Curtis Edward Thom (born June 13, 1986) is a Canadian wheelchair racer. In 2016, he competed 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 ...

for Team Canada and won a bronze medal in the T54 4X400-m relay.

Early life

Thom was born on June 13, 1986, in

Burnaby Burnaby is a city in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada. Located in the centre of the Burrard Peninsula, it neighbours the City of Vancouver to the west, the District of North Vancouver across the confluence of the Burrard I ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

, with spina bifida and hydrocephalus causing fluid build-up in the brain. As a result, he had four operations in the first 10 days of his life and although he had learned to walk by age two, a growth spurt meant he required further surgery for a tethered spinal cord. Thom and his family moved to

Mississauga Mississauga ( ), historically known as Toronto Township, is a city in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is situated on the shores of Lake Ontario in the Regional Municipality of Peel, adjoining the western border of Toronto. With a popul ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

when he was four years old and he began wheelchair racing at the age of 10 after being inspired by the

1500m The 1500 metres or 1,500-metre run (typically pronounced 'fifteen-hundred metres') is the foremost middle distance track event in athletics. The distance has been contested at the Summer Olympics since 1896 and the World Championships in Athletic ...

during the

1996 Summer Paralympics The 1996 Paralympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, were held from August 16 to 25. It was the first Paralympic Games, Paralympics to get mass media sponsorship, and had a budget of USD $81 million. It was the first Paralympic Games ...

. His father, Ken, coached him until his death in 2017 as a result of a scuba diving accident.

Career

As a teenager, Thom was named Ontario Wheelchair Sports Association athlete of the year in 2001, 2002, and 2003. He also won the 2003 Athlete of the Year award for the city of Mississauga. He then qualified for the

2004 Summer Paralympics ) , nations = 136 , athletes = 3,806 , events = 519 in 19 sports , opening = 17 September , closing = 28 September , opened_by = President Costis Stephanopoulos , cauldron = Georgios Toptsis , stadium = Olympic ...

in Athens with a time of 1: 47.19 minutes in the men's 800m. Thom subsequently made his Paralympic debut where he helped Team Canada place fourth in the T53-S4 4X100. Following this, he was named to Canada's IPC World Championship Team in 2006, where he placed sixth in the 4X100m relay, and in 2011 where he placed seventh in the 200m. Thom eventually left Mississauga to Ottawa to train with his coach Bob Schrader on a full-time basis. While training with the Ottawa Lions Track and Field Club, he qualified for the

2012 Summer Paralympics The 2012 Summer Paralympics, branded as the London 2012 Paralympic Games, were an international multi-sport parasports event held from 29 August to 9 September 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. They were the 14th Summer Paralympic Gam ...

after winning three gold medals at the Canadian track and field trials in Calgary. During his second Paralympic Games, Thom competed in the 100-, 200-, and 4 x 400-metre races, placing sixth in the 4 x 400-metre. Following this, Thom raced to a gold medal in the men's T53–54 wheelchair 4 × 400 metres at the

2013 IPC Athletics World Championships The 2013 IPC Athletics World Championships was the biggest track and field competition for athletes with a disability since the 2012 Summer Paralympics. It was held in Lyon, France, and lasted from 20 to 28 July. Around 1,100 athletes competed, ...

. After spending most of 2015 recovering from surgery, Thom won the T54 100-, 200- and 400-metre sprints at the 2016 National Championship in Edmonton. After qualifying for his third Paralympic Games, Thom won a bronze medal in the T54 4X400-m relay at the

. He was subsequently named the para track male outstanding performer. Following his Paralympic success, Thom won four gold medals at the 2017 para Canadian Track and Field Championships. In 2021, Thom coached

Jessica Cooper Lewis Jessica Cooper Lewis (born April 3, 1993) is a Bermuda, Bermudian Paralympic athletics, Paralympic athlete who competes in mainly 400 metres and 800 metres events. She qualified for the 2020 Summer Paralympics, in Athletics at the 2020 Summer Par ...

, a Bermudian T53 wheelchair racer, for 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 ...

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Thom, Curtis 1986 births Living people Athletes (track and field) at the 2012 Summer Paralympics Athletes (track and field) at the 2016 Summer Paralympics Athletes (track and field) at the 2004 Summer Paralympics Canadian male wheelchair racers Paralympic bronze medalists for Canada Paralympic medalists in athletics (track and field) Sportspeople from Burnaby People with spina bifida