Kurt Fearnley

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Kurt Fearnley
AO PLY
2012 Australian Paralympic team portrait of Fearnley
Personal information
Full nameKurt Harry Fearnley
NationalityAustralian
Born (1981-03-23) 23 March 1981 (age 43)
Cowra, New South Wales, Australia
Height1.4 m (4 ft 7 in)
Weight50 kg (110 lb)
Websitehttps://www.kurtfearnley.com/
Medal record
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
Paralympic Games 3 7 3
World Championships 4 0 1
Commonwealth Games 2 2 0
Total 9 9 4
Men's athletics
Paralympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2004 Athens 5000 m T54
Gold medal – first place 2004 Athens Marathon T54
Gold medal – first place 2008 Beijing Marathon T54
Silver medal – second place 2000 Sydney 800 m T54
Silver medal – second place 2000 Sydney 4×100 m relay T53/T54
Silver medal – second place 2004 Athens 4×100 m relay T53/T54
Silver medal – second place 2008 Beijing 800 m T54
Silver medal – second place 2008 Beijing 5000 m T54
Silver medal – second place 2012 London 5000 m T54
Silver medal – second place 2016 Rio de Janeiro Marathon T54
Bronze medal – third place 2008 Beijing 1500 m T54
Bronze medal – third place 2012 London Marathon T54
Bronze medal – third place 2016 Rio de Janeiro 5000 m T53/54
IPC Athletics World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2006 Assen 800 m T54
Gold medal – first place 2006 Assen 5000 m T54
Gold medal – first place 2006 Assen Marathon T54
Gold medal – first place 2011 Christchurch Marathon T54
Bronze medal – third place 2006 Assen 1500 m T54
Commonwealth Games
Gold medal – first place 2010 Delhi 1500 m T54
Gold medal – first place 2018 Gold Coast Marathon T54
Silver medal – second place 2014 Glasgow 1500 m T54
Silver medal – second place 2018 Gold Coast 1500 m T54

Kurt Harry Fearnley, AO PLY[1][2] (born 23 March 1981) is an Australian wheelchair racer, who has won gold medals at the Paralympic Games and crawled the Kokoda Track without a wheelchair. He has a congenital disorder called sacral agenesis which prevented fetal development of certain parts of his lower spine and all of his sacrum. In Paralympic events he is classified in the T54 classification. He focuses on long and middle-distance wheelchair races, and has also won medals in sprint relays. He participated in the 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012 and 2016 Summer Paralympic Games, finishing his Paralympic Games career with thirteen medals (three gold, seven silver and three bronze).[3][4][5] He won a gold and silver medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games and was the Australian flag bearer at the closing ceremony.

Personal life[edit]

Fearnley was born on 23 March 1981 in Cowra, New South Wales as the youngest of five children.[6][7] He was born with sacral agenesis; he is missing certain parts of his lower spine and all of his sacrum.[8] At the time of his birth, doctors did not believe he would live longer than a week.[8] He grew up in Carcoar.[8] At school, he took part in all sports, including athletics and rugby league.[8] He won his first athletics medal in the long jump.[7][8] He took up wheelchair racing at the age of 14 and took it to an elite level at the age of 17.

The town had got together and raised $10,000 and they bought the chair and they ... paid for the trip and they said if he needs anything else you know we're going to make sure that he ... gets that opportunity. So it's a town of 200 people within a week had had 10 grand sitting there, so it was it's nice now that I know that Carcoar have this ... bond I guess, or they know that they're the reason that I'm here.

