Gallagher grew up in Geelong but when she was in Year 12 Jess was diagnosed with a rare eye disease, cone dystrophy causing her to lose much of her eyesight. 

She loved playing netball and basketball even having represented Victoria on several occasions but after her diagnosis, her dream of playing for Australia at the Commonwealth Games was going to take an unconventional path.

Gallagher stumbled across para-sports at the age of 21 and was quickly identified for Athletics. 

However, despite her selection to represent Australia at the 2008 Summer Paralympics, she was deemed ineligible to compete as the sight in one eye was 0.01 percent too sighted.

Two years later she got her break at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Paralympics and became the first Australian female to win a medal at a Winter Paralympics, finishing third in the Women's Slalom.

Unfortunately, ahead of Rio her main event, long jump, was not included so Gallagher, in her pursuit to become the first Australian athlete to medal at a summer and winter Paralympics, switched to track cycling. 

“I could have given up sport or I could have just stuck to skiing but for me I like a challenge and the decision was made that if I want to be in Rio, I have to find a sport I can win a medal,” she said.

It wasn't an easy switch as the Victorian Institute of Sport tried a number of different sports with her before testing discovered her strength from alpine skiing tied to cycling.

“It has also been a lot of hard work to get here, I certainly wouldn’t be here without Maddie as my Tandem pilot and the team we have back at home who turned me into a track cyclist,” Gallagher said.

“As soon as I got on the velodrome the adrenaline junkie inside of me took over, I realised that it gave me the same kick as when I fly down the mountain.”

At the 2016 Rio Paralympics Jess created history becoming the first Australian athlete- Olympic or Paralympic to medal at both a summer and winter games when she won bronze in the 1km Time Trial.

Her childhood dream of competing at a Commonwealth Games is set to come true, something she thought was over once she lost her sight.

“It is a once in a lifetime opportunity and I’m incredibly excited to be here with Maddie Janssen and hopefully have that opportunity,” she said.

She competes in one of the first medal events of track cycling at the Anna Mears Velodrome in Brisbane in the Women's B&VI Sprint this afternoon.