Gary Hooper (Paralympian)

Gary Hooper
Personal information
Full name Gary Leslie Hooper
Nationality  Australia
Born 11 February 1939
Sydney

Gary Leslie Hooper, MBE[1] (born 11 February 1939) is an Australian Paralympic competitor. He won seven medals at three Paralympics from 1960 to 1968.

Personal

Hooper was born on 11 February 1939 in Sydney.[2] He never knew his biological father, and lived with his stepfather.[2] He contracted polio at the age of eleven, and lost the use of both his legs.[2]

He worked as a bookkeeper, and later as a public speaker and accessibility consultant.[2] He was a judge in fencing at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.[2] He has been married to Janice since 1964, and they have two sons. [2]

Career

At the 1960 Rome Games, Hooper won a silver medal in the Men's Precision Javelin B event.[3] At the 1964 Tokyo Games, he won a gold medal in the Men's Wheelchair Dash above T10 event and two silver medals in the Men's Wheelchair Relay above T10 and Men's Lightweight weightlifting events;[3][4] he also competed in swimming and wheelchair fencing at the games.[3] At the 1968 Tel Aviv Games, he won a gold medal in the Men's 100 m Wheelchair A event and two silver medals in the Men's 4x40 m Relay open and Men's Shot Put B events; he also competed in swimming, weightlifting, and wheelchair fencing at the games.[3] He participated in the 1962, 1966, and 1970 Commonwealth Paraplegic Games in Perth, Jamaica, and Edinburgh, respectively. [2]

Recognition

Hooper became a Member of the Order of the British Empire in 1969 "for achievements at the Paraplegic Olympics". [1]

References

  1. 1 2 "Hooper, Gary Leslie, MBE". It's an Honour. Retrieved 18 February 2012.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Gary Hooper interviewed by Rob Willis". Australian Centre for Paralympic Studies oral history project. 19 August 2010. Retrieved 18 February 2012.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Athlete Search Results". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 18 February 2012.
  4. International Paralympic Committee; Sydney Paralympic Organising Committee (2000). Paralympic Games results : Rome 1960 to Atlanta 1996. Sydney, Australia: Sydney Paralympic Organising Committee. p. 520. OCLC 223030936.
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