Note: Eliza's interview took place before the 2026 Commonwealth Games.
Eliza Stankovic-Mowle is a Paralympic, Commonwealth Games and World Para Athletics Championship medallist in wheelchair racing. She’s also a mother and a member of the Order of Australia.
Eliza has had an impressive career with three notable chapters so far. “I'm a middle-aged woman who has had a very, very blessed and fortunate life,” she laughs.
“When my life dramatically changed 30 years ago, I could never have imagined it being as full and rich as it is right now.”
In 1997, when Eliza was 16, she contracted meningococcal disease. Both her legs were amputated above the knees and later, the fingers on both her hands were removed.
As someone who enjoyed the camaraderie and community of sport, this life changing event had a profound impact on Eliza as a teenager. However, she soon discovered a new passion.
During her rehabilitation, a physiotherapist showed Eliza a video of a runner with two prosthetic legs competing at the 1996 Atlanta Paralympic Games. This moment would go on to shape her future.
“At that stage, I was lying in a hospital bed and didn’t know what my future held. I didn’t even know if I would be able to walk again.
“It sounds really cliché, but I was just so incredibly inspired. I saw something that I could become – not only to compete in sport, but also the life that she had. It was more than sport.”
After learning to walk again, Eliza learned to run. However, her injuries ruled out competing at the 2000 Paralympics in Sydney.
Missing this event proved to be a blessing in disguise. Watching the wheelchair racing events – and athlete Louise Sauvage in particular – showed Eliza what she wanted to do next. That moment marked the first chapter in Eliza’s sporting career.
“I thought, I want to be at the next one. I want to go to the Athens games.”
Eliza made her international debut at the World Championships in Lille, France. She then went on to the Manchester Commonwealth Games and then the Athens Paralympic Games.
Her second chapter began after starting a family. After retiring in 2008 to focus on her family, Eliza was inspired by her children to return to competing in 2016.
She raced in the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games and the Tokyo Paralympics. Now, she’s gearing up for another return at the 2026 Glasgow Commonwealth Games.
“It's a pretty special time. The Commonwealth Games movement is something that I'm really incredibly proud to have been a part of.
“This will be my fourth Games. They lead in the space to have athletes with disability and Paralympic athletes included as part of the program. They do it really well and I can't wait to get over to Glasgow.”
Glasgow will be a full circle moment for Eliza. The once young member of the team is now helping to guide the next generation and starting her third chapter as a mentor.
“This is the fun one. I started working with an athlete who was transitioning into wheelchair racing from another Paralympic discipline.
“Being able to guide them into this new sport was something that just made me fall in love with it all over again.”
Off the track, Eliza is the National Paralympic Wellbeing Lead at the Australian Sports Commission. This role lets her see the continued growth of Paralympics sport up close.
“Sport is a catalyst for these other amazing opportunities that young people coming into para sport can have, across all aspects of their life.
“And that's what really excites me. Regardless if they go to a Paralympic Games, or if they just go and compete in community sport. They're better off having been a part of sport and the community connection it fosters.
“That's something that excites me and I feel really fortunate to be able to work in a space where it’s allowing that growth for people.”
Follow @elizajane.ac on Instagram to watch as more chapters of her life unfold.