Zac Shaw (born 24 September 1995) is a British Paralympic

visually impaired Visual or vision impairment (VI or VIP) is the partial or total inability of visual perception. In the absence of treatment such as corrective eyewear, assistive devices, and medical treatment, visual impairment may cause the individual difficul ...

sprinter who competes in the T12 classification. At the age of nine he became afflicted with

stargardt disease Stargardt disease is the most common inherited single-gene retinal disease. In terms of the first description of the disease, it follows an autosomal recessive inheritance pattern, which has been later linked to bi-allelic ABCA4 gene variants ...

. He made his first

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...

squad for the

IPC Athletics World Championships The World Para Athletics Championships, known as the IPC Athletics World Championships prior to 2017, are a biennial Paralympic athletics event organized by World Para Athletics, a subcommittee of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC). It ...

in 2015. Shaw made the

squad for the

2024 Summer Paralympics The 2024 Summer Paralympics (), also known as the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games (), and branded as Paris 2024, were the 17th Summer Paralympic Games, an international Multi-sport event, multi-sport parasports event governed by the International P ...

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

after just missing out on both the

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

and

2020 Summer Paralympics The , branded as the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, were 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 Inte ...

. Shaw has been to many major Championships throughout his career finishing 7th in the World in the T12 100m and 200m at the

World Para Athletics Championships The World Para Athletics Championships, known as the IPC Athletics World Championships prior to 2017, are a biennial Paralympic athletics event organized by World Para Athletics, a subcommittee of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC). It ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. He competed at the

2018 Commonwealth Games The 2018 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XXI Commonwealth Games and also known as Gold Coast 2018, were an international multi-sport event for members of the Commonwealth that was held on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia, bet ...

in Australia's Gold Coast. Shaw’s first individual international medals came at the

2021 World Para Athletics European Championships The 2021 World Para Athletics European Championships was a track and field competition for athletes with a disability open to International Paralympic Committee (IPC) affiliated countries within Europe and a refugee team with one athlete. This was ...

where he won Bronze in the T12 100M and Silver in the 4X100m Universal Relay. This year ultimately ended in heartbreak again when he wasn’t selected for the

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. In 2022 Shaw went on to win Silver in the T12 100M at the

2022 Commonwealth Games The 2022 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XXII Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Birmingham 2022, were an international multi-sport event for members of the Commonwealth of Nations that took place in Birmingham, England betw ...

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. He won his first World medals in 2023 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 ...

. He won Bronze in the T12 100m and Silver in the 4x100m Universal Relay. He followed this up by repeating this success at the

2024 World Para Athletics Championships The 2024 World Para Athletics Championships was a para-athletics meet organized by the World Para Athletics, the respective sport branch of the International Paralympic Committee. This was the 11th edition of the event and was held at Kobe Univ ...

Kobe Kobe ( ; , ), officially , is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. With a population of around 1.5 million, Kobe is Japan's List of Japanese cities by population, seventh-largest city and the third-largest port city after Port of Toky ...

. Shaw was also selected to co-captain the

team in

with fellow teammate

Ali Smith (athlete) Ali Smith (born 13 December 1988) is a British Paralympic athlete who competes in 100 metres, 400 metres, and 4x100m Universal Relay events. At the age of 25, Ali was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis after noticing she was having abnormal symp ...

. Shaw is part of the ParalympicsGB squad in

for the

Personal history

Shaw was born in the

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (), abbreviated ''Lincs'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands and Yorkshire and the Humber regions of England. It is bordered by the East Riding of Yorkshire across the Humber estuary to th ...

town of

Grimsby Grimsby or Great Grimsby is a port town in Lincolnshire, England with a population of 86,138 (as of 2021). It is located near the mouth on the south bank of the Humber that flows to the North Sea. Grimsby adjoins the town of Cleethorpes dir ...

on 24 September 1995. He is the youngest of six boys and his family is involved in the business industry. At the age of nine Shaw started to become afflicted with

, an inherited condition that affects his central vision, that went undiagnosed until he was 13. Shaw had his secondary education at

Oasis Academy Wintringham Oasis Academy Wintringham is a secondary school (academy) on Weelsby Avenue in Grimsby, North East Lincolnshire, England. It is just off the A16 Peaks Parkway just south-west of the A46 crossroads next to the Lisle Marsden CE Primary School in ...

and The Grimsby Institute. He went to

Sheffield Hallam University Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) is a public research university in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The university is based on two sites; the City Campus is located in the city centre near Sheffield station, Sheffield railway station, whil ...

and later

Loughborough University Loughborough University (abbreviated as ''Lough'' or ''Lboro'' for Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a public university, public research university in the market town of Loughborough, Leicestershire, England. It has been a university sinc ...

after receiving a

sports scholarship An athletic scholarship is a form of scholarship to attend a college or university or a private school, private high school awarded to an individual based predominantly on their ability to play in a sport. Athletic scholarships are common in the U ...

in 2016. Outside of para-athletics, Shaw works as the Accessibility Lead for digital transformations company

Cyber-Duck Cyber-Duck is a digital transformation agency founded in 2005 and based in Elstree, United Kingdom. The company specialises in user experience (UX), software development and digital optimisation. The company employs over 90 staff in the UK an ...

