Mitchell Gourley Explained

Mitchell Gourley
Headercolor:green
Textcolor:yellow
Birth Date:2 June 1991
Birth Place:Geelong, Victoria
Country:Australia
Sport:Para-alpine skiing
Event:Downhill, super-G, giant slalom, slalom, super combined
Disability Class:LW6/8
Paralympics:2010 Winter Paralympics, 2014 Winter Paralympics

Mitchell Gourley (born 2 June 1991) is an Australian Paralympic alpine skier who competed for Australia in the downhill, super-G, giant slalom, slalom and super combined events at four Winter Paralympics - 2010 to 2022. He was Australian team co-captain with Joany Badenhorst at the 2018 Winter Paralympics.[1] At the 2022 Winter Paralympics, he and Melissa Perrine carried the Australian flag in the opening ceremony.[2] At the 2017 IPC Alpine Skiing World Championships in Tarvisio, Italy he won the gold medal in the men's Super Combined Standing.

Personal

Mitchell Gourley was born just outside Geelong, Victoria, on 2 June 1991.[3] [4] [5] He was born a congenital amputee, with his left forearm ending a few inches below his elbow.[6] Mitchell can move the tiny stump of his forearm and uses it to hold and manipulate objects by gripping them in his elbow. He plays a variety of sports including cricket, Australian rules football, basketball, road cycling and rock-climbing.[3] He attended at Geelong College.[7] In 2014, he completed a Bachelor of Commerce at the University of Melbourne and in 2019 completed a Master of Business (Sport Management) at Deakin University.[8] [9]

Skiing

Gourley became involved in high level Paralympic skiing as a result of Australian talent identification efforts,[10] taking up the sport competitively in 2002 as an eleven-year-old.[3] He was classified as LW6/8-2, the classification for athletes with an impairment to one arm,[11] and made his Australian national team début in 2006, as a fifteen-year-old.[3] He has held scholarships with the Victorian Institute of Sport and the Australian Institute of Sport.[12]

At the 2009 Norm Cup, Gourley finished first in the men's standing class giant slalom event. In the same year, he competed in the IPC Alpine Skiing Nor Am Cup in Colorado.[13] He was officially named to the Australian 2010 Winter Paralympics team in November 2009.[14] A ceremony was held in Canberra with Australian Paralympic Committee president Greg Hartung and Minister for Sport Kate Ellis making the announcement.[15]

Gourley competed at the 2010 IPC Alpine Skiing World Cup in Italy and World Cup in Austria.[13] Going into the 2010 Winter Paralympic Games, his best ever world ranking was 17th.[3] He attempted to bulk up and put on additional weight by eating six to eight meals a day.[7] He arrived in the Paralympic village with the rest of Australia's Para-alpine team on 9 March 2010.[16] Coached by Steve Graham,[3] he competed in the downhill, super-G, giant slalom, slalom and super combined events.[17] [18] In the super-G standing event, he finished 10th.[4] [19] He also finished 27th in the slalom.[20] [21] [22] He came 30th in the giant slalom event.[23]

At the December 2011 IPC Nor Am Cup, Gourley won his first gold medal in international competition in the giant slalom, but was beaten by New Zealand's Adam Hall and Australian teammate Toby Kane in the slalom.[24] He competed at a February 2012 World Cup event in Italy in the slalom, but did not place in the event. After sitting in fourth place after his first run, he missed a gate in his second run and was disqualified.[25] He won a gold medal in the giant slalom with a combined run time of 2:03.15, 0.43 seconds faster than the silver medallists. It was the first gold medal he had won at a World Cup.[26]

Gourley started the 2013/14 World Cup season with strong results, with two gold, three silver and one bronze medal.[27] At the 2014 Winter Paralympics in Sochi, he competed in five events. He finished 5th in the men's super combined standing, 7th in the men's downhill standing, and failed to finish in three events.[28] [29]

At the 2015 IPC Alpine Skiing World Championships in Panorama, Canada, Gourley competed in five Men's Standing events. He finished fourth in the giant slalom and fifth in the Super-G.[30]

He finished the 2015/16 World Cup season on a high, placing third on the overall rankings after a successful run of events that saw him podium nine times.[31]

Gourley won the gold medal in the men's Super Combined Standing at the 2017 IPC Alpine Skiing World Championships in Tarvisio, Italy. Gourley was in sixth place after the super-G, but put on a masterclass in the slalom to secure the gold.[32]

His results at the 2018 Winter Paralympics, his third Games, were: fifth in the men's Super Combined Standing, sixth in the men's slalom Standing, eighth in the men's giant slalom Standing, 12th in the men's Super-G Standing and did not finish in the men's Downhill Standing.[33] [34]

At the 2019 World Para Alpine Skiing Championships in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia, he won the bronze medal in Men's slalom Standing and finished fourth in the men's giant slalom Standing.[35]

At the 2022 Winter Paralympics in Beijing, he finished 10th in the giant slalom Standing, 13th in Super Combined Standing and 20th in Downhill Standing. He did not finish in the slalom Standing and Super G Standing.[36] Gourley indicated that the Beijing Games would be his last Winter Paralympics.

