James Tirado

A Sydney sprinter who has less than 10% vision, James Tirado has been building towards his global debut which will take place in New Delhi for the 2025 World Para Athletics Championships.

Starting athletics in 2017 and coached by Andrew Murphy, Tirado has found a home in sprinting having previously tried martial arts and long distance running.

“I love the exhilarating feeling of pushing my body to speeds it has never gone before. I am also motivated by the chance to inspire others with a vision impairment to chase their goals and push their limits beyond what they thought was possible,” Tirado said.

Tirado mixes his sprinting talents with Actuarial and Commerce studies at the University of New South Wales and working as a maths tutor, balancing his focus on the track where he hopes to qualify for the 2028 Paralympic Games and eventually Brisbane 2032 – inspired by his late father.

“I absolutely love maths, so I’d probably be working as an actuary, working with probabilities all day, and still finding time to get a good gym session in,” Tirado said.

“I lost my dad Daniel Tirado in 2020 from brain cancer, but every day he continues to inspire me and will always be my role model.”

Graduating from Marcellin College in Randwick, Tirado also plays the piano and hopes to become the second member of his family to represent Australia on the sporting field, after his aunty Giselle Tirado pulled on the green and gold in touch football.