Andrew Harrison (wheelchair rugby) explained

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Andrew Harrison
Nationality:Australian
Birth Date:7 June 1987
Country:Australia
Sport:Wheelchair rugby
Disability Class:2.0
Event:Team
Team:Victorian Thunder

Andrew Harrison, (born 7 June 1987) is a wheelchair rugby player. He has won gold medals at the 2012 London and 2016 Rio Paralympics.[1] and competed at the 2020 Summer Paralympics.[2]

Personal

Andrew John Harrison was born on 7 June 1987 in Bayswater North, Victoria.[3] At the age of seventeen, he became a quadriplegic as a result of a 2004 diving accident when he jumped head first into a shallow river. He spent time recovering and undergoing physical therapy at Kew's Royal Talbot Rehabilitation Centre.[3] [4] His accident is one of the reasons he was part of a campaign called "Don’t Drink and Dive" which encouraged people to be careful when diving.[4] His hobbies include four-wheelers, cars and off-road buggies, which he can drive despite his injuries.[3], he lives in Bayswater North, Victoria, is a student[3] and works as a Spinchat Coordinator. He is married to Lisa and they have a son Jack who was born on 1 January 2015.

Wheelchair rugby

Harrison is a 2.0 point wheelchair rugby player.[5], he has a scholarship with the Victorian Institute of Sport.[6]

While Harrison was rehabilitating following his accident, he was visited by a member of the national wheelchair rugby team who encouraged him to try the sport.[3] He made his first Victorian state representative team in 2006, not long after his accident. That year, his Victorian side finished third in the National Wheelchair Rugby League and he was named the rookie of the year. In 2009, he played for the West Coast Enforcers and finished the season being named to the league's all star four. He changed teams and played for Victorian Thunder in 2010, and was again named to the league's all star four. He was with the Victorian side again in 2012.[3] [6] [7] [8] [9]

The first time Harrison was invited to a national team training camp was in 2007.[3] He then went on to play in an international match against the New Zealand national wheelchair rugby team that year at the Oceania Regional Championships.[5] [6] While he was considered for the 2008 Summer Paralympics, he was ultimately not selected.[3] Following this brief appearance, he did not make the national team again until 2010 when he was a member of the team at the Four Nations Tournament.[5] That year, he was also a member of the Australian team that competed at the World Championships.[3] Wearing jersey number 15, he represented Australia at the 2012 Canada Cup.[10] In May 2012, he participated in a test series against Japan in Sydney.[11] He scored four goals in the fourth game which Australia won 47 – 44, and two goals in the fifth game where Australia won 61 – 55.[12] He was selected to represent Australia at the 2012 Summer Paralympics in wheelchair rugby.[5] Going into London, his team was ranked second in the world behind the United States.[13] He was part of the team that won the gold medal.[14] The Australian team went through the five-day tournament undefeated.[15]

He was a member of the team that retained its gold medal at the 2016 Rio Paralympics after defeating the United States 59–58 in the final.[16]

At the 2018 IWRF World Championship in Sydney, Australia, he was a member of the Australian team that won the silver medal after being defeated by Japan 61–62 in the gold medal game.[17]

In 2020, he is the captain of the Power House Wheelchair Rugby Club in Victoria.[18]

At the 2020 Summer Paralympics, the Steelers finished fourth after being defeated by Japan 52–60 in the bronze medal game. COVID travel restrictions led to Steelers not having a team training since March 2020 prior to Tokyo.[19]

