Simon Richardson

MBE Mbe may refer to: * Mbé, a town in the Republic of the Congo * Mbe Mountains Community Forest, in Nigeria * Mbe language, a language of Nigeria * Mbe' language, language of Cameroon * ''mbe'', ISO 639 code for the extinct Molala language of t ...

(born 10 November 1966) is a

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peopl ...

paralympic The Paralympic Games or Paralympics, also known as the ''Games of the Paralympiad'', is a periodic series of international multisport events involving athletes with a range of physical disabilities, including impaired muscle power and impaired ...

racing cyclist Cycle sport is competitive physical activity using bicycles. There are several categories of bicycle racing including road bicycle racing, cyclo-cross, mountain bike racing, track cycling, BMX, and cycle speedway. Non-racing cyclin ...

Biography

Richardson was born in 1966 in

Porthcawl Porthcawl (, ) is a town and community on the south coast of Wales in the county borough of Bridgend, west of the capital city, Cardiff and southeast of Swansea. Historically part of Glamorgan and situated on a low limestone headland on the ...

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

, and is the son of John and Diana Richardson. He is married to Amanda and has two sons Ashley and Benjamin.Wales Online - Gold for bike crash survivor
Accessed on: 9 September 2008 In 2001 he was involved in a car accident which left him with serious

leg A leg is a weight-bearing and locomotive anatomical structure, usually having a columnar shape. During locomotion, legs function as "extensible struts". The combination of movements at all joints can be modeled as a single, linear element c ...

and

back The human back, also called the dorsum, is the large posterior area of the human body, rising from the top of the buttocks to the back of the neck. It is the surface of the body opposite from the chest and the abdomen. The vertebral column r ...

injuries and no feeling down his left hand side.Disability Sport Wales - Echo talks to Beijing bound
. Accessed on: 9 September 2008 Prior to his accident Richardson was a keen cyclist, but he stopped cycling until 2005 when his doctors advised him to start training again to help his rehabilitation. Richardson cycled powered only by his right leg, riding an adapted bike. He made his debut in the Welsh national team in 2006, competing at the Welsh Grand Prix and entered the road race and time trial, finishing seventh and fifth respectively. He later competed at the Para-Cycling Europa Cup held in 2007 which was held in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...

where he placed seventh.Disability Sport Wales - Athlete, Simon Richardson
Accessed on: 9 September 2008 Richardson is coached by

Courtney Rowe Courtney is a name of Old French origin, introduced into England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. It has two quite distinct interpretations: firstly, the surname may be locational, from places called Courtenay in the regions of Loiret and Gâ ...

and trains at the

Wales National Velodrome The Geraint Thomas National Velodrome, previously known as the Wales National Velodrome, in Newport, South Wales, is an indoor arena located in the Newport International Sports Village, Lliswerry. The Velodrome's facilities including a covered 25 ...

, which is situated in the

Newport International Sports Village Newport International Sports Village is a multi-sport complex located at Lliswerry in the South East of the city of Newport, South Wales. It is known locally as Spytty Park, the name coming from the original Spytty Fields on which it is built. ...

. His development is organised through the Disability Sport Wales Performance Programme. It was announced on 31 December 2008 that Richardson was to be appointed a

Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

(MBE) in the

2009 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 2009 were announced on 31 December 2008 in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Cook Islands, Barbados, Grenada, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize, Antigua and Barbuda, and Saint Christopher and Nevis,Saint Christopher. to ...

