James Vernon Hoggan (24 March 1959 – 22 April 2020) was an Australian Paralympic amputee athletics competitor. At the 1984 New York Games, he won a silver medal in the Men's High Jump A4.

Personal

Hoggan's father Colin moved to Australia from Scotland due to more opportunities as a professional runner. His father won the 1956

Stawell Gift The Stawell Gift is Australia's oldest and richest short-distance running race. It is the main event in an annual carnival held on Easter weekend by the Stawell Athletic Club, with the main race finals on the holiday Monday, at Central Park, St ...

mile. Hoggan attended Wangaratta Technical College from 1973 to 1977. On his eighteenth birthday, Hoggan suffered severe injuries when his motorbike collided with a utility vehicle. After being in hospital for 18 months and 22 operations, Hoggan decided to have the lower part of his right leg amputated. Two months after the amputation, he had a prosthesis fitted and returned to work at Valchem in Wangaratta. He had the nickname 'Peg Leg'. He was married to Cheryl and they had two sons - Peter and Justin. In the later part of his life, Hoggan developed Hodgkin's lymphoma. On 11 April 2020, he experienced a massive heart attack and died at Royal Melbourne Hospital on 22 April 2020 aged 61 years.

Sporting career

As a twelve year old, Hoggan won 1500 m and finished third in the long jump at Victorian Amateur Athletic Championships. At the age of sixteen, he moved to playing basketball. After his leg amputation, he returned to athletics. In 1980, he finished second in the high jump at an abled bodied competition. At his first major disability sport competition, Victorian Amputee Association Championships, he broke the Class C high jump world record of 1.45 m with a jump of 1.60m. In March 1981, he increased the world record to 1.67 m and later in the year jumped 1.74 m. At the 1982

FESPIC Games The FESPIC Games or the Far East and South Pacific Games for the Disabled, was a multi-sport event in Asia and the South Pacific region which is considered to be a precursor to the Asian Para Games, as two of its edition games in 1999 (7th) and ...

in Sha Tin, Hong Kong, he won the gold medal in the high jump with a world record of 1.80 m and a silver medal in the long jump. At the 1984 New York Paralympic Games, he won the silver medal in the Men's High Jump A4 with a jump of 1.73 m. After Hoggan retired, he became President of Victorian Amputees Association North East Branch. WangarattaHomeOfOlympians

Hoggan has been one of Wangaratta's most successful athletes and he listed with Olympian

Dean Woods Dean Anthony Woods OAM (22 June 1966 – 3 March 2022) was an Australian racing cyclist from Wangaratta in Victoria known for his track cycling at the Olympic Games and Commonwealth Games. On Australia Day 1985 he was awarded the Order of Aus ...

and Paralympian

Nick Morris Nick Morris is a British film maker better known for directing music videos in the 1980's. Career Nick Morris began writing and making amateur films at school, one of which was shown at the NFT. His professional career began in the 1980s with m ...

on the entry sign into the city centre.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hoggan, James Paralympic athletes for Australia Athletes (track and field) at the 1984 Summer Paralympics Paralympic silver medalists for Australia High jumpers with limb difference 2020 deaths Medalists at the 1984 Summer Paralympics Sportspeople from Wangaratta 1959 births Paralympic medalists in athletics (track and field) FESPIC Games competitors Australian male high jumpers Paralympic high jumpers Sportsmen from Victoria (state)