West Australian para-equestrian athlete Sharon Jarvis confirmed she has reversed her retirement decision and will begin training to compete at her fourth Paralympic Games.
Jarvis made history at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics, becoming the first Australian para-equestrian rider to compete in three Games.
Ahead of Tokyo, the 43-year-old had decided to call time on her international career following the Games.
But now, she will return to the saddle to try make history again.
“I certainly did consider it but I can officially say that no, I'm not retiring,” Jarvis told SEN Spirit.
“We're going to go for number four in 2024 in Paris.”
Jarvis hails from the small South West town of Donnybrook, but plans to head to Europe to prepare for the Paris Games.
After finishing 10th in the individual competition in Tokyo, she said her focus is on moving up to the top three.
“I have this burning desire to bring home a Paralympic medal,” she said.
“To do that and to do that really seriously, my campaign needs to happen from Europe or the UK to be underneath those international judges’ eyes before we go into the Paralympic competition.”
There are a few things to sort out before she makes the move though, including finding a horse - with her equine partner in Tokyo, Romanos (aka Rommy), not going to tag along for the journey to Paris.
“I have to work out all the logistics,” she said.
“I have to source a horse of international quality and to do that I'm probably going to have to find investors or owners who would like to be involved to make this happen.”
Jarvis is a survivor of childhood cancer, diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma at age seven.
The disease left her with loss of movement and strength in her lower left side.
Recently, Jarvis was named Equestrian Western Australia Rider of the Year 2021, earning the honour over able-bodied nominees.
She said winning the award was “a really special thing”.
"We have some really great equestrian riders in Western Australia and to take out the overall award as a para rider really means a lot to me,” she said.
“Whoever judges it, it really meant to me that they understood that the word para in para-equestrian means parallel. Reaching the pinnacle event of our sport, the Paralympics, they really understood that.
“But I'm not made amazing without the team behind me. I've had so many wonderful people that got onboard with the last five years getting to Tokyo, getting behind myself, my horse, the journey. This was not done alone. My coach was incredible, the owner of the horse was incredible to allow me to take her horse to Tokyo. My sports psych, my physio, the vets, the farriers.
“This is not just for me, this is a trophy for everybody.”
Women in sport for MEGT Australia