He was awarded an Order of Australia Medal in the 2014 Australia Day Honours "for service to sport as a Gold Medallist at the London 2012 Paralympic Games."[20]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Steelers aim to maintain their reign in Rio . Australian Paralympic Committee News . 25 July 2016 . 25 July 2016 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20160829041812/https://www.paralympic.org.au/steelers-aim-to-maintain-their-reign-in-rio/ . 29 August 2016 .
  2. Web site: Steelers Eyeing Paralympic History… Again. 29 July 2021. Paralympics Australia.
  3. Web site: 30 July 2012 . Andrew Harrison . Independence Australia . Australia . 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140202154213/http://www.independenceaustralia.com/uploads/Andrew%20Harrison%20bio.pdf . 2 February 2014 .
  4. Web site: Carmona . Bianca . Summer diving warning from Kew rehab patient . Progress Leader . 2012-07-31 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120924024506/http://progress-leader.whereilive.com.au/news/story/summer-diving-warning-from-kew-rehab-patient/ . 24 September 2012 .
  5. Web site: Andrew Harrison . Australian Paralympic Committee . Australia . 2012 . 13 July 2012 . 12 July 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120712070701/https://www.paralympic.org.au/team/andrew-harrison . live .
  6. Web site: Andrew Harrison . Victorian Institute of Sport (VIS) . 1987-07-06 . 2012-07-31 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120325005943/http://www.vis.org.au/item/andrew-harrison.html . 25 March 2012 .
  7. Web site: NWRL Award History - National Wheelchair Rugby League . SportingPulse . 2012-07-31.
  8. Web site: Teams . Wheelchair Rugby Australia . 2012-07-31 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120925070454/http://rugby.sports.org.au/teams.htm . 25 September 2012 . dmy .
  9. Web site: Humpage . Ami . Paralympic hopefuls set rugby wheels in motion . Brimbank Leader . 2012-07-31 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20130407053518/http://brimbank-leader.whereilive.com.au/sport/story/paralympic-hopefuls-set-rugby-wheels-in-motion-1/ . 7 April 2013 .
  10. Web site: Australia . Coupe Canada Cup 2012 . 2012-07-31 . 25 May 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150525103839/http://canadacupwcrugby.com/participants/teams/australia . live .
  11. Web site: Michelmore . Karen . Australia's Steelers smash and crash their way to London - . ABC Sydney - Australian Broadcasting Corporation . 2012-05-04 . 2012-07-31 . 15 May 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120515022433/http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2012/05/04/3495850.htm . live .
  12. Web site: International Wheelchair Rugby Federation : News . IWRF . 2012-05-05 . 2012-07-31 . 10 September 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120910233006/http://www.iwrf.com/?page=iwrf_news&id=75 . live .
  13. Web site: Hose realises London dream . Camperdown Chronicle . 2012-05-08 . 2012-07-31 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140202100633/http://www.camperdownchronicle.com.au/index.php/sports-replica/item/296-hose-realises-london-dream . 2 February 2014 .
  14. Web site: Mixed Wheelchair Rugby - Paralympic Wheelchair Rugby . 12 September 2012 . Official site of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games . 12 September 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120912001642/http://www.london2012.com/paralympics/wheelchair-rugby/event/mixed-open/teams/team=australia-wrx400aus01/ . live .
  15. Web site: Batt stars as Australia win gold . 9 September 2012 . 12 September 2012 . Official site of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games . 12 September 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120912084830/http://www.london2012.com/paralympics/news/articles/batt-wings-australia-gold.html . live .
  16. News: Lees. Chris. Steelers double up with Paralympics gold. 19 September 2016. Sunshine Coast Daily. 19 September 2016. 20 September 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160920155002/http://www.sunshinecoastdaily.com.au/news/steelers-double-up-with-paralympics-gold/3091020/. live.
  17. Web site: Results . IWRF Wheelchair Rugby World Championships website . 10 August 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180810113033/https://www.2018wrwc.com/ . 10 August 2018 . dead . dmy-all .
  18. Web site: 7 September 2020. Andrew Harrison Wheelchair Rugby. 30 July 2021. Rugby Victoria.
  19. Web site: 31 July 2021. Australia names wheelchair rugby team of 12 for Tokyo 2020. 20 September 2021. Inside The Games.
  20. News: . Australia Day honours list 2014: in full . 26 January 2014 . 26 January 2014 . 22 June 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140622025403/http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/australia-day-honours-list-2014-in-full/story-fni0cx12-1226808786064 . live .

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