Josh Cassidy (born November 15, 1984, in

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

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 ...

) is a Canadian wheelchair racer. In 2010, Cassidy won the

2010 London Marathon The 2010 London Marathon was the 30th running of the annual marathon race in London, England, which took place on Sunday, 25 April. The elite men's race was won by Ethiopia's Tsegaye Kebede in a time of 2:05:19 hours and the elite women's ...

with a time of 1:35:21 seconds. In 2012, he won the

2012 Boston Marathon The 2012 Boston Marathon took place in Boston, Massachusetts on Monday April 16, 2012. It was the 116th edition of the mass-participation marathon. Organized by the Boston Athletic Association, it was the first of the World Marathon Majors seri ...

wheelchair race with a time of 1:18:25, which at the time was the fastest wheelchair marathon time ever recorded, though didn't count as a world record due to the Boston Marathon course being ineligible for world records. Cassidy represented Canada at 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 ...

, finishing 10th in the 5000m, 12th in the 1500m, and 17th in the 800m. At 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 ...

, Cassidy placed 12th in the marathon, 20th in the 5000m, 10th in the 1500m, and 5th in the 800m. In 2019, he won the Los Angeles Marathon. Cassidy joined the Canadian team for 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 ...

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...

, and was named as co-flagbearer for the opening ceremony alongside weightlifter

Maude Charron Maude G. Charron (born 28 April 1993) is a Canadian weightlifter, who competes in the 63/64 kg category and represents Canada at international competitions. She is an Olympic and Commonwealth Games champion in the women's 64 kg division. Charron ...

. He came in 4th in the men's T54 marathon.

Personal life

Josh Cassidy was born in Ottawa on November 15, 1984. He was diagnosed with

neuroblastoma Neuroblastoma (NB) is a type of cancer that forms in certain types of nerve tissue. It most frequently starts from one of the adrenal glands but can also develop in the neck, chest, abdomen, or spine. Symptoms may include bone pain, a lump in the ...

cancer in the spine and abdomen weeks after birth. He was given a very low chance of survival but was declared cancer-free after 5 years of remission, but it left his legs partially paralyzed. He is the oldest of ten children. He has graduated from Sheridan College with a Bachelor of Applied Arts.Official Website - About
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* * * 1984 births Living people Canadian male wheelchair racers Athletes from Ottawa Paralympic track and field athletes for Canada Athletes (track and field) at the 2008 Summer Paralympics Athletes (track and field) at the 2012 Summer Paralympics Athletes (track and field) at the 2016 Summer Paralympics Paralympic wheelchair racers Athletes (track and field) at the 2010 Commonwealth Games Athletes (track and field) at the 2014 Commonwealth Games Commonwealth Games medallists in athletics Commonwealth Games bronze medallists for Canada Medalists at the 2015 Parapan American Games Athletes (track and field) at the 2022 Commonwealth Games Medallists at the 2010 Commonwealth Games 21st-century Canadian people {{Canada-athletics-bio-stub