John Brewer (June 6, 1950 – February 18, 2022) was an American paralympic athlete.[1] He participated at the 1988 and 2000 Summer Paralympics.[2]
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| Born | June 6, 1950 San Francisco, California, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | February 18, 2022 (aged 71) | ||||||||||||||||||||
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| Country |  United States | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Para-athletics | ||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Biography
editBrewer was born in San Francisco, California, the son of Raymond Glen and Joan Brewer.[3] He and his family moved to West Los Angeles where he attended and graduated from University High School.[3] Brewer attended Santa Monica College, leaving to serve as a Mormon missionary from 1969 to 1971 before returning to complete his studies there.[3]
Brewer had intended to attend Brigham Young University–Hawaii to obtain a degree.[3] However, in December 1973 he was involved in a traffic collision which resulted in him being paralyzed from the chest down.[3][4] He was hospitalized in California for almost a year, then moved to Utah to be with his family and receive further treatment at the University of Utah Hospital.[3] Brewer attended the University of Utah, where he earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree.[3] He worked as an art teacher in secondary schools for almost 40 years.[3]
While at the University of Utah Brewer became involved in wheelchair sports.[3] He became the first person to finish a marathon in a wheelchair in the Western United States in 1976.[3]
Brewer competed in athletics at the 1988 Summer Paralympics.[2][5] He was awarded silver medals in the men's 800m 1C and men's 1500m 1C events, before winning gold in the 1C men’s marathon[6] He also competed in the marathon at the 2000 Summer Paralympics, but finished outside the medal positions.[2]
Brewer died in February 2022 of a cardiac arrest at his home, at the age of 71.[3]
References
edit- ^ "On a roll: Utahn lives life full speed ahead in his wheelchair". Deseret News. October 18, 2000. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
- ^ a b c "John Brewer". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "John Brewer Obituary (1950-2022)". Deseret News. February 22, 2022. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
- ^ Hobbs, Nancy (August 7, 1988). "Korea beckons Utah athlete". The Salt Lake Tribune. Salt Lake City, Utah. p. 110. Retrieved August 14, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Brewer A Paralympic Favorite Looking Past Gold For World Record In Seoul Marathon". Deseret News. October 12, 1988. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
- ^ "Seoul 1988 Paralympic Games Results". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
