ribs on a training run, forced Joany out of the competition - again. Yet, she rose again. Bigger. 2016-17-18 Joany won 4x World Championships, multiple gold medals and an official World Number #1 ranking. Australia awarded her the flag bearer/captain of the Australian Team at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Paralympics. A favourite to win gold, Joany again fell to another training injury, pulling her from the world stage. Joany returned to competition, however, this time without passion for the sport and retired in 2019. Currently, Joany has redirected her passion, drive and spark to motivational speaking events, where she presents to a broad spectrum from large companies (Optus/Swisse) to grass roots (Ossur/Standtall camps). In addition, Joanys in the 2nd year of a Bachelor of Business (Marketing Major) at Griffith University, whereby she strives towards combing her professional career with her marketing knowledge.