Mitchell Gourley

Mitcho, Spinach, Mitch (Facebook profile, 09 Oct 2018; Athlete, 17 Jun 2016; vis.org.au, 31 Jan 2017)

Winning gold in super combined at the 2017 World Championships in Tarvisio, Italy. (geelongadvertiser.com.au, 31 Jan 2017)

Australian alpine skier Jono Brauer, Australian Para alpine skiers Toby Kane, Marty Mayberry and Cameron Rahles-Rahbula. (Athlete, 17 Jun 2016)

US alpine skier Bode Miller, Australian cyclists Michael Milton and Cadel Evans. (vis.org.au, 31 Jan 2017)

He broke his right wrist in a crash at the 2019 World Championships in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia. He did not race again that season and decided to miss the 2019/20 season as well. (geelongindy.com.au, 17 Jan 2020)

He suffered a wrist injury in the lead-up to the 2017 World Championships in Tarvisio, Italy. He went on to win gold in super combined at the event. (geelongadvertiser.com.au, 31 Jan 2017; skiandsnowboard.org.au, 23 Jan 2017)

He puts on his left ski boot first. (Athlete, 17 Jun 2016)

He received the Male Sportsperson of the Year Award at the 2017 Victorian Disability Sport and Recreation Awards in Australia. (alignedleisure.com.au, 22 Aug 2017)

He was named Para Snowsport Athlete of the Year for 2016 and 2017 by Ski and Snowboard Australia. (skiandsnowboard.org.au, 28 Apr 2017)

He was born without his left forearm and hand. (abc.net.au, 24 Jun 2017)

TIME OUT
After breaking his wrist in January 2019 he took time out of the sport and decided to not compete for the 2019/20 season. "I've been doing winter seasons for 15 years straight. This is my first Australian summer since 2005. To take a winter off is scary, but it's exciting at the same time." (geelongindy.com.au, 17 Jan 2020)

OTHER ACTIVITIES
In 2015 he began serving as an athlete representative on the International Paralympic Committee [IPC] alpine skiing sport technical committee and in January 2017 he was re-elected for a further two years. "It's exciting. I'm really proud and honoured to have the chance to do it again. It's something which is really hard work but really rewarding." He has also served as the chairman of the World Para Alpine Skiing athlete advisory group. In June 2020 he was elected to the Paralympics Australia Athlete Commission. "One of the main ways I want to work with the commission is to help with how we can improve the pathway for developing athletes in winter sport here in Australia, as well as supporting their ongoing development as people, more than anything." (insidethegames.biz, 26 Jun 2020; 29 Jan 2017; paralympic.org, 27 Jan 2017)

OCCUPATION
He works as an external consultant in community engagement at the Australian Institute of Sport. (LinkedIn profile, 01 Oct 2020)

FURTHER EDUCATION
He has obtained a master's degree in business administration at Deakin University in Geelong, VIC, Australia. (geelongindy.com.au, 17 Jan 2020; Athlete, 17 Jun 2016)