Eugene "Gene" Reimer (21 January 1940 – 9 June 2008) was a Canadian wheelchair Paralympic athlete who won 10 Paralympic medals and 50 Canadian and Pan-American medals from 1968 to 1980. Having

polio Poliomyelitis ( ), commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. Approximately 75% of cases are asymptomatic; mild symptoms which can occur include sore throat and fever; in a proportion of cases more severe ...

at an early age, he was a member of the wheelchair basketball team Vancouver Cable Cars alongside

Terry Fox Terrance Stanley Fox (July 28, 1958June 28, 1981) was a Canadian athlete, humanitarian, and cancer research activist. In 1980, having had one leg amputated due to cancer, he embarked on a cross-Canada run to raise money and awareness for can ...

and

Rick Hansen Richard Marvin Hansen (born August 26, 1957) is a Canadian track and field athlete (Paralympic Games and Olympic Games), activist, and philanthropist for people with disabilities. When Rick was 15, he was riding in the back of a pickup truck ...

. In 1972, Reimer became the first person with a disability to be named Canada's Outstanding Male Athlete of the Year and to be inducted into the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada () is a Canadian state order, national order and the second-highest Award, honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the Canadian Centennial, ce ...

Personal life

Reimer was born on 21 January 1940 in

Swift Current Swift Current is the sixth-largest city in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It is situated along the Trans-Canada Highway west of Moose Jaw, and east of Medicine Hat, Alberta. As of 2024, Swift Current has an estimated population of ...

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada. It is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and to the south by the ...

. At the age of three, he contacted polio, leaving him with

paraplegia Paraplegia, or paraparesis, is an impairment in motor or sensory function of the lower extremities. The word comes from Ionic Greek () "half-stricken". It is usually caused by spinal cord injury or a congenital condition that affects the neura ...

. He later moved to Abbotsford, British Columbia, where he lived with his two sons and daughter. Reimer died on 9 June 2008 at the age of 68. Throughout his career, Reimer excelled at a variety of sports despite his disability, including track-and-field, weightlifting, archery, swimming, volleyball, and table tennis. He was an avid

wheelchair basketball Wheelchair basketball is a style of basketball played using a sports wheelchair. The International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF) is the governing body for this sport. It is recognized by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) as ...

player. He played for 19 years for the wheelchair basketball team Vancouver Cable Cars alongside

and

, winning the 1979 National Championships.

Athletic career

Reimer participated in his first Paralympics Game in

1968 Events January–February * January 1968, January – The I'm Backing Britain, I'm Backing Britain campaign starts spontaneously. * January 5 – Prague Spring: Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Cze ...

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( or , ; ), sometimes rendered as Tel Aviv-Jaffa, and usually referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the Gush Dan metropolitan area of Israel. Located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline and with a popula ...

. Competing in table tennis, swimming, and track events, he won gold at the Men's Discus Throw B with a distance of 27.47 metres. He also placed first at the Men's Club Throw B with a throw of 42.01 metres, beating the silver medalist by nearly 16 metres. At the Men's Javelin Throw B, he placed second with a throw of 36.21 metres. At the 1972 Paralympic Games in

Heidelberg Heidelberg (; ; ) is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, fifth-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, and with a population of about 163,000, of which roughly a quarter consists of studen ...

West Germany West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...

, Reimer set the world record for the Men's Pentathlon 4 at 5141 points, one point more than the silver medalist. He also set the world record for the Discus Throw 4, with a final width of 29.91 metres. Alongside Dann W., Henderson F., and Simpson B, they came second at the Men's 4×60 Wheelchair Open Relay with a time of 0:56:30. At the 1976 Paralympic Games in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

, Reimer's record in the Men's Discus Throw B was broken by Remi Ophem and he finished second. Reimer also finished second in the Men's Pentathlon 4 with a score of 3295. In the Men's Javelin event, he finished third with a distance of 23.05 metres. At his final Paralympic Game, in 1980 at

Arnhem Arnhem ( ; ; Central Dutch dialects, Ernems: ''Èrnem'') is a Cities of the Netherlands, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands, near the German border. It is the capita ...

, Netherlands, Reimer was able to top the podium of the Men's Discus Throw B with a throw of 29.80 metres, beating the second-place finisher by 36 centimetres.

Awards

In 1972, Reimer became the first person with a disability to be named Canada's Outstanding Male Athlete of the Year and he was also inducted into the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame. He was the first disabled athlete to be awarded the

Order Of Canada The Order of Canada () is a Canadian state order, national order and the second-highest Award, honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the Canadian Centennial, ce ...

medal in 1974 for "his inspiring example to persons with disabilities". In 2000, he was inducted into the Terry Fox Hall of Fame, and two years later he became the first disabled athlete to be inducted into the BC Sports Hall of Fame. The same year, Reimer ran the BC Disability Games and Eugene Reimer Middle School was created and named after him.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Reimer, Eugene 1940 births 2008 deaths Sportspeople from Abbotsford, British Columbia Sportspeople from Swift Current Paralympic wheelchair basketball players for Canada Paralympic track and field athletes for Canada Canadian male javelin throwers Canadian male discus throwers Paralympic gold medalists for Canada Paralympic silver medalists for Canada Paralympic bronze medalists for Canada Medalists at the 1968 Summer Paralympics Medalists at the 1972 Summer Paralympics Medalists at the 1976 Summer Paralympics Medalists at the 1980 Summer Paralympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1968 Summer Paralympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1972 Summer Paralympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1976 Summer Paralympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1980 Summer Paralympics Paralympic medalists in athletics (track and field) Wheelchair discus throwers Wheelchair javelin throwers Paralympic discus throwers Paralympic javelin throwers Canadian Disability Hall of Fame 20th-century Canadian sportsmen