Sam Harding (born 11 May 1991) is an Australian Paralympic athlete. His classification is T12 and competes in 400m and the 800m events.[1] He represented Australia at the 2020 Summer Paralympics, his second Games.[2]
 2012 Australian Paralympic team portrait of Harding | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | 11 May 1991 Perth, Australia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.79 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Personal
editHarding was born in Perth on 11 May 1991.[3] He has a visual impairment called choroideremia, which is a hereditary condition and has resulted in him losing most of his peripheral vision.[1] Harding attended Wesley College in Perth[1] where he competed in rowing and completed a course in massage therapy.[4]
Sporting career
editHarding began his sporting career as a tandem cyclist competing for Western Australia.[4]
Athletics
editHe then switched to running after winning three gold medals, in the 400m, 800m and 1500m, at the 2009 Paralympic Youth Games in Melbourne.[4] After this success, Harding was recognised by the Australian Paralympic Committee's Paralympic Talent Search Program and fast-tracked into a talent development camp held in Canberra.[5]
Between 2010 and 2012, Harding received a dAIS scholarship[6] and moved to the Australian Institute of Sport to train.[1]
In 2010, Harding competed in the 2010 national championships where he won bronze in the 800m.[4] He was then selected to represent Australia at the 2011 International Paralympic Committee Athletics World Championships, in Christchurch, where he achieved a personal best[1] and German Nationals where he finished fifth in both 800m events.[4]
Harding was selected to represent Australia at the 2012 Summer Paralympic Games.[3] However, he fell ill prior to his event, the T13 800m, and was unable to compete.[7]
He competed at the 91st and 92nd Australian Athletics Championships where he won silver in the men's 800m and 400m respectively.[8][9]
In 2015, Harding won silver in the Men's 400m at the 2015 IPC Athletics Grand Prix held in Brisbane.[10]
At the 2020 Summer Paralympics in the Men's 1500 m T13, he finished eleventh.[11]
He was coached by Iryna Dvoskina but currently is coached by Philo Saunders at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra.[1]
Triathlon
editAt the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England with guide Luke Harvey, he won the silver medal in the Men's PTVI.[12]
Recognition
edit- 2022 - Canberra Sports Awards - Para Athlete of the Year
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f "IPC Biography". IPC. Archived from the original on 14 July 2015. Retrieved 14 July 2015.
- ^ "Para-athletics Team Set To 'Do What Australia Does Best' At Tokyo 2020". Paralympics Australia. 23 July 2021. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
- ^ a b "Sam HARDING (WA)". Australian Athletics Historical Results. Archived from the original on 14 July 2015. Retrieved 14 July 2015.
- ^ a b c d e "Sam Harding". APC. Archived from the original on 14 July 2015. Retrieved 14 July 2015.
- ^ "The Bulletin" (PDF). Statewide Vision Resource Centre. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 February 2015. Retrieved 14 July 2015.
- ^ "dAIS Athlete Grant". AIS - Grant Funding Report. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 14 July 2015.
- ^ "WAIS Annual Report" (PDF). The Western Australian Institute of Sport. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 June 2015. Retrieved 14 July 2015.
- ^ "91st Aust Athletics Champs". Athletics Australia. Archived from the original on 21 March 2015. Retrieved 14 July 2015.
- ^ "92nd Australian AthleticsChampionships" (PDF). Athletics Australia. Archived (PDF) from the original on 24 August 2015. Retrieved 14 July 2015.
- ^ "QLD Track Classic & IPC Grand Prix". QLD Athletics. Archived from the original on 14 July 2015. Retrieved 14 July 2015.
- ^ "Sam Harding". Tokyo 2020 Paralympics. Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Archived from the original on 28 September 2021. Retrieved 28 September 2021.
- ^ "2022 Commonwealth Games Results". Commonwealth Games Australia. 16 June 2020. Retrieved 15 August 2022.
External links
edit
- Sam Harding at Paralympics Australia
- Sam Harding at the International Paralympic Committee
- Sam Harding at IPC.InfostradaSports.com (archived)