Wheelchair racing at the Olympics
Wheelchair racing at the Summer Olympics featured as demonstration competitions at the multi-sport event, appearing within the Olympic athletics programme from 1984 to 2004.[1] On each occasion two track races were held: a men's 1500 metres race and a women's 800 metres race.[2] This was the first time events for disabled athletes have featured at the Summer Olympic Games,[3] with the Paralympic Games being the traditional venue for top level para-athletics. The wheelchair races were the second Olympic exhibition event for disabled athletes, following on from the disabled skiing at the 1984 Winter Olympics, held earlier that year.[4]
| Wheelchair racing at the Olympic Games | |
|---|---|
| Overview | |
| Sport | Athletics (demonstration) |
| Gender | Men and women |
| Years held | 1984 – 2004 |
| Olympic record | |
| Men | 3:06.75 min Saúl Mendoza (2000) |
| Women | 1:53.66 min Chantal Petitclerc (2004) |
Unofficial medals were awarded to the competitors by Juan Antonio Samaranch, the International Olympic Committee president.[5][6] The events were dropped prior to the 2008 Beijing Olympics and multiple Paralympic gold medallist Chantal Petitclerc stated the decision was a major set-back for the sport, as she favoured its official integration as an Olympic sport.[7]
At the inaugural event in 1984 Sharon Hedrick broke the IPC world record to win the women's 800 m in a time of 2:15.73 minutes.[6] This was followed by two record performances in 1992, when Claude Issorat of France set a men's 1500 m record of 3:13.92 minutes and Denmark's Connie Hansen won the 800 m in a record 1:55.62 minutes.[8] The Olympic records for the event were set by Saúl Mendoza, who finished in 3:06.75 minutes to win the 2000 men's 1500 m race,[9] and Chantal Petitclerc, who won the last women's 800 m event in 1:53.66 minutes in 2004.[10] Issorat, Hedrick and Louise Sauvage each won two Olympic wheelchair races; Issorat and Sauvage had three Olympic podium finishes. The United States had the most success in the event, gathering eleven medals over the six editions.
Medalists
Men
| Games | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 Los Angeles |
.svg.png.webp){kind=small} Paul van Winkel (BEL) |
 Randy Snow (USA) |
 André Viger (CAN) |
| 1988 Seoul |
 Mustapha Badid (FRA) |
Paul van Winkel (BEL) |
Craig Blanchette (USA) |
| 1992 Barcelona |
Claude Issorat (FRA) |
 Franz Nietlispach (SUI) |
Michael Noe (USA) |
| 1996 Atlanta |
Claude Issorat (FRA) |
Scot Hollonbeck (USA) |
Franz Nietlispach (SUI) |
| 2000 Sydney |
 Saúl Mendoza (MEX) |
Claude Issorat (FRA) |
Heinz Frei (SUI) |
| 2004 Athens |
 Robert Figl (GER) |
Saúl Mendoza (MEX) |
 Rawat Tana (THA) |
Multiple medalists
| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Olympics | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Claude Issorat | France (FRA) | 1992–2000 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| 2= | Paul van Winkel | Belgium (BEL) | 1984–1988 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 2= | Saúl Mendoza | Mexico (MEX) | 2000–2004 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 4 | Franz Nietlispach | Switzerland (SUI) | 1992–1996 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
Medalists by country
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | France (FRA) | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| 2= | Belgium (BEL) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 2= | Mexico (MEX) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 4 | Germany (GER) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 5 | United States (USA) | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| 6 | Switzerland (SUI) | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 7= | Canada (CAN) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 7= | Thailand (THA) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Women
| Games | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 Los Angeles |
Sharon Hedrick (USA) |
 Monica Wetterström (SWE) |
Candace Cable (USA) |
| 1988 Seoul |
Sharon Hedrick (USA) |
 Connie Hansen (DEN) |
Candace Cable (USA) |
| 1992 Barcelona |
Connie Hansen (DEN) |
Jean Driscoll (USA) |
Monica Wetterström (SWE) |
| 1996 Atlanta |
 Louise Sauvage (AUS) |
Jean Driscoll (USA) |
Cheri Becerra (USA) |
| 2000 Sydney |
Louise Sauvage (AUS) |
 Wakako Tsuchida (JPN) |
Ariadne Hernández (MEX) |
| 2004 Athens |
Chantal Petitclerc (CAN) |
Eliza Stankovich (AUS) |
Louise Sauvage (AUS) |
Multiple medalists
| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Olympics | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Louise Sauvage | Australia (AUS) | 1996–2004 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| 2 | Sharon Hedrick | United States (USA) | 1984–1988 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 3 | Connie Hansen | Denmark (DEN) | 1988–1992 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 4 | Jean Driscoll | United States (USA) | 1992–1996 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 5 | Monica Wetterström | Sweden (SWE) | 1984–1992 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 6 | Candace Cable | United States (USA) | 1984–1988 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
References
- Participation and results data
- Athletics Women's 800 metres Wheelchair Medalists. Sports Reference. Retrieved on 2014-05-22.
- Athletics Men's 1,500 metres Wheelchair Medalists. Sports Reference. Retrieved on 2014-05-12.
- Specific
- Wheelchair Athletics. OSAV. Retrieved on 2014-05-12.
- Disabled Sport: Born of the War. Chantal Petitclerc. Retrieved on 2014-05-12.
- A History and Background of Disability Sport. Texas Woman's University. Retrieved on 2014-05-12.
- Honours List for the XIVth Olympic Winter Games (PDF) (PDF). Olympic Review. 1984. p. 143. Retrieved 2014-05-12.
- Sanders, Barry A. (2013-10-14). The Los Angeles 1984 Olympic Games. Pg. 113. Arcadia Publishing.
- Wheelchair Mark Broken LOS ANGELES, Aug. 11 (AP) - Sharon Hedrick of the United. The New York Times (1984-08-12). Retrieved on 2014-05-12.
- Wheelchair racing dropped from Beijing Games. CBC Sports. Retrieved on 2014-05-12.
- OLYMPICS / Barcelona 1992: Olympic Round-Up: Wheelchair events . The Independent (1992-08-03). Retrieved on 2014-05-12.
- Hot Wheels. Sports Illustrated (2000-09-28). Retrieved on 2014-05-12.
- Petitclerc, Huot earn Paralympic gold. Canadian Press (2004-09-21). Retrieved on 2014-05-12.
External links
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