From Cancer Survivor to World Championship Medallist: Para Rower Lisa Greissl Retires to Inspire the Next Generation

Lisa Greissl, renowned Australian Para rower and New South Wales Institute of Sport (NSWIS) scholarship holder, cancer survivor, mother of two, and business owner has announced her retirement from competitive rowing, closing a chapter that took her from a walk alongside Lake Macquarie to the 2025 World Championship podium in Shanghai, China.

While her time at the elite level has concluded, she now plans to share the sport that gave her so much with others, particularly the younger generations.

Greissl, 42, discovered rowing by chance in the wake of surgery to remove a cancerous tumour from her spine in 2016. Unable to run as she once had, she found a new sporting home on the water. What followed was one of Australian Para Rowing’s most extraordinary stories.

Greissl’s path to the podium was anything but conventional. After her cancer diagnosis and surgery, she attempted a parkrun at Lake Macquarie one Saturday morning but 500 metres in, she knew her body could no longer carry her through the sport she loved. As she started to walk the course, she looked to the right and saw rowers on the lake. The next weekend she signed up with the learn-to-row program.

What started as rehabilitation soon became a pathway to high performance sport. After her first time on the water, Greissl’s perspective shifted from what cancer had taken away to the opportunities it had unexpectedly opened.

“It was incredibly empowering and pushed me to see exactly what I was capable of. I wasn’t really sure where it would lead” she said.

Within just a few seasons, Greissl was collecting national medals. In 2022, she claimed her first silver in the PR3 Women’s Single Scull. The following year, she struck gold at the Australian Championships in the PR3 Mixed Double Sculls, added another silver in the PR3 Women’s Single Scull, and continued her run of podium finishes through 2024 and 2025. She served two years as a reserve for the Rowsellas, in 2023 at the World Rowing Championships in Belgrade, Serbia and in the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games before finally earning selection in a racing seat in 2025.

Photo: Lisa Greissl competing with Rowsella teammate Sam Stunell

Being selected after two years as a reserve meant everything. It was the moment all the quiet work, patience and resilience finally came together. After spending so long staying ready without knowing if her chance would come, earning that seat felt like a powerful acknowledgement of the belief she’d held onto.

The pinnacle of Greissl’s career came in the final 500 metres of the PR3 Mixed Double Sculls at the 2025 World Rowing Championships in Shanghai. With coach Christine MacLaren’s two-word instruction, ‘be brave’ echoing in her mind, Greissl put trust in their training and made the decisive call to her 18-year-old crewmate Sam Stunell that it was time to make their move.

They crossed the line for bronze, ahead of Paris Paralympic Silver Medallists Great Britain, with her daughters and parents watching from the stands. Their time of 7:06.60 was an Australian PR3 Mixed Double record which still stands today. Three medals in a debut international season: Silver at World Cup I Varese, Silver at World Cup III Lucerne, and Bronze at the World Championships.

“I already look back and feel incredibly fortunate to call this time spent in rowing a career,” she said.

“As a member of Rowing Australia’s High Performance program, the ongoing support I received from our principal partner Hancock Prospecting and RA Patron Gina Rinehart AO, the ASC, the AIS and the Australian Government was incredibly appreciated.

“I would also like to thank NSWIS for their support and belief in me; as a regional athlete, they helped me take that step into High Performance Rowing.

“Other special people to mention in my rowing circle are Christine MacLaren and Lizzi Chapman. They both believed in me – at times more than I believed in myself. Without their support, I wouldn’t have achieved my dream of wearing the Green and Gold, let alone medaling at a World Championships. I would also like to thank Jeremy Smith for his support at my home base of Lake Macquarie as well as my previous teammate Sam Stunell for the memorable moments in training and racing last season.”

There was also a village of people behind Greissl at home. The unwavering support of her family was the vital link that made it possible for her to pursue this dream, especially through the most demanding moments of training and travel. 

“I want to thank my family for everything they did to support me, whether I was at home or away. It was an extremely hard juggle at times. I have a huge amount of admiration for mums in competitive sport,” she said, acknowledging the extra quiet strength and sacrifice required of a mum in high-performance sport.

In retirement, Greissl is clear about what drives her next chapter – returning the gift that rowing gave her, and opening the door for others, and in particular sharing her story to the younger generation of what can be possible when you dream big, work hard and be brave, especially in the lead up to Brisbane 2032.

Greissl also intends to remain closely connected to the sport through coaching, mentoring, community engagement, and advocacy for Para rowing pathways, particularly in regional NSW. She hopes to use her platform to encourage participation at the grassroots level and to champion greater visibility and support for Para athletes in Australia.

She also encourages young people to look beyond perceived limits and embrace the opportunities that may lie ahead.

“Our minds place limits on what is possible. One of the greatest takeaways from retiring from high performance sport at an older age is realising this; I cannot wait to share this learning with others and support their journey – especially my beautiful girls.”

“I am forever grateful that I asked whether I might classify as a Para rower; it opened up a world of opportunity for me. If you feel that you might classify as a Para rower but are unsure, ‘be brave’, ask the question. The Australian Para Rowing space is an exciting space at the moment.

“Head Coach James Loveday and Lead Coach Christine MacLaren are doing an incredible job of supporting potential athletes through this journey. I am extremely grateful for their support and look forward to seeing what our talented squad of Para rowers will achieve in the lead-up to LA 2028 and beyond.”

Whilst her competitive rowing career has come to an end, Greissl will be no stranger to the sport. Already back on the water for time trials and planning to compete in upcoming Masters regattas, she summed it up best herself:

“I have so much love for the sport. It helped me through my recovery, and even though I am now retired, I am loving this new chapter. I see myself rowing for the rest of my life — it has become part of my identity now.”