Curtis Wain McGrath, (born 31 March 1988) is an Australian
paracanoe Paracanoe is canoeing for athletes with a range of physical disabilities. The Paralympic version of the sport is governed by the International Canoe Federation (ICF), and a va'a-specific variant is governed by the International Va'a Federation (IVF ...
ist and former soldier. He took up canoeing competitively after both of his legs were amputated as a result of a mine blast while serving with the
Australian Army
The Australian Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army (Austral ...
in
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
. McGrath won consecutive gold medals in the Men's KL2 at the
2016 Rio and
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 ...
,
[ and has won ten gold medals and a silver at ICF Paracanoe World Championships between 2014 and 2019.
]
Personal
McGrath was born in New Zealand on 31 March 1988. His parents are Kimberley and Paul, and he has two siblings – Brent and Sophia. He grew up in Queenstown, New Zealand
Queenstown ( mi, Tāhuna) is a resort town in Otago in the south-west of New Zealand's South Island. It has an urban population of
The town is built around an inlet called Queenstown Bay on Lake Wakatipu, a long, thin, Z-shaped lake formed by ...
and attended Wakatipu High School
Wakatipu High School is a state coeducational secondary school located in Queenstown, Otago, New Zealand. Serving Years 9 to 13 (ages 13 to 18), a total of students attend the school as of
The school was originally located at 68 Fryer Stre ...
.[ As a ten year old, his farming family moved to the ]Western Australian Wheatbelt
The Wheatbelt is one of nine regions of Western Australia defined as administrative areas for the state's regional development, and a vernacular term for the area converted to agriculture during colonisation. It partially surrounds the ...
but then returned to Queenstown. In his last year at high school, he was awarded the Bruce Grant Memorial Trophy for Outdoor Education. His family later relocated to Brisbane, Queensland
Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...
. McGrath had a desire to become a jet pilot but became a combat engineer.[
]
Military career
McGrath joined the Australian Army
The Australian Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army (Austral ...
in 2006. On 23 August 2012, as a combat engineer
A combat engineer (also called pioneer or sapper) is a type of soldier who performs military engineering tasks in support of land forces combat operations. Combat engineers perform a variety of military engineering, tunnel and mine warfare ta ...
with the 6th Engineer Support Regiment, he was badly injured by an Improvised explosive device
An improvised explosive device (IED) is a bomb constructed and deployed in ways other than in conventional military action. It may be constructed of conventional military explosives, such as an artillery shell, attached to a detonating mechan ...
during operations in Khas Urozgan District, Uruzgan Province
Uruzgan (Dari), also spelled as Urozgan or Oruzgan, is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan. Uruzgan is located in the center of the country. The population is 436,079, and the province is mostly a tribal society. Tarinkot serves as th ...
, Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
.[ The explosion resulted in McGrath losing his left leg below the knee and his right leg at the knee. He had shattered bones in his wrist, burnt left arm, perforated ear drums and large wound at the back of his thigh. He was originally taken to an American medical base in Germany and then to ]Royal Brisbane Hospital
The Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital (RBWH) is a tertiary public hospital located in Herston, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It is operated by Metro North Health, part of the Queensland Health network. The hospital has 929 be ...
for rehabilitation. Within three months, he was walking on prosthetic legs.[
At the 2016 Australian Paralympic Team Launch in Sydney, Prime Minister ]Malcolm Turnbull
Malcolm Bligh Turnbull (born 24 October 1954) is an Australian former politician and businessman who served as the 29th prime minister of Australia from 2015 to 2018. He held office as leader of the Liberal Party of Australia.
Turnbull grad ...
made the following comments about McGrath:
Sporting career
Prior to his military injury, McGrath was a keen white water canoeist, rugby player and swimmer.[ He took up canoeing and swimming as part of his rehabilitation. His first disability sport experience was at the United States Marine Games in ]San Diego
San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...
where he won three gold medals in swimming.[ In devoting his energy to sport, McGrath commented: "In sport, you are getting your body to do things you don't do every day. It helps your body to adjust more easily to everyday things."][
In October 2013, McGrath, with his father Paul, participated in a 1,000 km paddle from Sydney to Queensland to raise funds for the Mates4Mates.]
McGrath took up paracanoe Paracanoe is canoeing for athletes with a range of physical disabilities. The Paralympic version of the sport is governed by the International Canoe Federation (ICF), and a va'a-specific variant is governed by the International Va'a Federation (IVF ...
in December 2013. He originally competed in V1 (Va'a Outrigger Canoe) in the TA (Trunk and arms category). In 2014, he won the Australian and Oceania Championships in V1 200 m, 500 m and 1000 m events.[ He is now classified as a KL2 paracanoeist. Almost two years after losing his legs in Afghanistan, he won the gold medal in the V1 200 TA event in world record time at the 2014 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships in ]Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
, Russia. After winning the gold medal McGrath commented: "Even when I was on the stretcher getting carried to the medevac chopper I said I was going to be in the Paralympics, and this is the first step". His aim is to compete at the 2016 Summer Paralympics
)
, nations = 159
, athletes = 4,342
, opening = 7 September
, closing = 18 September
, opened_by = President Michel Temer
, cauldron = Clodoaldo Silva
, events = 528 in 22 sports
, stadium = Maracanã
, sum ...
