Clayton Gerein (May 24, 1964 – January 22, 2010) was a Canadian wheelchair athlete, who won 14 medals in racing events at the

Paralympic Games The Paralympic Games or Paralympics, also known as the ''Games of the Paralympiad'', is a periodic series of international multisport events involving athletes with a range of physical disabilities, including impaired muscle power and impaire ...

between 1984 and 2008. Born and raised in North Battleford, Saskatchewan,Clayton Gerein
at the Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan. While training

racehorse Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic pr ...

s, Gerein's neck broke in 1982 He first competed as a swimmer at the 1984 Paralympics in Los Angeles, but subsequently had his greatest success competing in racing events, winning seven gold, four silver and three bronze medals during his racing career. He retired from competitive racing after the

2008 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 wa ...

. Clayton lived in Pilot Butte, Saskatchewan for a long part of his lifetime and career and was seen all around town practicing. Clayton also coached and mentored Paralympic Champion

Lisa Franks Lisa Franks (born 6 April 1982) is a Canadians, Canadian paralympic track and field, athlete from competing mainly in category T52 wheelchair sprint events. Throughout her wheelchair racing career she set List of IPC world records in athletics, w ...

, after he met her while she was in the hospital recovering from a spinal cord injury.L Franks
"Lisa Franks Biography"
. '' lisafranks.net'', August 26, 2008. Gerein was named SaskSport's male athlete of the year in 1987, 1996 and 2001. Gerein died from a

brain tumour A brain tumor occurs when abnormal cells form within the brain. There are two main types of tumors: malignant tumors and benign (non-cancerous) tumors. These can be further classified as primary tumors, which start within the brain, and secondary ...

in Regina on January 22, 2010. He was 45.Rob Vanstone
"Seven-time Paralympian Clayton Gerein dies at age 45"
. '' Regina Leader-Post'', January 25, 2010.

References