Kurt Fearnley[7]

After leaving Blayney High School, he moved to Sydney to train and start a Bachelor of Human Movement degree.[9] He lives in Newcastle and is a teacher.[10] He is 1.4 metres (4 ft 7 in) tall and weighs 50 kilograms (110 lb).[10]

In 2010, Fearnley married Sheridan Rosconi at Glenrock Lagoon. Fearnley and Rosconi met while studying at Charles Sturt University in Bathurst, New South Wales.[11] Their first son, Harry, was born in 2013 with a second child, a daughter Emilia born in 2017.[12]

In 2014, his autobiography, Pushing the Limits: Life, Marathons & Kokoda, was published.[13]

Athletic career[edit]

Fearnley waving to crowd at 2000 Sydney Paralympics
Fearnley racing at 2000 Sydney Paralympics

In 1997, Fearnley was a member of the Western Region Academy of Sport[14] and by the 2000 Sydney Paralympics was representing Australia. At these Games, Fearnley won two silver medals in the 800 m and 4×100 m relay events.[15] He also represented his country in the demonstration sport of Men's 1500 m wheelchair, where he came 4th. He went to the 2002 IPC Athletics World Championships in Birmingham, England and finished 7th in both the 400 m and 800 m T54 events.

At the 2004 Olympic Games, he finished 5th in the demonstration sport of Men's 1500 m wheelchair. Following this he won two gold medals in the 5000 m T54 and marathon T54 events at the 2004 Athens Paralympics,[15] for which he received a Medal of the Order of Australia.[2] At the 2006 IPC Athletics World Championships in Assen, Netherlands, he won three gold medals and one bronze medal. Participating in his third Paralympics in Beijing, he won a gold medal in the marathon T54, two silver medals in the 800 m T54 and 5000 m T54 events and a bronze medal in the 1500 m T54 event.[15]

On 30 September 2009, Fearnley conducted a training climb of Sydney's Centrepoint Tower's 1,504 fire stairs in 20 minutes, taking them two at a time. While far short of the 6m 52s record for the annual charity climb (Sydney Tower Run-up), the Tower's manager said this was quicker than the 25 minutes required by most able-bodied people.[16] In 2009, he won his fourth New York City Marathon title, his third consecutive title in the Chicago Marathon and victories in Seoul, Paris, London and Sydney.[17] In November 2009, Fearnley crawled the Kokoda Trail accompanied by family and friends in support of Movember and Beyond Blue.[18] He completed the 96-kilometre (60 mi) journey[19] in 10 days.[8] In 2009, he was awarded the Young Australian of the Year for New South Wales.[20]

Fearnley is active in advocacy work, and has been an ambassador for the Don't DIS my ABILITY[21] campaign for four years. He was also a 2010 International Day of People with Disability Ambassador.[22] In 2010, Fearnley competed again in the New York marathon, which he came in third. In the same year his image was featured on the medal for the 2010 Blackmores Sydney Running Festival.[23] He also won a gold medal at the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games in the 1500 m T54 event.[9]

In early 2011 at the IPC Athletics World Championships in Christchurch, New Zealand, he won the marathon. Later in the year, Fearnley competed in the 2011 Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race.[24]

Fearnley racing at 2012 London Paralympics

At the 2012 London Paralympics, he was aiming to be the first person to win three consecutive marathon T54 gold medals.[25] However, he instead won a bronze medal in the Men's Marathon T54 and a silver medal in the Men's 5000 m T54.[15]

Fearnley won a bronze medal in the 1500 m T54 at the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games; he had been fighting a virus in the days before the event.[26] In November 2014, he won his fifth New York Marathon men's wheelchair event. After the competition, he stated "That was one of the toughest races of my life" due to the high winds that nearly forced the cancellation of the wheelchair event.[27]

At the 2015 IPC Athletics World Championships in Doha, he finished fourth in the Men's 5000 m T54 and did not progress to the final of the Men's 1500 m T54. He left Doha immediately to compete in the New York Marathon where he finished fifth after crashing at the 12-mile mark.[28][29] On Australia Day 2016, he won the Oz Day 10K Wheelchair Road Race for the tenth time joining Louise Sauvage as a ten-time winner of this prestigious wheelchair road race.[30]

Throughout 2015, Fearnley co-established and co-hosted the groundbreaking live online “All Sports Show” in his home town of Newcastle and polished his skills front of the camera with fellow co-hosts sports administrator Ivan Spyrdz, distinguished journalist Brett Keeble and local sports star and former NRL player Darren Forward.

