Kelly Smith (wheelchair racer)

Kelly Smith
Personal information
Born1964 or 1965 (age 60–61)[notes 1]
Amarillo, Texas, United States
Sport
Country Canada
SportParalympic athletics
Disability classT54
Medal record
Paralympic athletics
Representing  Canada
Paralympic Games
2004 Athens Marathon - T54

Kelly Smith (born April 1965) is an American-born Canadian former athlete and pilot. He competed in the T54 category in track and field. Smith has won a gold medal at the 2002 IPC Athletics World Championships and a silver medal at the 2004 Summer Paralympics.

Early life

Smith was born in Amarillo, Texas[2] in April 1965 to a United States Air Force pilot.[1] However, he grew up in British Columbia after his family moved to Kamloops.[2] While he was born without a disability, Smith became paralyzed after falling 15 meters off a cliff while rock climbing in 1991.[3] Prior to the accident, Smith was working as a commercial pilot.[1]

Career

Following his accident, Smith moved to Langley, British Columbia and became a air traffic controller for Nav Canada at Boundary Bay Airport.[1] After spending two years rehabilitiating, Smith began wheelchair racing in 1996.[4] By 1999, Smith had won two consecutive Sun Runs, finished seventh in the Lilac Bloomsday Run, and finished ninth in the Boston Marathon.[5] He was recognized as the province's top wheelchair sport athlete for 1999 but was unable to attend the ceremony as he was competing in the Oz Day 10K Wheelchair Road Race.[6] He qualified for the 2000 Summer Paralympics but failed to medal in the Men's T54 10000 meter marathon.[7]

After making his Paralympics debut, Smith won a gold medal in the Men's 4x400 meter marathon at the 2002 IPC Athletics World Championships[7] and finished third in the 2003 Boston Marathon.[8] By 2004, he had also set numerous Canadian records in the 800m, 5000m, and 10,000m events.[9] Smith qualified for the 2004 Summer Paralympics and won a silver medal in the Men's T54 marathon.[7]

Notes

  1. ^ In 2006, Smith was reported to have turned 41 in April.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Ahuja, Gary (April 23, 2006). "Smith wheels way to third". Langley Times. Retrieved October 7, 2025 – via newspapers.com.
  2. ^ a b Little, Lyndon (April 28, 2006). "Wheelchair racer rolls to top spot". Langley Advance. Retrieved October 7, 2025 – via newspapers.com.
  3. ^ Spencer, Kent (October 1, 1991). "Paralympian speaker puts civic woes in some perspective". The Province. Retrieved October 7, 2025 – via newspapers.com.
  4. ^ Morris, Jim (December 2, 2003). "Disabled disbelief". The Hamilton Spectator. Retrieved October 7, 2025 – via newspapers.com.
  5. ^ Long, Wendy (April 26, 1999). "Wheelchair division win follows Boston challenge". The Vancouver Sun. Retrieved October 7, 2025 – via newspapers.com.
  6. ^ Long, Wendy (January 26, 2000). "UBC swimmers best in west again". The Vancouver Sun. Retrieved October 7, 2025 – via newspapers.com.
  7. ^ a b c "Kelly Smith". paralympic.org. Retrieved October 7, 2025.
  8. ^ "2003 Boston Marathon – The Wheelchair Races". marathonguide.com. April 21, 2003. Retrieved October 8, 2025.
  9. ^ "Pacific Sports Tips". The Province. February 2, 2004. Retrieved October 8, 2025 – via newspapers.com.
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