Heath Francis
 Action shot of Francis during his gold medal run in the 400 m T46 at the 2000 Summer Paralympic's | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Heath Wesley Francis | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nationality |  Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 16 November 1981 Newcastle, New South Wales | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Heath Wesley Francis, OAM[1] (born 16 November 1981 in Newcastle, New South Wales[2] is an Australian athlete who has participated in the 2000, 2004 and 2008 Summer Paralympics. His right arm was amputated at the age of seven as a result of a mincing accident on his family farm in Booral, New South Wales.[3] At the 2008 Beijing Paralympics he became the first arm amputee athlete to win the sprint treble (100m, 200m and 400m events) at a Paralympics, a feat he accomplished 2 years earlier at the 2006 IPC World Championships. He competes in the T46 classification for arm amputees, where he is the current 200m (21.74s) & 400m (47.63s) World Record holder. Both World Record times were run at the 2008 Beijing Paralympics.[4]
In 2000, his competitive sport participation was sponsored by the New South Wales WorkCover.[5]
He received a Medal of The Order of Australia for his 2000 gold medals.[1] He also received an Australian Sports Medal in 2000[6] and a Centenary Medal in 2001.[7] He was an Australian Institute of Sport scholarship holder from 2003 to 2010[8] and was coached by Irina Dvoskina.[9] In 2014, he was inducted into the Sydney Olympic Park Athletic Centre Path of Champions.[10]
References
- ^ a b "Francis, Heath Wesley, OAM". It's an Honour. Retrieved 22 January 2012.
- ^ Australian Media Guide : 2000 Paralympic Games, Sydney, Australia. Canberra: Australian Paralympic Committee. 2000. p. 25.
- ^ "Heath Francis Athlete Profile". Australian Paralympic Committee website. Australian paralympic Committee. Retrieved 8 March 2012.
- ^ "Francis snares gold and record time". SBS World News. Retrieved 2008-09-12.
- ^ "Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games Success". Parliament of New South Wales. 1 November 2000. Retrieved 12 November 2011.
- ^ "Francis, Heath: Australian Sports Medal". It's an Honour. Retrieved 22 January 2012.
- ^ "Francis, Heath Wesley: Centenary Medal". It's an Honour. Retrieved 22 January 2012.
- ^ "AIS Track and Field Achievements". Australian Sports Commission Website. Australian Sports Commission. Retrieved 8 March 2012.
- ^ "Goodman honoured with prestigious Paralympic Medal". Athletics Australia. 24 October 2008. Retrieved 17 October 2011.
- ^ "2014 Induction Ceremony". Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre website. Retrieved 25 November 2014.
External links
- Living people
- Paralympic athletes of Australia
- Athletes (track and field) at the 2000 Summer Paralympics
- Athletes (track and field) at the 2004 Summer Paralympics
- Athletes (track and field) at the 2008 Summer Paralympics
- Paralympic gold medalists for Australia
- Paralympic silver medalists for Australia
- Paralympic bronze medalists for Australia
- Recipients of the Medal of the Order of Australia
- Recipients of the Australian Sports Medal
- Recipients of the Centenary Medal
- Australian Institute of Sport Paralympic track and field athletes
- 1981 births
- World record holders in Paralympic athletics
- Medalists at the 2000 Summer Paralympics
- Medalists at the 2004 Summer Paralympics
- Medalists at the 2008 Summer Paralympics
- Amputee category Paralympic competitors
- Australian amputees