Born 15 weeks early and weighing as much as a coke bottle, Karen Messmer has revealed how she defied the odds to achieve her Olympic dreams. 16 years later, the Rockhampton teenager has defied the ...

See her inspirational story. In September 2006, at just 25 weeks gestation, Rockhampton’s Karen Messmer was born at South Brisbane’s Mater Mothers’ Hospital after her mum, Suzanne Messmer ...

She is also the only team member representing central Queensland. Karen Messmer after her birth at Mater Hospital in 2006. The tiny girl was born 15 weeks with a hole in her heart and weighing ...