Career
At the 1990 World Junior Championships Gainsford reached the semi-finals of both the 100 and 200 metres sprints and assisted the Australian 4 x 100 metres relay team to a new national junior record of 45.01 seconds. Later in the year, she made up for that disappointment with a new Australian record of 22.23 seconds. Soon after, Gainsford reached her first individual outdoor final at the Athens World Championships, placing 7th in the 200 m final.
The latter part of her career was hampered by injury.
Running with knee problems, she famously broke down metres before the finish when in first place during the 200 m race at the 1998 Commonwealth Games. At her third Olympic Games at Sydney 2000 she made the final of the 200 m sprint, placing 6th, and assisted the Australian 4 x 400 m relay team to a fifth-place finish and a new national record.
Still holding Australian records at 100 m and 200 m, and sharing in 4 x 100 m and 4 x 400 m relay records, Gainsford-Taylor retired in 2002. Post Melinda now works with Little Athletics New South Wales visiting schools.
She also provides expert commentary for Australian television channel One during their coverage of the Australian Athletics Tour.