Robin "Rob" Womack (born 29 May 1971) is a

Paralympian 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 ...

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...

athlete from England competing mainly in category F55 throwing events. In 2012 he qualified as a member of the Great Britain team 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 ...

in London and took the bronze medal in the

shot put The shot put is a track and field event involving "putting" (throwing) a heavy spherical ball—the ''shot''—as far as possible. The shot put competition for men has been a part of the modern Olympics since their revival in 1896, and women's ...

Life history

Womack was born in Dewsbury, England in 1971. Womack, a paraplegic after having

prolapsed disc Spinal disc herniation is an injury to the cushioning and connective tissue between vertebrae, usually caused by excessive strain or trauma to the spine. It may result in back pain, pain or sensation in different parts of the body, and physical ...

in 2003, became involved in athletics during rehabilitation at the spinal unit at

Stoke Mandeville Stoke Mandeville is a village and civil parish in the Vale of Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire, England. It is located three miles (4.9 km) from Aylesbury and 3.4 miles (5.5 km) from the market town of Wendover. Although a separate civil p ...

. In 2006 Womack qualified for his first major tournament, representing Great Britain the

IPC Athletics World Championships The World Para Athletics Championships, known as the IPC Athletics World Championships prior to 2017, are a biennial Paralympic athletics event organized by World Para Athletics, a subcommittee of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC). It ...

, held in Assen in the Netherlands. Despite this he was not selected for 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 ...

in Beijing, much to Womack's disappointment. Womack continued to compete throughout 2009, throwing a season's best of 10.66 in the

and 26.14 in the discus. His results in 2010 were an improvement on the previous season, and posted a distance of 10.87 in the National Championships in Nottingham. In 2011, Womack was part of the Great Britain team that travelled to Christchuch in New Zealand to compete in the

2011 IPC Athletics World Championships The 2011 IPC Athletics World Championships was held in Christchurch, New Zealand from January 21 to 30, 2011. Athletes with a disability competed, and the Championships was a qualifying event for the London 2012 Paralympic Games. Ove1000 athlet ...

in the shot put. This was the first time Womack had represented Britain in three years, and he responded with a personal best of 10.93, leaving him in 7th place in the F54/55/56 category. On the 7 July 2012, at a Stoke Mandeville meet, Womack recorded a distance in the shot of 11.01, his personal best and the first time he had thrown competitively over 11 metres. The result was good enough to see Womack selected for the Great Britain team for the

in the shot put. In the final he threw a personal best of 11.34m to take the bronze medal. Womack is married to Debbie, and has three children.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Womack, Rob Living people 1971 births Sportspeople from Dewsbury Athletes from Yorkshire English male shot putters British male shot putters English male discus throwers British male discus throwers Sportsmen with disabilities Track and field athletes with disabilities English disabled sportspeople Paralympic athletes for Great Britain Paralympic bronze medalists for Great Britain Athletes (track and field) at the 2012 Summer Paralympics Medalists at the 2012 Summer Paralympics Paralympic medalists in athletics (track and field)