, where paracanoeing makes it debut. In September 2014, he captained the Australian Team at inaugural Invictus Games
The Invictus Games is an international multi-sport event first held in 2014, for wounded, injured and sick servicemen and women, both serving and veterans. The word 'Invictus' means 'unconquered', chosen as an embodiment of the fighting spi ...
in London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
, and won a bronze medal in swimming and made the archery final.[
In March 2015, due to the ]International Paralympic Committee
The International Paralympic Committee (IPC; german: Internationales Paralympisches Komitee) is an international non-profit organisation and the global governing body for the Paralympic Movement. The IPC organizes the Paralympic Games and fun ...
deciding not run the Va'a events in the 2016 Summer Paralympics
)
, nations = 159
, athletes = 4,342
, opening = 7 September
, closing = 18 September
, opened_by = President Michel Temer
, cauldron = Clodoaldo Silva
, events = 528 in 22 sports
, stadium = Maracanã
, sum ...
, McGrath has switched to kayak events. At the 2015 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships, in Milan
Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...
, Italy, he won a gold medal in the Men's V–1 200 m VL2 and a silver medal in the Men's K–1 200 m VL2. After winning the silver medal in the Paralympic Games event, McGrath said: "This is a whole new ball game for me, the boats are a lot faster, so I had to learn pretty quick".
At the 2016 ICF Paracanoe World Championships in Duisburg
Duisburg () is a city in the Ruhr metropolitan area of the western German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Lying on the confluence of the Rhine and the Ruhr rivers in the center of the Rhine-Ruhr Region, Duisburg is the 5th largest city in Nor ...
, Germany, McGrath won two gold medals in Men's KL2 200m and VL2 200m. In winning the Men's KL2 200m, a Paralympic Games event, he defeated six time world champion Markus Swoboda
Markus Mendy Swoboda (born 5 February 1990) is an Austrian paracanoeist who has competed since the late 2000s. He won a gold medal in the K-1 200 m TA event at the 2010 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships in Poznań
Poznań () is a city ...
.
McGrath competed at 2016 Invictus Games
The Invictus Games is an international multi-sport event first held in 2014, for wounded, injured and sick servicemen and women, both serving and veterans. The word 'Invictus' means 'unconquered', chosen as an embodiment of the fighting spi ...
in Orlando
Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures rele ...
, Florida, where he won IR4 one minute row. He also competed in swimming events.
McGrath fulfilled his goal of winning the Men's KL2 200 m at the 2016 Rio Paralympics
)
, nations = 159
, athletes = 4,342
, opening = 7 September
, closing = 18 September
, opened_by = President Michel Temer
, cauldron = Clodoaldo Silva
, events = 528 in 22 sports
, stadium = Maracanã
, sum ...
in a Paralympic record time of 42.190. It was Australia's first gold medal in paracanoe at the Paralympics.[ He was given the honour of being the Australian flag bearer at the Rio Paralympics Closing Ceremony.][
In February 2017, McGrath participated in a ]Rowing Australia
Rowing Australia (RA) is the governing body for the sport of rowing in Australia.
Established in 1925, it is the only organisation recognised by the Federation Internationale des Societies d’Aviron (FISA), the Australian Sports Commission ( ...
Tokyo Paralympics training camp in Canberra. At the 2017 Australian Rowing Championships
Australian(s) may refer to:
Australia
* Australia, a country
* Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia
** European Australians
** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists
** Aboriginal Aus ...
, Sydney International Regatta Centre
The Sydney International Regatta Centre (SIRC), located in Penrith, New South Wales, Penrith, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, is a Rowing at the 2000 Summer Olympics, rowing and Canoeing at the 2000 Summer Olympics, canoe sprint venue built fo ...
, McGrath won the Trunk and Arms (TA) Men's Single Scull, in his first ever race.
At the 2017 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships
The 2017 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships, the 43rd edition of the World Championships, were held in Račice, Czech Republic, from 23 to 27 August 2017.
Explanation of events
Canoe sprint competitions are contested in either a Canadian cano ...
in Račice, Czech Republic, McGrath won gold medals in Men's KL2 200m and VL2 200m. McGrath won gold medals in the Men's KL2 200m and Men's VL3 200m at the 2018 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships
The 2018 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships, the 44th edition of the World Championships, were held in Montemor-o-Velho, Portugal, from 22 to 26 August 2018.
Explanation of events
Canoe sprint competitions were contested in either a Canadian c ...
in Montemor-o-Velho
Montemor-o-Velho () is a town and concelho, municipality of the Coimbra District, in Portugal. The population of the municipality in 2011 was 26,171, in an area of 228.96 km².
History
In 711, the Muslim invasion of Iberia, Arab occupation ...
, Portugal. It was eight world championship gold medal.