At his last Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, Fearnley won the silver medal in the Men's Marathon T54 and the bronze medal in the Men's 5000 m T53/54.[5] Fearnley indicated he will race in the wheelchair marathon at the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games and continue to race marathons on the international circuit.[4] At the end of the marathon, Fearnley said: "One of my biggest strengths is that I deal with discomfort better than most."[4]

At the 2017 World Para Athletics Championships in London, England, Fearnley finished sixth in both the Men's 1500 m and 5000 m T54 events.[31]

At the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, Fearnley won the gold medal in the Men's Marathon T54 and silver in the Men's 1500 T54. He was given the honour of the flag bearer at the closing ceremony.[32]

Fearnley was coached by Andrew Dawes at the New South Wales Institute of Sport.[9]

In 2020 Fearnley continued his media career, joining the Australian Broadcasting Corporation to host a long form television interview program Kurt Fearnley's One Plus One.[33]

Media career[edit]

After his retirement, Fearnley has become involved in several media projects including:

  • Kurt Fearnley's Tiny Island podcasts[34]
  • Hosting ABC's One Plus One from 2020 onward[35]
  • Hosting on SBS What Does Australia Really Think About Disability? in 2021[36]

Boards[edit]

Fearnley's extensive experience in disability sport has led him to be appointed to several boards.

Recognition[edit]

Fearnley meets Quentin Bryce and The Queen at Government House, Canberra, in 2011

