Paige Greco, Paralympic gold medalist, dies suddenly at 28

Paige Greco of Australia holds her gold medal after winning the Cycling Track Women's C1-3 3000m Individual Pursuit at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2021, in Izu, Shizuoka prefecture, Japan. (AP Photo/Shuji Kajiyama, File)

ADELAIDE, Australia — Australian cyclist Paige Greco, a Paralympic gold medalist, has died. She was 28.

A joint statement by the Australian Paralympic Committee and Australian cycling federation said that Greco “passed away in her Adelaide home after experiencing a sudden medical episode” on Sunday.

“Paige meant everything to us,” her mother Natalie Greco said.” Her kindness, her determination and her warmth touched our family every single day. She brought so much joy and pride into our lives, and the pain of her passing is something we will carry forever.

“While we are devastated by her loss, we are incredibly proud of the person she was and the way she represented Australia.”

Greco, who was born with cerebral palsy, won the first gold medal of the pandemic-delayed Tokyo Paralympics in 2021, breaking her own world record in the women’s C1-3 3,000-meter individual pursuit.

She went on to add bronze medals in the road race and time trial.

Greco also won multiple world championship titles and World Cup medals, after bursting onto the para-cycling scene with three world records, two gold medals and a silver at the 2019 track world championship — just a year after switching to cycling from para-athletics.

Cameron Murray, Chief Executive Officer of Paralympics Australia said the loss one of the brightest young stars of the Australian Paralympic Movement was devastating.

“The sadness being felt across Paralympics Australia today is a reflection of the enormous regard in which she was held,” said Cameron Murray, Chief Executive Officer of Paralympics Australia. “Paige was an extraordinary athlete, but more importantly, a remarkable person.

“Her achievements on the international stage were exceptional, but it was her kindness, her quiet determination and the way she uplifted people around her that will stay with us all. She had a rare ability to make people feel included and supported, and her influence will no doubt leave a lasting impression on so many.”

The Associated Press