Sam McIntosh (born 13 July 1990) is an Australian Paralympic athlete who races in the T52 100m, 200m, and 400m events. He holds 3 Australian National Records and 2 Oceania Records. He represented Australia at the 2012 London Paralympic Games,

2016 Rio Paralympics The 2016 Summer Paralympics (), the 15th Summer Paralympic Games, were a major international multi-sport event for athletes with disabilities governed by the International Paralympic Committee, held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 7 to 18 Septe ...

and

2020 Tokyo Paralympics The , branded as the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, was an international multi-sport event, multi-sport parasports event held from 24 August to 5 September 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. They were the 16th Summer Paralympic Games as organized by the Inter ...

in athletics as well as the 2011,

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2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...

, and

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

Para Athletic World Championships.

Early life

McIntosh was born on 13 July 1990 in

Geelong Geelong ( ) ( Wathawurrung: ''Djilang''/''Djalang'') is a port city in the south eastern Australian state of Victoria, located at the eastern end of Corio Bay (the smaller western portion of Port Phillip Bay) and the left bank of Barwon ...

, the youngest of three children to Glenn and Jenny McIntosh. He attended St. Thomas Primary School in Drysdale. In his youth, Sam showed an interest in individual sports and activities, such as swimming, karate, and BMX bike riding. Sam swam at the state level and at the Victorian Country LC Championships. Sam graduated with a VCE from

Saint Ignatius College Geelong , motto_translation = To Love and Serve , type = Independent secondary day school , patron = Ignatius of Loyola , established = , oversight = Archdiocese of Melbourne ...

in 2008 after returning to school post-accident.

The Accident

In 2007, while riding a BMX bike on a family holiday in

Coffs Harbour Coffs Harbour is a city on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia, north of Sydney, and south of Brisbane. It is one of the largest urban centres on the North Coast, with a population of 78,759 as per 2021 census. The Gumbaynggir ...

, he had an accident that left him a C6 quadriplegic. While in rehabilitation, he was visited by a school friend's sister, fellow Paralympian,

Jemima Moore Jemima Moore (born 18 March 1992) is a Paralympian athlete from Australia competing mainly in category T53-54 4 x 100 metres relay events. She represented Australia at the 2008 Beijing and 2016 Rio Paralympics. Personal She was born in Geelo ...

, who encouraged him to explore para sport. Following his accident, he initially played

wheelchair rugby Wheelchair rugby (originally murderball, and known as quad rugby in the United States) is a team sport for athletes with a disability. It is practised in over twenty-five countries around the world and is a summer Paralympic sport. The US n ...

. On 31 December 2011, on a dance floor, his neck was broken for a second time. He spent two weeks in hospital and three months doing rehabilitation before he was able to continue his athletics career. With six months between him and the 2012 London Paralympics, Sam was determined to recover, get back to training and represent his county. He succeeded.

Athletics

020912 - Sam McIntosh - 3b - 2012 Summer Paralympics

McIntosh is a T52 classified athlete who competes in the 100 metre, 200 metre and 400 metre events. McIntosh switched from wheelchair rugby to athletics following a meeting with Kaye Colman, the mother of

Richard Colman Richard Andrew Colman (born 28 November 1984 in Stavanger, Norway) is an Australian Paralympic athlete, competing mainly in category T53 sprint events. He was born with spina bifida. He represented Australia at the four Paralympics - 2004 to 2 ...

. He started competing in 2009. In 2010, he was coached by Mandi Cole. That year, he was able to purchase a racing wheelchair that fit him better. At the 2011 Australian National Titles, he earned a gold medal in the 100 metre event, and a silver medal in the 200 metre event. In 2012, he participated in a national team training camp at the

Australian Institute of Sport The Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) is a high performance sports training institution in Australia. The Institute's headquarters were opened in 1981 and are situated in the northern suburb of Bruce, Canberra. The AIS is a division of th ...

. He was selected to represent Australia at the

2012 Summer Paralympics The 2012 Summer Paralympics, branded as the London 2012 Paralympic Games, were an international multi-sport parasports event held from 29 August to 9 September 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. They were the 14th Summer Paralympic Gam ...

in athletics in the 100 m and 200 m events. He did not medal at the 2012 Games. Sam became ill after arriving in Rio for the

. Although he was ill, he insisted on racing in the T52 100m event and he finished in fourth place. Just after crossing the finish line for the T52 100m finals,

Beat Bösch Beat Bösch (born 27 November 1971) is a Paralympic athlete from Switzerland competing mainly in category T52 sprint events. Bösch took part in his first Summer Paralympics in 2000. Four years later he competed in the 2004 Summer Paralympics i ...

mistakenly drifted into his lane and crashed into him. Sam was upturned on the track and his racing chair was badly damaged. A medical team attended to him and due to health concerns and a concussion from the crash, Sam withdrew from the upcoming 400m event. At the

2017 World Para Athletics Championships The 2017 World Para Athletics Championships were a Paralympic track and field meet organized by World Para Athletics, a subcommittee of the International Paralympic Committee. It was held at London Stadium in London from 14 to 23 July 2017. It ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

, he finished sixth in 100m T52 (18.69s (+0.4)) and ranked 12th in the Men's 400m T52. McIntosh was one of three Geelong Para Athletes, as well as

Martin Jackson Martin Jackson (born 30 August 1955 in Manchester, England) is a British drummer who has played with several bands from Manchester, although his most successful roles were with Magazine in 1978 with the release of the influential ''Real Life'' ...

and

, to be selected for the Championships. At the

2019 World Para Athletics Championships The 2019 World Para Athletics Championships was a Paralympic track and field event organised by the World Para Athletics subcommittee of the International Paralympic Committee. It was held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates from 7 to 15 November 201 ...

Dubai Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics ...

UAE The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...

, he finished third in his 100m T52 heat, pushing him through to the finals where he placed sixth with a time of 17.69s, tying his season best. This time was fast enough to make him eligible to be selected for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics (official selections have yet to be made). At the

, he finished fourth in the Men's 100m T52 and finished fifth in his heat of the Men's 400m T52. McIntosh at the

2023 World Para Athletics Championships The 2023 World Para Athletics Championships was a Paralympic track and field meet organized by the World Para Athletics subcommittee of the International Paralympic Committee. It was the 10th edition of the event and was held in the Charlety St ...

in Paris, finished fourth in the Men's 100m T52 and seventh in heat of the Men's 400m T52.

Records

Sam currently holds three Australian National Records and two Oceania Records. Australian National Records T52 100m: 17.07s (+1.9 m/s) (Canberra, Australia, January 21, 2020) ''Previously beating his own record of 17.30 from Arbon, Switzerland in 2015'' T52 200m: 32.02s (+0.6 m/s) (Arbon, Switzerland, June 4, 2015) T52 400m: 1:04.08s (Perth, WA, Australia, April 16, 2010) Oceania Records T52 100m: 17.07s (+1.9 m/s) (Canberra, Australia, January 21, 2020) ''Previously beating his own record of 17.39 from Canberra, Australia in 2016'' T52 200m: 33.08s (+1.5 m/s) (Canberra, Australia, January 21, 2014)

Notes

External links

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Sam McIntosh
at Australian Athletics Historical Results {{DEFAULTSORT:McIntosh, Sam Paralympic athletes for Australia Living people 1990 births Athletes (track and field) at the 2012 Summer Paralympics Athletes (track and field) at the 2016 Summer Paralympics Athletes (track and field) at the 2020 Summer Paralympics Wheelchair category Paralympic competitors Sportspeople from Geelong