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Kemp, emma (11 June 2018). "Kurt Fearnley humbled by Queen's Honours". Newcastle Herald. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 10 June 2018.
  2. ^ a b c "Fearnley, Kurt". It's an Honour. Archived from the original on 8 August 2014. Retrieved 1 February 2012.
  3. ^ "Australian Paralympic Athletics Team announced". Australian Paralympic Committee News, 2 August 2016. Archived from the original on 9 April 2019. Retrieved 2 August 2016.
  4. ^ a b c "Rio 2016: Kurt Fearnley misses final Paralympics gold, Australia wins rugby title". ABC News. 19 September 2016. Archived from the original on 19 September 2016. Retrieved 18 September 2016.
  5. ^ a b "Kurt Fearnley". Rio Paralympics Official site. Archived from the original on 22 September 2016. Retrieved 13 September 2016.
  6. ^ "Results". KurtFearnley.com. Archived from the original on 5 April 2012. Retrieved 25 June 2012.
  7. ^ a b c "Kurt Fearnley on Andrew Denton's Enough Rope". Australian Broadcasting Corporation Website. Archived from the original on 20 October 2012. Retrieved 22 June 2012.
  8. ^ a b c d e f Coutts, Gordon (2010). Kurt Fearnley – Takes on the Challenge. Sydney: MacMillan Education Australia. ISBN 9781420290615.
  9. ^ a b c "Kurt Fearnley Profile". athletics.com.au. Athletics Australia. Archived from the original on 4 July 2012. Retrieved 23 June 2012.
  10. ^ a b "Kurt Fearnley". International Paralympic Committee Athlete Profiles. Archived from the original on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 23 June 2012.
  11. ^ "Kurt marries his CSU sweetheart". Western Advocate. 14 December 2010. Archived from the original on 11 April 2018. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  12. ^ "Athlete Kurt Fearnley on sport, life, love and what it takes to become a champion". The Courier-Mail. 13 December 2014. Archived from the original on 12 April 2018. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  13. ^ Fearnley, Kurt (2014). Pushing the Limits : Life, Marathons & Kokoda. Australia: Penguin. ISBN 9781743483053. Archived from the original on 21 August 2017. Retrieved 24 July 2017.
  14. ^ a b Western Region Academy of Sport Hall of Fame Archived 3 October 2009 at the Wayback Machine, WRAS Website, 14 January 2010
  15. ^ a b c d "Kurt Fearnley". Paralympic.org. International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 6 October 2012.
  16. ^ 2 at a time: Paralympian climbs Centrepoint on his hands Archived 3 October 2009 at the Wayback Machine, ABC Online, 30 September 2009
  17. ^ "Speaker Profile of Kurt Fearnley at The Celebrity Speakers Bureau". Archived from the original on 27 June 2011. Retrieved 20 July 2011.
  18. ^ Kurt Fearnley Archived 11 September 2009 at the Wayback Machine, International Day of People with Disability, Retrieved 30 September 2009
  19. ^ PNG correspondent Liam Fox and wires (19 November 2009). "Fearnley conquers Kokoda Track". ABC News. Archived from the original on 12 April 2011. Retrieved 4 January 2012.
  20. ^ a b c d e f Smith, Jeanette (2011). Pushing strong : celebrating fifty years of wheelchair sports NSW : 1961–2011. Sydney: Playright Publishing. pp. 102–103. ISBN 9780980666694.
  21. ^ "Home – Don't DIS my ABILITY – International Day of People with a Disability in NSW". Dontdismyability.com.au. 2 November 2011. Archived from the original on 18 January 2012. Retrieved 4 January 2012.
  22. ^ "IDPwD ambassador". Archived from the original on 14 May 2021. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
  23. ^ "Profile of Kurt Fearnley". Archived from the original on 27 June 2011. Retrieved 20 July 2011.
  24. ^ "Paralympian Kurt Fearnley up for the task in Sydney-to-Hobart". Herald Sun. 26 December 2011. Retrieved 4 January 2012.
  25. ^ "Kurt Fearnley". Australian Paralympic Committee. Archived from the original on 26 June 2012. Retrieved 25 June 2012.
  26. ^ "Angela Ballard wins para-1500m gold, Kurt Fearnley claims silver". ABC News. 1 August 2014. Archived from the original on 1 August 2014. Retrieved 1 August 2014.
  27. ^ "Kurt Fearnley wins fifth New York City Marathon; Wilson Kipsang, Mary Keitany lead Kenyan sweep". ABC News. 3 November 2014. Archived from the original on 3 November 2014. Retrieved 2 November 2014.
  28. ^ "Doha2015". athletics.com.au. Athletics Australia. 27 October 2015. Archived from the original on 2 February 2016. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
  29. ^ Whitelaw, Anya (3 November 2015). "Kurt Fearnley places fifth after crashing in New York Marathon". Western Advocate. Archived from the original on 3 February 2016. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
  30. ^ Debenham, Sam (27 January 2016). "Fearnley regains that winning feeling: Carcoar star's Oz Day perfect 10 in Sydney". Central Western Daily. Archived from the original on 27 January 2016. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