, a

CACI CACI International Inc. (originally California Analysis Center, Inc., then Consolidated Analysis Center, Inc.) is an American multinational corporation, multinational professional services and information technology company headquartered in Nor ...

business.

Biography

After being inspired following the London 2012 Paralympics he began training to fulfil his dream at the

held in

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

in November 2013 when he joined Cleethorpes Athletic Club. Shaw was placed in the T12 disability classifications for those with visual impairments. The following year, he began these efforts by winning the silver medal in both the

100 100 or one hundred (Roman numeral: C) is the natural number following 99 and preceding 101. In mathematics 100 is the square of 10 (in scientific notation it is written as 102). The standard SI prefix for a hundred is " hecto-". 100 is the b ...

and

200 metres The 200 metres, or 200-meter dash, is a sprint running event. On an outdoor 400-metre racetrack, the race begins on the curve and ends on the home straight, so a combination of techniques is needed to successfully run the race. A slight ...

events at the 2014

UK School Games The School Games (formerly known as UK School Games) is an annual sporting competition for elite school-age athletes in the United Kingdom that began in 2006. The event was based on an Olympic Games model, with multiple sports events held across a ...

. In 2015 Shaw was internationally classified in 2015 in Berlin at the IPC Grand Prix. Later that year he made the Great Britain squad for the

Doha Doha ( ) is the capital city and main financial hub of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf coast in the east of the country, north of Al Wakrah and south of Al Khor (city), Al Khor and Lusail, it is home to most of the country's population. It ...

after qualifying with a time of 11.32 seconds at the CAU Inter-County Championships at Bedford International Athletic Stadium, placing sixth overall in the 100 metres (T13) with an 11.33 seconds effort which at the time was his

personal best A personal record, or a personal best (abbreviated to PB), is an individual's best performance in a given sporting discipline. It is most commonly found in athletic sports, such as track and field, other forms of running, swimming and weightlifting ...

in the discipline, and finishing sixth in the final of the 200 metres (T13) with a time of 22.88 seconds, another personal best. Shaw trained for the World Championships by undertaking sessions in sand dunes at Cleethorpes Beach and focusing on his strengths. In 2016, Shaw kicked off his season at the Dubai IPC Grand Prix after missing the majority of winter training through a shin injury, the 100 metres in the BUCS Outdoor Athletics Championships, and in the same discipline at the Barcelona Kern Pharma – Sauleda. He along with 48 other para-athletes were chosen to represent Great Britain at the

IPC Athletics European Championships The World Para Athletics European Championships (''European Para Athletics Championships''), known prior to 2018 as the IPC Athletics European Championships is an event organized by World Para Athletics Championships, World Para Athletics, the int ...

Grosseto Grosseto () is a city and a ''comune'' in the central Italian region of Tuscany, the capital of the province of Grosseto and the main city of the Maremma region. The city lies from the Tyrrhenian Sea, at the centre of an alluvial plain on the ...

in June. Shaw placed seventh in the 100 metres and came fifth in the 200 metres (both in the T13 classification). In spite of these efforts, Shaw was told later in the year that he had not made the team for the Summer Paralympics. While Shaw spoke of his disappointment he said that it was "the start of a long journey." In March 2017, he was reclassified as T12 at the Dubai IPC Grand Prix, and retained his title in the 100 metres discipline in the BUCS Outdoor Athletics Championships held the following month. Shaw competed in the London

in July. Although Shaw was targeting a medal he came fourth in his semi-final for the 100 metres (T12) and his effort resulted in him failing to progress into the final. Nevertheless, he narrowly won his heat in the 200 metres (T12) which advanced him into the semi-finals with a new personal best of 22.73 seconds but failed to qualify for the final after placing second, behind Algeria's.Nasser Djamil. In December 2017, Shaw was announced as one of eighteen para-athletes that had been selected to represent England at the

due to be held in Australia's Gold Coast. He visited a

Tenerife Tenerife ( ; ; formerly spelled ''Teneriffe'') is the largest and most populous island of the Canary Islands, an Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Spain. With a land area of and a population of 965,575 inhabitants as of A ...

training camp in January 2018 to prepare to the Games. He competed in the T12 100m at the Gold Coast, running second in his heat behind

Hilton Langenhoven Hilton Langenhoven (born 21 June 1983) is a South African athlete and three time Paralympic Champion, competing mainly in category F12 (visual impairment) long jump events. He was born in Somerset West, Western Cape. He competed in the 2004 Sum ...

