Daphne Hilton may just be the greatest Australian athlete you’ve never heard of.

The former Harden Murrumburrah Public School student competed against the world’s best in swimming, javelin, shot put, archery, table tennis and fencing.

As Australia’s first female Paralympian in 1960, she was a trailblazer and ultimately a 14-medal winning athlete across three Games where she set a marker for future sportspeople with disability.

Sixty-four years on, Hilton’s legacy will provide inspiration for 15 athletes who have come through the NSW public school system to represent Australia at the 2024 Paris Paralympics.

The group will look to forge their own path across sports including athletics, boccia, canoeing, cycling, swimming, triathlon and wheelchair basketball.

There’s sure to be plenty of attention for sprinter Telaya Blacksmith, who is still at school, attending Endeavour Sports High School.

Telaya will compete in the T20 category of the 400 metres, the same distance run and won by her idol Cathy Freeman at the 2000 Olympics, and the long jump.

She is also part of the Sydney Swans AFL Academy.

Swim sensation Jasmine Greenwood wants to top her silver medal performance from Tokyo in 2021 when she was still a student at Shoalhaven High School, while Jamieson Leeson (Dunedoo Central High School) and Dan Michel (Heathcote High School) will look to make good on their world number one ranking in the boccia pairs.

The current crop of Paralympians is increasingly specialising in their chosen sports and travelling the world in preparation for the quadrennial event.

Disability Inclusion Officer, Anthony Moyes, said the NSW Department of Education’s School Sport Unit has been there to support many of them.

“We’ve always strived to support students with disability in accessing sport and physical activity in NSW public schools, from Kindergarten right through to Year 12,” he said.

“From the deaf, to hard of hearing and transplant recipients, or those with other disabilities such as vision, physical or intellectual – we’ve set a high bar for inclusivity.

“At the representative level, we assist students with a sporting classification so they can compete in selection pathways such as swimming, cross country and athletics. This helps to pave the way for potential Paralympic representation.”

For boccia, the sport with elements of bocce and pétanque, the future looks particularly bright.

While Jamieson and Dan go for gold in Paris, there should be a cavalcade of NSW public school-driven competition in the sport come Brisbane 2032.

From a humble 40-school sport in 2011, more than 500 NSW public schools now take part in a state competition thought to be the largest of its type in the world.

Jamieson said she quickly fell in love with boccia after the department introduced the sport in her region.

“It’s so good that there are programs like this (the public schools’ competition) out near Dunedoo and all-over regional NSW, so that kids that don’t know about it can at least get an introduction to the sport,” she said.

“You never know where it is going to take you.”

NSW Public School students/alumni at the 2024 Paralympics

Athletics

Telaya Blacksmith (Endeavour Sports High School)

Luke Bailey (Wingham High School)

James Turner (Forster Public School/ Great Lakes College, Tuncurry Campus)

Reece Langdon (Wollondilly Public School/Goulburn High School)

Rosemary Little (Cherrybrook Technology High School)

Mali Lovell (Northern Beaches Secondary College)

Boccia

Jamieson Leeson (Dunedoo Central School)

Dan Michel (Heathcote High School)

Canoeing

Dylan Littlehales (Kariong Mountains High School)

Cycling

Amanda Reid (Blaxland Public School/Endeavour Sports High School)

Swimming

Jasmine Greenwood (Shoalhaven High School)

Chloe Osborn (Beaumont Public School/Kellyville High School)

Ricky Betar (Westfields Sports High School)

Triathlon

Lauren Parker (Caves Beach Public School)

Wheelchair basketball

Bill Latham (Kororo Public School).