Julie Russell

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Julie Elizabeth Russell (née Mitchell), born 20 August 1951 in Adelaide, is an Australian Paralympian who excelled in athletics, powerlifting and wheelchair basketball.

Early life and career
As a toddler, Julie contracted polio, which left her with paralysis in her lower body. In school she used calipers and crutches. She earned a biology degree and worked in the biochemistry department at Queen Elizabeth Hospital for five years before taking up sport. She later joined the Adelaide Archery Club and through that discovered wheelchair sports. In 2006 she was working for CRS Australia, a government rehabilitation agency. She has been married to Paralympian, coach and administrator Eric Russell since 1979.

Sporting career
Julie began competing internationally in 1979 at the Stoke Mandeville Paraplegic World Games, where she won four golds, plus a silver and a bronze in athletics and archery. She won medals at the Paralympics in multiple sports:
- 1980 Arnhem: silver in Women’s Pentathlon 3
- 1984 New York/Stoke Mandeville: silver in Women’s Marathon 3 and bronze in Women’s Pentathlon 3
- 1988 Seoul: three silver medals (4×400 m Relay 2–6, Pentathlon 3, Shot Put 3) and two bronze medals (Discus 3 and Javelin 3)

She was part of Australia’s women’s wheelchair basketball team at the 1992 Barcelona Games and served as the Women’s Representative for Weightlifting after a 1984 meeting.

Powerlifting and later achievements
Julie won gold at the 1994 FESPIC Games in Beijing in the +82.5 kg category. She earned silver at the IPC Powerlifting World Championships in 1998 (Dubai) and silver at the European Powerlifting Championships in 1998, plus gold in 1999 in the +82.5 kg weight class. She competed in powerlifting at the 2000 Sydney Paralympics, finishing seventh in the Women’s over 82.5 kg category after campaigning for years for women’s inclusion. Her coach in powerlifting was Ray Epstein. She has worked as a referee at powerlifting events for the Paralympics and Commonwealth Games since the 2004 Athens Games.

Honours
In 2000 she received the Australian Sports Medal for outstanding contribution to Paralympic powerlifting.