John Charles Smith (born 27 November 1989), known professionally as JohnBoy Smith, is a British parathlete and wheelchair racer of Romany[1] descent who competes in the T54 category sprint events.[2]
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | John Charles Smith |
| Nationality | British |
| Born | 27 November 1989 Gravesend, England |
| Sport | |
| Country | Great Britain / England |
| Sport | Wheelchair Racing |
| Disability | Paraplegia |
| Disability class | T10/T11 |
| Event(s) | T54 Marathon, Wheelchair Sprints |
Early life
editSmith was born in Gravesend, Kent, England. At age 16, he was mistaken for a poacher and shot in the back leading to a spinal cord injury that left him with complete T10/T11 paraplegia.[3] He got motivated to pursue para-athletics and wheelchair racing after watching 2012 London Paralympics.[4]
Career
editHe won a silver medal in the T54 marathon of 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games held in Australia representing England.[4] He competed in 2020 Summer Paralympics in Tokyo, Japan representing Great Britain in T54 marathon.[5][6] In 2022 Smith won a gold medal for England at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in the marathon (T54) event.[7]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Harle, Tom (6 September 2021). "Gravesend's JohnBoy Smith graps Paralympic debut with two hands in Tokyo". KentLive.news. Retrieved 9 March 2022.
- ^ "Johnboy Smith - Athletics". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
- ^ "London Marathon 2019: Johnboy Smith on why 'there is life after disability and tragedy'". BBC Sport. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
- ^ a b "Athletics SMITH Johnboy - Tokyo 2020 Paralympics". Tokyo 2020. Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Archived from the original on 23 August 2021. Retrieved 23 August 2021.
- ^ "Paralympics: JohnBoy Smith sets personal best to finish 10th". KentOnline.co.uk. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
- ^ "32 athletes added to ParalympicsGB athletics team for Tokyo 2020". paralympics.org.uk. British Paralympic Association.
- ^ "England's Smith wins marathon gold after Weir puncture". BBC Sport. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
External links
edit- JohnBoy Smith at ParalympicsGB
- Johnboy Smith at the International Paralympic Committee
- JohnBoy Smith at British Athletics
- JohnBoy Smith at Power of 10
- JohnBoy Smith at Team England
- John Smith at the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games (archived)
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