Christie Dawes (

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

Skelton, born 3 May 1980) is an Australian Paralympic wheelchair racing athlete. She has won three medals in athletics at seven Paralympics from 1996 to 2021.

Personal

When she was young, Dawes was very interested in

athletics Athletics may refer to: Sports * Sport of athletics, a collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking ** Track and field, a sub-category of the above sport * Athletics (physical culture), competiti ...

. At the age of 10, she was in a car accident. She survived, but became a

paraplegic Paraplegia, or paraparesis, is an impairment in motor or sensory function of the lower extremities. The word comes from Ionic Greek () "half-stricken". It is usually caused by spinal cord injury or a congenital condition that affects the neural ...

. Christie continued in her career in athletics, but also took up the job of a primary school teacher.Athlete Profile: Christie Dawes

Athletics Australia Athletics Australia is the national sporting organisation (NSO) recognised by Sport Australia for the sport of athletics in Australia. First founded in 1897, the organisation is responsible for administering a sport with over 16,000 registered ...

. She is married to her coach

Andrew Dawes Andrew Dawes (February 7, 1940 – October 30, 2022) was a Canadian violinist. He was known for his performances with the Orford String Quartet. Early life and education Dawes was born in High River, Alberta.Curtin Call: A Photographer's Candi ...

and their son was born in 2011.

Athletics

140811 - Christie Dawes - 3b - 2011 City2Surf action photo

In 1996, Dawes competed in the Atlanta Paralympics, where she was awarded the 1996 Young Paralympian of the Year Award. Three years later, she won a bronze medal for the 10 km Peachtree Road Race. In 2000, she competed in the Sydney Paralympics. Next was the 2004 Paralympics in Athens Paralympics, where she competed in 800 m, 1500 m, and 5000 m races and the Marathon. She also competed in the 800 m wheelchair demonstration event at the

2004 Athens Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics ( el, Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 2004, ), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad ( el, Αγώνες της 28ης Ολυμπιάδας, ) and also known as Athens 2004 ( el, Αθήνα 2004), ...

. She competed in the

2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games The 2006 Commonwealth Games, officially the XVIII Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Melbourne 2006 (Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm 2006'' or ''Naarm 2006''), was an international multi-sport event for members of the Commonwealth held i ...

, coming fifth in the Women's 800 m EAD T54 event. Dawes competed in the

2008 Summer Paralympics The 2008 Summer Paralympic Games (), the 13th Summer Paralympic Games, took place in Beijing, China from September 6 to 17, 2008. As with the 2008 Summer Olympics, equestrian events were held in Hong Kong and sailing events in Qingdao. It was ...

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

, and was one of several competitors caught up in a crash during the final of the women's 5000 m T54 wheelchair event, eventually finishing sixth despite a broken front wheel. The race was re-run, and Dawes spoke out against the treatment of Canadian athlete Diane Roy, who had been awarded the gold medal in the event, only to have it taken back and replaced with a silver medal when she finished second in the re-run. Dawes won a silver medal at the Women's 4x100 m T53/54 event at the Beijing games. A few months after the games, she came third in the New York City Marathon. In January 2009, she won the

Oz Day 10K Wheelchair Road Race Oz Day 10K Wheelchair Road Race is held on Australia Day in The Rocks, Sydney and is marquee event on the international wheelchair racing calendar, attracting prominent international and Australian athletes. History The inaugural race was held in ...

. In February 2010, Dawes won the 10 km world wheelchair road race championships in the

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...

010912 - Christie Dawes - 3b - 2012 Summer Paralympics

100912 - Christie Dawes - 3b - 2012 Summer Paralympics

After giving birth to her son in February 2011, she won three bronze medals at the 2011 National Titles in April. She then won a silver medal in the Chicago Marathon and came fourth in the New York City Marathon. At the 2012 London Paralympics, Dawes participated in the T54 class of the 800 m, 1500 m, 5000 m and marathon events. She won a bronze medal in the T54 5000 m and finished sixth in the T54 marathon. At the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games, she came fourth in the 1500 m T54. At the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Paralympics, she competed in four events and medalled in one. Christie,

Angie Ballard Angela Ballard (born 6 June 1982) is an Australian Paralympic athlete who competes in T53 (classification), T53 wheelchair racing, wheelchair sprint events. She became a paraplegic at age 7 due to a car accident. She began competing in wheel ...

Madison de Rozario Madison de Rozario, (born 24 November 1993) is an Australian Paralympic athlete and wheelchair racer who specialises in middle and long-distance events. She competed at the 2008 Beijing, 2012 London, 2016 Rio and 2020 Tokyo Summer Paralympic ...

and Jemima Moore placed 3rd in the relay but were disqualified, before successfully appealing the decision and being reinstated to 2nd. Her results in the 2016 Rio Olympics are as follows; 1500 m T54 placed 8th overall with a time of 3:26.00. 5000 m T54 she placed 11th in her heat with a time of 12:15.95 and did not advance to the finals. In the Marathon T54 she placed 7th overall with a time of 1:42:59. Dawes then competed at the

2020 Tokyo Paralympics The , branded as the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, was an international multi-sport parasports event held from 24 August to 5 September 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. They were the 16th Summer Paralympic Games as organized by the International Paralympic ...

held in 2021, coming 8th in the Marathon T54. At the

2022 Commonwealth Games The 2022 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XXII Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Birmingham 2022, was an international multi-sport event for members of the Commonwealth of Nations that took place in Birmingham, England bet ...

, she finished 5th in the Women's Marathon T54.

References

External links