At the 2019 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships
The 2019 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships, the 45th edition of the World Championships, were held in Szeged, Hungary from 21 to 25 August 2019.
The championships served as the primary qualification regatta for the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic ...
in Szeged
Szeged ( , ; see also #Etymology, other alternative names) is List of cities and towns of Hungary#Largest cities in Hungary, the third largest city of Hungary, the largest city and regional centre of the Southern Great Plain and the county seat ...
, Hungary, McGrath won gold medals in the Men's KL2 200m and Men's VL3 200m.
At the 2020 Summer 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 Paralym ...
, McGrath won gold in both the Men's KL2 and the Men's VL3. In the Men's KL2, McGrath came third in his Heat, and first in his Semi-Final. He won the final in a time of 41.426. In the Men's VL3 he was unbeatable in both his Heat and in the Final. His time in the Final was 50.537.
McGrath lives on the Gold Coast, Queensland
The Gold Coast is a coastal city in the state of Queensland, Australia, approximately south-southeast of the centre of the state capital Brisbane. With a population over 600,000, the Gold Coast is the sixth-largest city in Australia, the nati ...
and trains on the water at Varsity Lakes
Varsity Lakes is a suburb in the City of Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. In the , Varsity Lakes had a population of 15,026 people.
The suburb was originally known as ''Stephens'', but in 2002, Stephens, Andrews and a section of Robina we ...
. He was originally coached by Andrea King.[ In 2021, he was coached by Shaun Caven and Guy Power. McGrath is supported b]
Mates4Mates
branch of the RSL Queensland, a charity that provides support for injured ex-servicemen and women.[
]
Recognition
*2014 – Sporting Wheelies and Disabled Association Most Improved Athlete of the Year
*2014 – Australian Canoeing Paracanoeist of the Year
*2014 – The Courier-Mail McDonald's Queensland Athlete with a Disability Award
*2014 – Para Performance of the Year – presented by Dairy Australia (Nomination)
*2015 – Australian Canoeing Paracanoeist of the Year
*2016 – Flag bearer for the Australian team at the Rio Paralympics Closing Ceremony
*2016 – Finalist for 'The Don Award' Sport Australia Hall of Fame
The Sport Australia Hall of Fame was established on 10 December 1985 to recognise the achievements of Australian sportsmen and sportswomen. The inaugural induction included 120 members with Sir Don Bradman as the first inductee and Dawn Fraser th ...
awards
*2016 – Australian Canoeing Paracanoeist of the Year
*2016 – Australian Canoeist of The Year – Olympic/Paralympic Class[
*2016 – ]Queensland Academy of Sport
The Queensland Academy of Sport (QAS) is an elite sports institute set up in 1991 by the Queensland Government to support athletes in the state of Queensland. Its headquarters are currently located at the Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre in ...
Peter Lacey Award for Sporting Excellence
*2017 – Medal of the Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...
*2017 – Sportsman of the Year at the World Paddle Awards – the first Paralympic athlete to win the award
*2017 – Australian Canoeing Paracanoeist of the Year
*2018 – Paddle Australia Paracanoeist of the Year
*2018 – Queensland Sport Athlete with a Disability
*2019 – Paddle Australia Paracanoeist of the Year
*2019 – Australian Institute of Sport Awards
Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) was opened in 1981. AIS Sports Star of the Year (later named AIS Athlete of the Year) was first established in 1983/84 with the first winner being swimmer Karen Phillips. In 1995, AIS Junior Athlete of the Year ...
– Male Para-athlete of the Year
*2020 - Paralympics Australia Male Athlete of the Year
*2021 - Queensland Sport Athlete with a Disability
*2021 - Paddle Australia's 'Paddler of the Year Award with Jessica Fox
*2023 - Australian Sports Medal
The Australian Sports Medal is an award given to recognise achievements in Australian sport to commemorate Australian participation in major sporting events. Original recipients of the award included competitors, coaches, sports scientists, offi ...
References
External links
*
*
*
*
Curtis McGrath
at Australian Canoeing
Believe – Curtis McGrath, Para-canoe
His finest hour – Curtis McGrath, 60 Minutes, 18 February 2013
Curtis McGrath OAM Digital Story
State Library of Queensland
The State Library of Queensland is the main reference and research library provided to the people of the State of Queensland, Australia, by the state government. Its legislative basis is provided by the Queensland Libraries Act 1988. It contai ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:McGrath, Curtis
1988 births
Living people
Place of birth missing (living people)
Australian male canoeists
Australian amputees
Australian Army soldiers
KL2-classified paracanoeists
Paralympic canoeists for Australia
Paralympic medalists in paracanoe
Paralympic gold medalists for Australia
Canoeists at the 2016 Summer Paralympics
Canoeists at the 2020 Summer Paralympics
Medalists at the 2016 Summer Paralympics
Medalists at the 2020 Summer Paralympics
People from Queenstown, New Zealand
Sportsmen from Queensland
New Zealand expatriate sportspeople in Australia
Recipients of the Medal of the Order of Australia
ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships medalists in paracanoe