Giving up the chance to compete in a third Winter Paralympic Games for Australia was not something Jess Gallagher took lightly.
The groundbreaking Victorian athlete may be the first Australian to medal at both winter and summer Paralympics but the attraction of next year's Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast was too much to turn down.
Gallagher, a two-time Winter Paralympics bronze medallist in alpine skiing, will ditch the skies for a bike to chase Commonwealth Games glory in the velodrome.
The Gold Coast will feature the largest para sport program in Commonwealth Games history and, uniquely for multi-sport events, para athletes will compete alongside their able-bodied counterparts.
"I've won Paralympic medals at the last two winter Games and I would have been heading over with the Australian team as the only defending medallist and that was a really big carrot," Gallagher told AAP.
"But then the other opportunity to be on home soil, to compete in an event that I'm a world champion in and world record holder in currently, it kind of turned a hard decision into a fairly easy one.
"The two biggest decisions for me were the fact it was on home soil and the fact it was an integration - an experience I haven't had before.
"Being a summer and winter Paralympic medallist I've experienced a lot but a Commonwealth Games wasn't on the list yet so I'm very excited."
Approximately 300 para-sport athletes will compete on the Gold Coast across seven sports.
Gallagher says the importance of being integrated in the same event cannot be understated.
"The Paralympic movement has progressed significantly over the past few years and this really gives us the opportunity, as athletes, to showcase to the world how capable we are and what amazing things we can do as Paralympic athletes," she said.
"It's really special and being the biggest para-sport program is really exciting for us."
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