  31. ^ Ryner, Sascha (24 July 2017). "Three from three for Turner as Team Australia finish with 28 medals". athletics.com.au. Athletics Australia. Archived from the original on 23 March 2019. Retrieved 23 July 2017.
  32. ^ "Closing Ceremony live: All the colour and news from the final night of the Commonwealth Games". News.com. 15 April 2018. Archived from the original on 15 April 2018. Retrieved 15 April 2018.
  33. ^ "Kurt Fearnley to host new series of One Plus One on ABC". TV Blackbox. 14 July 2020. Archived from the original on 15 July 2020. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  34. ^ "Kurt Fearnley's Tiny Island". Apple Podcasts. Retrieved 1 November 2021.
  35. ^ "Kurt Fearnley's One Plus One". ABC iView. Retrieved 1 November 2021.
  36. ^ Rockman, Lisa (12 August 2021). "Noni Hazlehurst, Kurt Fearnley and Casey Donovan host new SBS documentary series 'What Does Australia Really Think About'". Canberra Times. Retrieved 1 November 2021.
  37. ^ a b c "Not a dry eye for Kurt Fearnley's NSW Australian of the Year 2019 acceptance speech". Disability Support Guide website. Archived from the original on 4 January 2019. Retrieved 3 January 2019.
  38. ^ Parris, Michael (11 June 2018). "Kurt Fearnley earns new Queen's birthday honour after distinguished Australian Paralympic career". Archived from the original on 4 January 2019. Retrieved 3 January 2019.
  39. ^ "Councils". Official website of the Paralympic Movement. Archived from the original on 26 May 2019. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
  40. ^ "APC Annual Report 2016-17" (PDF). Australian Paralympic Committee. Archived (PDF) from the original on 26 March 2019. Retrieved 3 January 2019.
  41. ^ "Fearnley elected Vice Chairperson of IPC Athletes' Council". Paralympics Australia. 1 August 2020. Archived from the original on 11 August 2020. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
  42. ^ McKinney, Max (1 September 2018). "Kurt Fearnley appointed to the Newcastle Permanent Charitable Foundation board". Newcastle Herald. Archived from the original on 4 January 2019. Retrieved 3 January 2019.
  43. ^ "Sport Australia board appointments". Sport Australia website. Archived from the original on 28 February 2019. Retrieved 3 January 2019.
  44. ^ "Paralympic Legend Kurt Fearnley Elected To Brisbane 2032 Organising Committee". Paralympics Australia. 28 October 2021. Retrieved 1 November 2021.
  45. ^ Jervis-Bardy, Dan (26 September 2022). "Kurt Fearnley appointed chair of the National Disability Insurance Agency, in charge of the NDIS". Canberra Times. Retrieved 26 September 2022.
  46. ^ "2011 Nominees". Melbourne, Victoria: Sport Performer Awards. 2011. Archived from the original on 16 November 2011. Retrieved 15 November 2011.
  47. ^ "2014 Induction Ceremony". Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre website. Archived from the original on 10 March 2015. Retrieved 25 November 2014.
  48. ^ "Rabbitohs, Fearnley, Fox win top ASPAS". Australian Sports Commission News. 11 February 2015. Archived from the original on 11 February 2015. Retrieved 11 February 2015.
  49. ^ Cronshaw, Damon (18 January 2016). "Centennial Park precinct named after Newcastle wheelchair racer Kurt Fearnley". Newcastle Herald. Archived from the original on 25 January 2016. Retrieved 19 January 2016.
  50. ^ "Fearnley and Di Toro to captain 2016 team". Australian Paralympic Committee News. 4 February 2016. Archived from the original on 11 March 2016. Retrieved 4 February 2016.
  51. ^ "Kurt Fearnley creates history with 'The Don' Award as the late Richie Benaud is elevated to Legend on a marvellous night for Australian sport". Commonwealth Games Australia website. 11 October 2018. Archived from the original on 12 October 2018. Retrieved 11 October 2018.
  52. ^ "The Don Award | Sport Australia Hall of Fame". Retrieved 20 April 2023.
  53. ^ "GQ Men of the Year". Bandt website. 14 November 2018. Archived from the original on 19 November 2018. Retrieved 19 November 2018.
  54. ^ Visentin, Lisa (12 November 2018). "Kurt Fearnley named NSW Australian of the Year 2019". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 18 November 2018. Retrieved 18 November 2018.
  55. ^ "Kurt Fearnley Scholarships to support future stars". Commonwealth Games Australia. 4 April 2019. Archived from the original on 14 April 2019. Retrieved 5 April 2019.
  56. ^ "NSWIS alumni celebrated on new River Class ferries". New South Wales Institute of Sport. 6 October 2020. Retrieved 6 October 2023.
  57. ^ "Hall of Fame for alumni Kurt Fearnley, while Madison de Rozario readies". NSW Institute of Sport. 5 November 2021. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
  58. ^ "De Rozario And Tudhope Earn Top Honours at Paralympics Australia Awards". Paralympics Australia. 9 June 2022. Retrieved 10 June 2022.
  59. ^ "NSWIS Award Winners Announced". New South Wales Institute of Sport. 27 October 2022. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
  60. ^ "2023 SAHOF Inductees | Sport Australia Hall of Fame". 4 October 2023. Retrieved 3 October 2023.

External links[edit]

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