Sam Harding (born 11 May 1991) is an Australian Paralympic athlete. His classification is T12 and competes in 400m and the 800m events. He represented Australia 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 ...

, his second Games.

Personal

Harding was born in Perth on 11 May 1991. He has a visual impairment called choroideremia, which is a hereditary condition and has resulted in him losing most of his peripheral vision. Harding attended Wesley College in Perth where he competed in rowing and completed a course in massage therapy.

Sporting career

Harding began his sporting career as a tandem cyclist competing for Western Australia.

Athletics

He then switched to running after winning three gold medals, in the 400m, 800m and 1500m, at the 2009 Paralympic Youth Games in Melbourne. After this success, Harding was recognised by the Australian Paralympic Committee's Paralympic Talent Search Program and fast-tracked into a talent development camp held in

Canberra Canberra ( ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...

. Between 2010 and 2012, Harding received a dAIS scholarship and moved to the

Australian Institute of Sport The Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) is a high performance sports training institution in Australia. The Institute's headquarters were opened in 1981 and are situated in the northern suburb of Bruce, Canberra. The AIS is a division of the ...

to train.

Paralympic athlete Sam Harding at the AIS Track and Field

In 2010, Harding competed in the 2010 national championships where he won bronze in the 800m. He was then selected to represent Australia at the 2011 International Paralympic Committee Athletics World Championships, in Christchurch, where he achieved a personal best and German Nationals where he finished fifth in both 800m events. Harding was selected to represent Australia at the

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

. However, he fell ill prior to his event, the T13 800m, and was unable to compete. He competed at the 91st and 92nd Australian Athletics Championships where he won silver in the men's 800m and 400m respectively. In 2015, Harding won silver in the Men's 400m at the 2015 IPC Athletics Grand Prix held in Brisbane. At the

in the Men's 1500 m T13, he finished eleventh. He was coached by Iryna Dvoskina but currently is coached by Philo Saunders at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra.

Triathlon

At 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 ...

in Birmingham, England with guide Luke Harvey, he won the silver medal in the Men's PTVI.

Recognition

*2022 - Canberra Sports Awards - Para Athlete of the Year

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Harding, Sam Paralympic athletes for Australia Living people 1991 births Athletes (track and field) at the 2012 Summer Paralympics Athletes (track and field) at the 2020 Summer Paralympics Western Australian Institute of Sport alumni Australian male middle-distance runners 21st-century Australian people Australian male triathletes Commonwealth Games medallists in triathlon Commonwealth Games silver medallists for Australia Triathletes at the 2022 Commonwealth Games People educated at Wesley College, Perth Competitors in athletics with a visual impairment Athletes from Perth, Western Australia Sportsmen from Western Australia Medallists at the 2022 Commonwealth Games