Cameron Rahles-Rahbula (born 9 July 1983) is a former Paralympic alpine skier from Australia. He won two bronze medals at the
2010 Winter Paralympics in
Vancouver
Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...
. He represented Australia in four Paralympics, stating with the
2002 Winter Paralympics
The 2002 Winter Paralympics, the eighth Paralympic Winter Games, were held in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States, from March 7 to 16, 2002. A total of 416 athletes from 36 nations participated. They were the first Winter Paralympics in the Ameri ...
in
Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the capital and most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in Utah. With a population of 200,133 in 2020, th ...
and the
2006 Winter Paralympics
The 2006 Winter Paralympic Games ( it, Giochi paralimpici invernali del 2006), the ninth Paralympic Winter Games, took place in Turin, Italy from 10 to 19 March 2006. These were the first Winter Paralympic Games to be held in Italy. They were ...
in
Torino
Turin ( , Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. T ...
. He did not compete in any events at the
2014 Winter Paralympics
The 2014 Winter Paralympics (russian: Зимние Паралимпийские игры 2014, Zimniye Paralimpiyskiye igry 2014), the 11th Paralympic Winter Games, and also more generally known as the Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games, were a ...
in
Sochi due to knee and ankle injuries sustained during the warm up for the downhill event of the Games but carried the Australian flag (albeit on crutches) in the
Parade of Nations
The Olympic Games ceremonies of the Ancient Olympic Games were an integral part of these Games; the modern Olympic games have opening, closing, and medal ceremonies. Some of the elements of the modern ceremonies date back to the Ancient Games from ...
at the
Opening Ceremony. He also won two gold medals and a silver medal at the 2004
IPC Alpine Skiing World Championships
The World Para Alpine Skiing Championships, known before the 2017 edition as the IPC Alpine Skiing World Championships, along with the Winter Paralympic Games, are the most prestigious level of international competition in Paralympic alpine skiing ...
in
Wildschönau
Wildschönau is a municipality within the district of Kufstein in the state of Tyrol 6 km south of Wörgl.
The 24 km long high valley near Wörgl is one of the district's tourist centers. Besides a few hamlets, the municipality consists ...
, Austria, and a gold and a bronze medal at the 2009 World Championships in
Jeongseon
Jeongseon (''Jeongseon-gun'') is a county in the province of Gangwon-do, South Korea. It is famous as the hometown of "Jeongseon Arirang," a traditional Korean folksong. It is also the hometown of actor Won Bin and footballer Seol Ki-hyeon.
H ...
, Korea. He retired after the Sochi Games.
Personal
Cameron Rahles-Rahbula was born in
Camperdown, Victoria
Camperdown () is a town in southwestern Victoria, Australia, west of the state capital, Melbourne. At the 2016 census, Camperdown had a population of 3,369.
History
The Djargurd Wurrung people were the traditional Aboriginal people of the Ca ...
, on 9 July 1983.
He was diagnosed with
osteosarcoma
An osteosarcoma (OS) or osteogenic sarcoma (OGS) (or simply bone cancer) is a cancerous tumor in a bone. Specifically, it is an aggressive malignant neoplasm that arises from primitive transformed cells of mesenchymal origin (and thus a sarcoma ...
, a rare form of bone cancer at the age of 12 and after unsuccessful chemotherapy had his left leg amputated above the knee at the age of 14.
[ He attended a weekend ski camp at Mount Buller organised by Challenge, a children's cancer support network two weeks after his amputation. Within three days, he was able to ski by himself and this was the start of his Paralympic skiing career.][
Rahles-Rahbula attended ]Geelong Grammar School
, motto_translation = 1 Corinthians 1:30: "For us, Christ was made wisdom"( 1 Corinthians 1:30: Christ, who has been made for us in wisdom)
, city = Corio, Victoria
, country = Australia
, coordinates =
, ...
. He went to Timbertop, for a year, where intense physical training — running, hiking and other outdoor programs — are required. At university, he studied physiotherapy at the University of Melbourne
The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb no ...
and currently works as a physiotherapist.[
He married Emily Jansen on 4 December 2010. Jansen had become Australia's first female Paralympic skier when she competed at the ]2006 Winter Paralympics
The 2006 Winter Paralympic Games ( it, Giochi paralimpici invernali del 2006), the ninth Paralympic Winter Games, took place in Turin, Italy from 10 to 19 March 2006. These were the first Winter Paralympic Games to be held in Italy. They were ...
in Torino
Turin ( , Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. T ...
. They have two sons named Archie and Finn.
In 2023, Rahles-Rahbula was accused of deliberately filming a Geelong Grammar student while she was topless and receiving treatment. Rahles-Rahbula defended himself by saying that his phone accidentally activated during the session and he never intended to record the video.
Career
Rahles-Rahbula's first major success was 2nd place in the giant slalom at the 2001 National Championships at Mount Hotham
Mount Hotham is a mountain located in the Victorian Alps of the Great Dividing Range, in the Australian state of Victoria. The mountain is located approximately north east of Melbourne, from Sydney, and from Adelaide by road. The nearest ...
. He competed at the 2002 Winter Paralympics
The 2002 Winter Paralympics, the eighth Paralympic Winter Games, were held in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States, from March 7 to 16, 2002. A total of 416 athletes from 36 nations participated. They were the first Winter Paralympics in the Ameri ...
in Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the capital and most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in Utah. With a population of 200,133 in 2020, th ...
in four LW2 men's events – downhill
Downhill may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Downhill'' (1927 film), a British film by Alfred Hitchcock
* ''Downhill'' (2014 film), a British comedy directed by James Rouse
* ''Downhill'' (2016 film), a Chilean thriller directed by Patrici ...
