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Mackay-raised wheelchair rugby star Shae Graham has made history as Australia’s first female representative in the sport, earning international recognition and recently being named captain of the nation’s inaugural women’s team. Photos supplied
By Hannah McNamara
Shae Graham recently became the first-ever female athlete to represent Australia in wheelchair rugby.
A car accident left Shae with a spinal cord injury at just 18, but what followed has been an impressive sporting journey, with Shae achieving milestones she may never have imagined.
Growing up in Mackay from around the age of five, Shae spent most of her childhood and early adult years in the region before moving to Victoria in her early 20s. With family and friends still in Mackay, she returns once or twice a year.
A keen sportsperson, Shae played soccer, rugby union and touch football prior to her accident, before stepping away from sport for almost a decade. Then, a lost bet with her brother Brent forced her to give wheelchair rugby a go.
"Ever since I hopped in my first rugby chair I instantly fell in love with the sport. It was awesome," Shae said.
She joined the Australian Steelers squad in 2019, becoming the first female to represent Australia in wheelchair rugby.
"It's so rare that you ever get to be the first person to do anything. Especially these days. So it's a really cool achievement and something that I’ll keep with me forever,” Shae said.
Since making her debut, Shae has travelled the world representing Australia, competing in Japan, the United States, England, Thailand, Canada and Korea.
She has also represented the Steelers at two Paralympic Games, competing in Tokyo in 2020 and Paris in 2024, and was part of the team that claimed the World Championship title in Denmark in 2022.
More recently, the Australian Steelers travelled to Brazil for the World Championships in August, finishing as runners-up to the United States.
While the sporting achievements continue to stack up, Shae said she had also noticed plenty of personal growth along the way.
"I've really grown as an athlete over the years, and I've become stronger and more confident – not only in my game, but also in my life, and have started to take on leadership roles," she said.
And those leadership skills are now coming into their own, with Shae recently named captain of Australia's first-ever Women's Wheelchair Rugby Team ahead of the inaugural Women's World Championship in Paris this December.
As a strong advocate for women in sport, Shae said having equal opportunities to compete and pursue sporting passions was something she was passionate about.
"I'm a big advocate for women having access to sport and having the same opportunities as men to compete and chase down their passions," she said.
Shae works as a librarian, while maintaining a busy training schedule of five to six days each week.
With her sights set on the 2028 Los Angeles Paralympic Games, representing Australia at a third Paralympics is another milestone she would love to achieve.
"I think that would be an amazing achievement to be able to represent Australia at three Paralympic Games," she said.
And while Shae has travelled far beyond her hometown, she said having three Mackay-raised athletes representing Australia together was something particularly special.
"It's quite hard to represent your country doing anything, and to have three people that grew up in Mackay on one Australian team is pretty unique," she said.
Alongside Shae, Josh Nicholson and Brayden Foxley-Connolly also have strong connections to the Mackay region, with the trio continuing to fly the flag for their hometown on the international sporting stage.
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