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Andrew Harrison (wheelchair rugby)

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Andrew Harrison
2016 Australian Paralympic team portrait of Harrison
Personal information
NationalityAustralian
Born (1987-06-07) 7 June 1987 (age 37)
Sport
CountryAustralia
SportWheelchair rugby
Disability class2.0
EventTeam
TeamVictorian Thunder
Medal record
Wheelchair rugby
Paralympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2012 London Mixed
Gold medal – first place 2016 Rio Mixed
World Championships
Silver medal – second place 2010 Vancouver Mixed
Silver medal – second place 2018 Sydney Mixed

Andrew Harrison, OAM (born 7 June 1987) is a wheelchair rugby player. He has won gold medals at the 2012 London and 2016 Rio Paralympics.[1] and competed at the 2020 Summer Paralympics.[2]

Personal

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Andrew John Harrison was born on 7 June 1987 in Bayswater North, Victoria.[3][4][5][6] At the age of seventeen, he became a quadriplegic as a result of a 2004 diving accident when he jumped head first into a shallow river. He spent time recovering and undergoing physical therapy at Kew's Royal Talbot Rehabilitation Centre.[4][7] His accident is one of the reasons he was part of a campaign called "Don’t Drink and Dive" which encouraged people to be careful when diving.[7] His hobbies include four-wheelers, cars and off-road buggies, which he can drive despite his injuries.[3][4][8] As of 2021, he lives in Bayswater North, Victoria,[8] is a student[4] and works as a Spinchat Coordinator.[5] He is married to Lisa and they have a son Jack who was born on 1 January 2015.

Wheelchair rugby

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Harrison is a 2.0 point wheelchair rugby player.[3] As of 2012, he has a scholarship with the Victorian Institute of Sport.[5]

While Harrison was rehabilitating following his accident, he was visited by a member of the national wheelchair rugby team who encouraged him to try the sport.[4] He made his first Victorian state representative team in 2006, not long after his accident. That year, his Victorian side finished third in the National Wheelchair Rugby League and he was named the rookie of the year. In 2009, he played for the West Coast Enforcers and finished the season being named to the league's all star four. He changed teams and played for Victorian Thunder in 2010, and was again named to the league's all star four. He was with the Victorian side again in 2012.[4][5][9][10][11]

The first time Harrison was invited to a national team training camp was in 2007.[4] He then went on to play in an international match against the New Zealand national wheelchair rugby team that year at the Oceania Regional Championships.[3][5] While he was considered for the 2008 Summer Paralympics, he was ultimately not selected.[4] Following this brief appearance, he did not make the national team again until 2010 when he was a member of the team at the Four Nations Tournament.[3] That year, he was also a member of the Australian team that competed at the World Championships.[4] Wearing jersey number 15, he represented Australia at the 2012 Canada Cup.[8] In May 2012, he participated in a test series against Japan in Sydney.[12] He scored four goals in the fourth game which Australia won 47 – 44, and two goals in the fifth game where Australia won 61 – 55.[13] He was selected to represent Australia at the 2012 Summer Paralympics in wheelchair rugby.[3] Going into London, his team was ranked second in the world behind the United States.[14] He was part of the team that won the gold medal.[15] The Australian team went through the five-day tournament undefeated.[16]

He was a member of the team that retained its gold medal at the 2016 Rio Paralympics after defeating the United States 59–58 in the final.[17]

At the 2018 IWRF World Championship in Sydney, Australia, he was a member of the Australian team that won the silver medal after being defeated by Japan 61–62 in the gold medal game.[18]

In 2020, he is the captain of the Power House Wheelchair Rugby Club in Victoria.[19]

At the 2020 Summer Paralympics, the Steelers finished fourth after being defeated by Japan 52–60 in the bronze medal game. COVID travel restrictions led to Steelers not having a team training since March 2020 prior to Tokyo.[20]

He was awarded an Order of Australia Medal in the 2014 Australia Day Honours "for service to sport as a Gold Medallist at the London 2012 Paralympic Games."[6]

References

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  1. ^ "Steelers aim to maintain their reign in Rio". Australian Paralympic Committee News. 25 July 2016. Archived from the original on 29 August 2016. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
  2. ^ "Steelers Eyeing Paralympic History… Again". Paralympics Australia. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
  3. ^ a b c d e f "Andrew Harrison". Australia: Australian Paralympic Committee. 2012. Archived from the original on 12 July 2012. Retrieved 13 July 2012.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Andrew Harrison" (PDF). Australia: Independence Australia. 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 February 2014. Retrieved 30 July 2012.
  5. ^ a b c d e "Andrew Harrison". Victorian Institute of Sport (VIS). 6 July 1987. Archived from the original on 25 March 2012. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
  6. ^ a b "Australia Day honours list 2014: in full". The Daily Telegraph. 26 January 2014. Archived from the original on 22 June 2014. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
  7. ^ a b Carmona, Bianca. "Summer diving warning from Kew rehab patient". Progress Leader. Archived from the original on 24 September 2012. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
  8. ^ a b c "Australia". Coupe Canada Cup 2012. Archived from the original on 25 May 2015. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
  9. ^ "NWRL Award History - National Wheelchair Rugby League". SportingPulse. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
  10. ^ "Teams". Wheelchair Rugby Australia. Archived from the original on 25 September 2012. Retrieved 2012-07-31.
  11. ^ Humpage, Ami. "Paralympic hopefuls set rugby wheels in motion". Brimbank Leader. Archived from the original on 7 April 2013. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
  12. ^ Michelmore, Karen (4 May 2012). "Australia's Steelers smash and crash their way to London -". ABC Sydney - Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 15 May 2012. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
  13. ^ "International Wheelchair Rugby Federation : News". IWRF. 5 May 2012. Archived from the original on 10 September 2012. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
  14. ^ "Hose realises London dream". Camperdown Chronicle. 8 May 2012. Archived from the original on 2 February 2014. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
  15. ^ "Mixed Wheelchair Rugby - Paralympic Wheelchair Rugby". Official site of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Archived from the original on 12 September 2012. Retrieved 12 September 2012.
  16. ^ "Batt stars as Australia win gold". Official site of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. 9 September 2012. Archived from the original on 12 September 2012. Retrieved 12 September 2012.
  17. ^ Lees, Chris (19 September 2016). "Steelers double up with Paralympics gold". Sunshine Coast Daily. Archived from the original on 20 September 2016. Retrieved 19 September 2016.
  18. ^ "Results". IWRF Wheelchair Rugby World Championships website. Archived from the original on 10 August 2018. Retrieved 10 August 2018.
  19. ^ "Andrew Harrison Wheelchair Rugby". Rugby Victoria. 7 September 2020. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
  20. ^ "Australia names wheelchair rugby team of 12 for Tokyo 2020". Inside The Games. 31 July 2021. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
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