(9th), slalom (17th), giant slalom (did not finish) and super-G
Super giant slalom, or super-G, is a racing discipline of alpine skiing. Along with the faster downhill, it is regarded as a "speed" event, in contrast to the technical events giant slalom and slalom. It debuted as an official World Cup event d ...
(did not finish). At the 2006 Winter Paralympics in Torino, he competed in four standing events, coming 14th in the slalom and did not finish in the downhill, giant slalom and super-G.
At the 2010 Winter Paralympics in Vancouver
Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...
, Rahles-Rahbula won bronze medals in the men's slalom standing event and the men's super combined
Combined is an event in alpine ski racing. A traditional combined competition consists of one run of downhill and two runs of slalom, each discipline runs on separate days. The winner is the skier with the fastest aggregate time. (Until the 1990s, ...
standing event. He finished 4th in the downhill, 6th in the giant slalom and 5th in the super-G. He was the Australian flag bearer at the closing ceremony at the 2010 Vancouver Games.[
At the 2004 ]IPC Alpine Skiing World Championships
The World Para Alpine Skiing Championships, known before the 2017 edition as the IPC Alpine Skiing World Championships, along with the Winter Paralympic Games, are the most prestigious level of international competition in Paralympic alpine skiing ...
in Wildschönau
Wildschönau is a municipality within the district of Kufstein in the state of Tyrol 6 km south of Wörgl.
The 24 km long high valley near Wörgl is one of the district's tourist centers. Besides a few hamlets, the municipality consists ...
, Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
, Rahles-Rahbula won two gold medals in the super-G and downhill and silver medal in the slalom. At the 2009 IPC Alpine Skiing World Championships
The World Para Alpine Skiing Championships, known before the 2017 edition as the IPC Alpine Skiing World Championships, along with the Winter Paralympic Games, are the most prestigious level of international competition in Paralympic alpine skiing ...
at High Resort 1 in Jeongseon County, Korea, he won a gold medal in the men's slalom standing and a bronze medal in the men's giant slalom standing.[ He competed in three events at the 2011 ]IPC Alpine Skiing World Championships
The World Para Alpine Skiing Championships, known before the 2017 edition as the IPC Alpine Skiing World Championships, along with the Winter Paralympic Games, are the most prestigious level of international competition in Paralympic alpine skiing ...
in Sestriere
Sestriere (/se'strjɛre/) ( oc, Sestrieras, pms, Ël Sestrier, french: Sestrières) is a ski resort in Piedmont, Italy, a ''comune'' (municipality) of the Metropolitan City of Turin. It is situated in Val Susa, from the French border. Its name ...
, Italy, but did not win any medals.[
The IPC Alpine Skiing World Cup in ]Thredbo, New South Wales
Thredbo is a village and ski resort in the Snowy Mountains of New South Wales, Australia, situated in a part of the Snowy Monaro Regional Council, and has been operated by Event Hospitality and Entertainment since 1987.
It is approximately ...
in September 2013 was intended to be his last competition due to the desire to spend more time with his family. At this event, he won a gold medal in the slalom and silver in giant slalom. In December 2013, he announced that he would aim to compete at the 2014 Winter Paralympics
The 2014 Winter Paralympics (russian: Зимние Паралимпийские игры 2014, Zimniye Paralimpiyskiye igry 2014), the 11th Paralympic Winter Games, and also more generally known as the Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games, were a ...
in Sochi.[ His return to competitive skiing with the support of his wife Emily was subject to his training program allowing for more family time.][
On 4 March 2014, he was named as the Australian flag bearer at the 2014 Winter Paralympics Opening Ceremony.][ Less than a day after being named as flag bearer, he had training accident, fracturing his knee and injuring ankle. He was not able to compete in any of his events. He played an important role in supporting the Australian Team during the Games, and announced that he was retiring.]
Recognition
* 2004 – Young Victorian of the Year
The Victorian of the Year is an award given to the most outstanding Victorian in any given year. The Victorian of the Year is awarded in Melbourne by the Victoria Day Council as part of Victoria Day celebrations on 1 July annually.
The Victoria ...
for his work with young skiers with a disability.[
* 2004 – ]University of Melbourne
The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb no ...
Sports Athlete of the Year[
* 2004/2005 – Local Citizen of the Year by ]Corangamite Shire
The Shire of Corangamite is a local government area in the Barwon South West region of Victoria, Australia, located in the south-western part of the state. It covers an area of and in June 2018 had a population of 16,140. It includes the towns ...
Council in Victoria[
* 2010 – Australian Paralympian of the Year and Male Athlete of the Year]
* 2010 – Australian Flag Bearer for Closing Ceremony at 2010 Winter Paralympics[
* 2014 – Australian Flag Bearer for Opening Ceremony at ]2014 Winter Paralympics
The 2014 Winter Paralympics (russian: Зимние Паралимпийские игры 2014, Zimniye Paralimpiyskiye igry 2014), the 11th Paralympic Winter Games, and also more generally known as the Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games, were a ...
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rahles Rahbula, Cameron
Alpine skiers at the 2002 Winter Paralympics
Alpine skiers at the 2006 Winter Paralympics
Alpine skiers at the 2010 Winter Paralympics
Australian Institute of Sport Paralympic skiers
Paralympic alpine skiers for Australia
Paralympic bronze medalists for Australia
University of Melbourne alumni
Living people
Amputee category Paralympic competitors
Victorian Institute of Sport alumni
1983 births
Medalists at the 2010 Winter Paralympics
Australian male alpine skiers
People educated at Geelong Grammar School
Paralympic medalists in alpine skiing
Skiers from Melbourne
Sportsmen from Victoria (state)