Johnboy Smith Explained

Johnboy Smith
Birth Name:John Charles Smith
Nationality:British
Birth Date:27 November 1989
Birth Place:Gravesend, England
Country:Great Britain / England
Sport:Wheelchair Racing
Disability:Paraplegia
Disability Class:T10/T11
Event:T54 Marathon, Wheelchair Sprints

John Charles Smith (born 27 November 1989), known professionally as JohnBoy Smith, is a British parathlete and wheelchair racer of Romany[1] descent who competes in the T54 category sprint events.[2]

Early life

Smith was born in Gravesend, Kent, England. At age 16, he was mistaken for a poacher and shot in the back leading to a spinal cord injury that left him with complete T10/T11 paraplegia.[3] He got motivated to pursue para-athletics and wheelchair racing after watching 2012 London Paralympics.

Career

He won a silver medal in the T54 marathon of 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games held in Australia representing England.[4] He competed in 2020 Summer Paralympics in Tokyo, Japan representing Great Britain in T54 marathon.[5] [6] In 2022 Smith won a gold medal for England at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in the marathon (T54) event.[7]

See also

References

  1. Web site: Harle . Tom . 2021-09-06 . Gravesend’s JohnBoy Smith graps Paralympic debut with two hands in Tokyo . KentLive.news . 2022-03-09.
  2. Web site: Johnboy Smith - Athletics . . 2021-08-23.
  3. News: London Marathon 2019: Johnboy Smith on why 'there is life after disability and tragedy' . BBC Sport . 2021-08-23.
  4. Web site: Athletics SMITH Johnboy - Tokyo 2020 Paralympics . Tokyo 2020 . . 2021-08-23 . 23 August 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210823121839/https://olympics.com/tokyo-2020/paralympic-games/en/results/athletics/athlete-profile-n1727804-smith-johnboy.htm . dead .
  5. Web site: Paralympics: JohnBoy Smith sets personal best to finish 10th . KentOnline.co.uk . 2021-09-06.
  6. Web site: 32 athletes added to ParalympicsGB athletics team for Tokyo 2020 . paralympics.org.uk . British Paralympic Association.
  7. News: England's Smith wins marathon gold after Weir puncture . BBC Sport . 2022-07-30.