" r services to Disabled Sport". In August 2011, Richardson was injured when struck by a

hit and run In traffic laws, a hit and run or a hit-and-run is the act of causing a traffic collision and not stopping afterwards. It is considered a supplemental crime in most jurisdictions. Additional obligation In many jurisdictions, there may be an ...

driver, whilst he was cycling on the

A48 A48 may refer to : * A48 motorway (France), a road connecting the A43 and Grenoble * A48 road (Great Britain), a road connecting Gloucester, England and Carmarthen, Wales * Autovía A-48, a motorway under construction connecting Cadiz and Algeciras ...

between

Cowbridge Cowbridge ( cy, Y Bont-faen) is a market town in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales, approximately west of the centre of Cardiff. The Cowbridge with Llanblethian community and civil parish elect a town council. A Cowbridge electoral ward exists fo ...

and

Bridgend Bridgend (; cy, Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr or just , meaning "the end of the bridge on the Ogmore") is a town in Bridgend County Borough in Wales, west of Cardiff and east of Swansea. The town is named after the medieval bridge over the River Og ...

, South Wales. He was described as being in "critical condition", with "fractures to the

spine Spine or spinal may refer to: Science Biology * Vertebral column, also known as the backbone * Dendritic spine, a small membranous protrusion from a neuron's dendrite * Thorns, spines, and prickles, needle-like structures in plants * Spine (zoolo ...

, a

broken pelvis A pelvic fracture is a break of the bony structure of the pelvis. This includes any break of the sacrum, hip bones (ischium, pubis, ilium), or tailbone. Symptoms include pain, particularly with movement. Complications may include internal ble ...

, a broken breast bone, cuts to his legs, and a "detached" lung". The injuries meant that he was unable to compete 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 London, despite having been "a very top contender to be considered" for the Games. The motorist who hit Richardson was subsequently convicted of dangerous driving and jailed for 18 months at Cardiff Crown Court."GB cyclist Simon Richardson: Crash driver Adams jailed"
BBC, 30 August 2012

2008 Beijing Paralympic Games

Richardson competed at the

2008 Summer Paralympics The 2008 Summer Paralympic Games (), the 13th Summer Paralympic Games, took place in Beijing, China from September 6 to 17, 2008. As with the 2008 Summer Olympics, equestrian events were held in Hong Kong and sailing events in Qingdao. It wa ...

held in

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

, China, initially in the LC 3–4 class kilo, finishing in a

world record A world record is usually the best global and most important performance that is ever recorded and officially verified in a specific skill, sport, or other kind of activity. The book '' Guinness World Records'' and other world records organizati ...

time of 1 minute 14.936 seconds.BBC Sport - British cyclists win three golds
Accessed on: 9 September 2008 This time secured the gold medal and was his first win in a major event. Richardson later competed in the LC3–4 3 km individual pursuit, finishing in 3 minutes 49.214 seconds which secured his second gold medal of the games.BBC Sport - Results - Tuesday 9 September
Accessed on: 9 September 2008 The LC3–4 class is for athletes with lower limb disabilities, which may affect one or both of the lower limbs.Guardian Online - Paralympics: Britain's cyclists begin Games with hat-trick of golds
Accessed on: 9 September 2008 Richardson went on to take the Silver medal in the LC3 class road time trial in a time of 38 minutes 23.73 seconds, 23.42 seconds behind gold medallist

Laurent Thirionet Laurent Thirionet (born 22 November 1970) is a retired French Paralympic cyclist who competed in international track cycling and road cycling elite events. He is a five-time World champion and a double Paralympic champion. Thirionet had his left ...

.Beijing 2008 Paralimpics - 28.4km LC3 cycling time trial official results
. Accessed on: 12 September 2008Beijing 2008 Paralimpics - Medallists - Great Britain
. Accessed on: 12 September 2008 He also competed in the men's individual road race on 13 September 2008, finishing in tenth place. Beijing 2008 Paralympics - Individual road race official official results
. Accessed on: 29 September 2008

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Richardson, Simon 1966 births Living people Welsh male cyclists Paralympic cyclists for Great Britain Cyclists at the 2008 Summer Paralympics Paralympic gold medalists for Great Britain Sports world record holders Sportspeople from Porthcawl Members of the Order of the British Empire Medalists at the 2008 Summer Paralympics Welsh Paralympic competitors Paralympic medalists in cycling

Biography

2008 Beijing Paralympic Games

See also

References