Yaxley is remaining positive (Image credit: Shane Goss)
Louise Yaxley Media Conference, Launceston, Tasmania
By Shane Goss in Launceston
Having birthday cake with mother Annette and father Brian in a German hospital is a long way from Penguin in Tasmania, and after wanting to be home for so long Louise Yaxley finally returned to familiar shores on Sunday morning. To her this was a major step in her recovery.
After suffering horrific injuries in the AIS Women's team cycling tragedy in Germany last month, Louise Yaxley has returned home to Tasmania. In Launceston today she held a media conference at the Silverdome, a track that has seen her development and courage in the sport rise to becoming a well liked and feared competitor on the bike.
In an emotional opening for all. Yaxley, with Paul Brosnan from the Tasmania Institute of Sport beside her, thanked everyone for the support she had received from all over the country and in particular Tasmania. She especially thanked the doctors who had treated her in Germany and holding back the tears she spoke of her boyfriend Mark Padget being at her bedside within two days of the accident.
"The support from family members and close friends has been amazing", she said. "I would like to make a special mention of the support from the town I grew up in - Penguin, on the coast, and where I am now based in Launceston"
