Background
O'Connor was born on 24 December 1973 in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. She was born with rod monochromatism which affects her ability to see.
O'Connor was born on 24 December 1973 in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. She was born with rod monochromatism which affects her ability to see.
O’Connor describes her condition, “what I see at 6 meters, ‘normal’ eyes see at 60 meters.” She has a Bachelor of Commerce and works as a policy officer.
In 2006, O’Connor started training and identified a pilot (person who is fully sighted and steers the bike) in Kerry Knowler. Breaking her clavicle and two ribs in a cycling accident this put O’Connor out of action until late 2007. O’Connor tried adaptive rowing and tried for the Beijing Paralympics but missed out.
She made her international cycling debut at the 2010 UCI Paracycling Road World Championships in Canada. In 2012, she competed at the UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships in Los Angeles, United States and finished fourth in the Women's Individual Time Trial and fifth in the 3km Pursuit.