, but did not progress to the final. In June 2022, he was named in the 72-member squad selected to represent England in athletics at the

in Birmingham. He went on to win a Silver medal in the T12 100m in front of a packed home crowd. He was a batonbearer in the

Queen's Baton Relay The King's Baton Relay is a relay around the world held prior to the beginning of the Commonwealth Games. The baton carries a message from the Head of the Commonwealth, currently King Charles III. The relay traditionally begins at Buckingham P ...

when it visited Hull, Yorkshire, on 13 July 2022. Shaw won World medals at the

. He won Bronze in the T12 100m and Silver in the 4x100m Universal Relay. He repeated this again at the

. He won Bronze in the t12 100m and Silver in the 4x100m Universal Relay. Zac is coached in

Loughborough Loughborough ( ) is a market town in the Charnwood (borough), Charnwood Borough of Leicestershire, England; it is the administrative centre of Charnwood Borough Council. At the United Kingdom 2021 census, the town's built-up area had a popula ...

by former

Commonwealth Games The Commonwealth Games is a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations, which consists mostly, but not exclusively, of territories of the former British Empire. The event was first held in 1930 ...

200m champion

Leon Baptiste Leon Baptiste (born 23 May 1985) is a retired English sprint runner who specialises in the 100 metres and 200 metres events. On the 4th of November 2021 he visited Rood End Primary School for the morning. He became the 100 m European jun ...

. Alongside his work for

business, Zac does charitable work. He is a Patron for

Macular Society The Macular Society is a UK charity that offers support to anyone affected by central vision loss. Many of the charity's members have age-related macular degeneration (AMD), but its services are open to people with various retinal conditions, ...

and an ambassador for

Epilepsy Action Epilepsy Action is a UK-based charity dedicated to supporting people with epilepsy, raising awareness, and campaigning for better services and treatment for individuals affected by the condition. Founded in 1950, the charity provides informatio ...

. He also sits on the athlete panels for

England Athletics England Athletics is the governing body for the sport of athletics in England. It was set up as a limited company in 2005, taking over the role of the Amateur Athletic Association of England. England Athletics works closely with UK Athletics, the ...

and

UK Athletics UK Athletics (UKA) is the governing body for the sport of athletics (sport), athletics in the United Kingdom. It is responsible for overseeing the governance of athletics events in the UK as well as athletes, their development, and athletics o ...

athlete commission. In late 2023, Shaw signed his first professional contract with

Puma (brand) Puma SE is a German multinational corporation which designs and manufactures athletic and casual footwear, apparel, and accessories, headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, Germany. Puma is the third largest sportswear manufacturer in the wor ...

. He is currently an active

ambassador and athlete. Shaw is

’s only

Para-athletics Para-athletics is the sport of athletics practiced by people with a disability as a disabled sports, parasport. The list of athletics events, athletics events within the parasport are mostly the same as those available to able-bodied people, w ...

athlete within

. Zac was selected in the 33 strong

team for

at the

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. At the

Paralympic Games The Paralympic Games or Paralympics is a periodic series of international multisport events involving athletes with a range of disability, disabilities. There are Winter Paralympic Games, Winter and Summer Paralympic Games, which since the 1988 ...

Shaw won a bronze medal in the T12 100 metres, following the disqualification of

Serkan Yıldırım Serkan Yıldırım (born Persian: ; Latin: Sajjad Hashemi Ahangari on 22 August 1991) is an Iranian-born Turkish athlete. He has competed at both the Olympic and Paralympic Games competing in the 100 m and 400 m sprint events, as ...

. He then went on to compete in the Universal relay, alongside

Jonnie Peacock Jonathan Peacock (born 28 May 1993) is an English sprint runner... An amputee, Peacock won gold at the 2012 Summer Paralympics and 2016 Summer Paralympics, representing Great Britain in the T44 men's 100 metres event. He won a bronze medal ...

and

Sammi Kinghorn Samantha May Kinghorn (born 6 January 1996) is a British World Champion wheelchair racer and TV presenter. At the 2024 paralympics she won a gold medal. Personal history In December 2010 Kinghorn was crushed by snow and ice which fell from the ...

, winning the silver medal.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Shaw, Zac 1995 births Sportspeople from Grimsby People from Grimsby Alumni of Sheffield Hallam University Alumni of Loughborough University British male sprinters English male athletes Living people Competitors in athletics with visual impairment People from Lincolnshire Athletes (track and field) at the 2024 Summer Paralympics Medalists at the 2024 Summer Paralympics Paralympic medalists in athletics (track and field) Paralympic silver medalists for Great Britain Paralympic bronze medalists for Great Britain Medalists at the World Para Athletics Championships Medalists at the World Para Athletics European Championships Paralympic athletes for Great Britain 21st-century English sportsmen