Danni Di Toro

Eight-time Paralympian Danni Di Toro is a seasoned veteran. She has been competing at Paralympic Games since 1996, or to put it another way, for the same number of years as three of her Para-table tennis teammates have celebrated birthdays.

Danni made her international debut in 1989, just one year after a wall collapsed on her at a school swimming carnival and she became a paraplegic. At the time, she had feared her future in sport was over, but with Paralympic gold medallist Sandy Blythe by her side, Danni was inspired to begin playing wheelchair tennis and wasted no time establishing herself as one of the world’s best.

Over the course of her wheelchair tennis career, Danni won a Paralympic silver and bronze medal, 10 Australian Open titles and a handful of other Grand Slam crowns.

Having achieved nearly all there was to achieve in wheelchair tennis, Danni turned her attention to Para-table tennis. She was selected to the 2016 Australian Paralympic Team in her new sport, and as co-captain of the Team alongside wheelchair racer Kurt Fearnley, she led Australia to a top five result at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games.

In 2017, Danni was appointed Paralympics Australia’s Athlete Engagement and Wellbeing Officer, and Vice Chairperson of the Athlete Commission.

She was selected to compete in the women’s individual table tennis – Class 4 event at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, where she reprised her role as co-captain alongside wheelchair rugby player Ryley Batt.