In 2022, he is a member of the Athlete Commission for World Para Alpine Skiing and Paralympics Australia Athlete Commission.[37]

Recognition

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 2 February 2022. Australian Paralympic Team Named For Beijing 2022 Winter Games. 4 February 2022. Paralympics Australia.
  2. Web site: Full Circle For Australia's Beijing 2022 Flagbearers Paralympics Australia . 2022-03-15 . en-AU.
  3. Web site: Mitchell Gourley . Vancouver 2010 . 2010 . 29 October 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120815033017/http://vancouver2010.paralympic.org.au/team/mitchell-gourley . 15 August 2012 .
  4. Web site: Aussies off the pace in super-G – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) . Abc.net.au . 20 March 2010 . 29 October 2012.
  5. Web site: Speedster Marty Mayberry lifts hopes of medal. 24 October 2012. The Australian. Australia. 15 March 2012. Margie . McDonald.
  6. Web site: Mitchell Gourley. YouTube 2013. 2013. 4 December 2013.
  7. Web site: Geelong Winter Paralympian has weight on his mind. Geelong Advertiser. 26 June 2009. 29 October 2012.
  8. Web site: Mitchell Gourley . Organizing Committee of the XXII Olympic Winter Games and XI Paralympic Winter Games of 2014 in Sochi . 13 April 2014 . 19 March 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140319225950/http://www.sochi2014.com/en/paralympic/athlete-mitchell-gourley . dead .
  9. Web site: James goes back-to-back. Victorian Institute of Sport website. 21 November 2019.
  10. Web site: Disabled Wintersport Australia 2010 Annual Report. Disabled Wintersport Australia. 24 October 2012. Australia. 2010. 7.
  11. Web site: 2014 Australian Paralympic Winter Team Media Guide . 13 April 2014 . .
  12. Web site: Winter Paralympians to inspire a nation. 24 October 2012. Australia. 11 March 2010. Kate. Ellis. 3. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20120229155208/http://www.health.gov.au/internet/ministers/publishing.nsf/Content/6B9704860CA28FAACA2576E3001850C2/$File/ke014.pdf. 29 February 2012. dmy-all.
  13. Web site: Geelong paralympian Mitch Gourley wins Canadian call up – Local News – Geelong, VIC, Australia . Geelongadvertiser.com.au . 24 December 2009 . 29 October 2012.
  14. News: Paralympic Team for Vancouver sprinkled with experience . The Australian . Australia . 2009 . 24 October 2012.
  15. Web site: Browning . Jennifer . Winter Paralympics team biggest yet . ABC Grandstand Sport . 25 November 2009 . 24 October 2012 . Australia.
  16. News: Australian assault on Paralympics takes shape in Vancouver . Margie . McDonald . Australia . The Australian . 8 March 2010 . 24 October 2012.
  17. Web site: Features | Twenty Ten | Following Australian & New Zealand Winter Athletes by Mountainwatch . Mountainwatch . 3 February 2010 . 24 October 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20101001010847/http://www.mountainwatch.com/twentyten/features/7344075/Australian-Paralympic-Team-2010 . 1 October 2010 .
  18. News: A battle against bugs and breaks. The Courier Mail. Brisbane, Australia. 18 March 2010. 22 October 2012. Amanda. Lulham. 79.
  19. News: 22 October 2012. WEEKEND SCOREBOARD. The Australian. Australia. 22 March 2010. 40.
  20. Web site: Rahles-Rahbula wins Paralympics bronze . Wwos.ninemsn.com.au . 29 October 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140309154518/http://wwos.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=1027777 . 9 March 2014 . dmy-all .
  21. Web site: Slalom bronze for Rahles-Rahbula – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) . Abc.net.au . 16 March 2010 . 29 October 2012.
  22. Web site: Aussie skiers look for redemption . Wwos.ninemsn.com.au . 29 October 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140309142215/http://wwos.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=1029803 . 9 March 2014 . dmy-all .
  23. Web site: Aussie eyes standing slalom medal – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) . Abc.net.au . 16 March 2010 . 29 October 2012.
  24. Web site: Paralympics: Hall gets season underway in winning fashion . Otago Daily Times . 22 December 2011 . 29 October 2012.
  25. Web site: Podium for Kane in Spain . Australia . Australian Paralympic Committee . 24 October 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120817034435/https://www.paralympic.org.au/news/podium-kane-spain . 17 August 2012 .
  26. Web site: Gourley wins first gold on the slopes . Australia . Australian Paralympic Committee . 3 February 2012 . 24 October 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120817035024/https://www.paralympic.org.au/news/gourley-wins-first-gold-slopes . 17 August 2012 .
  27. Web site: Mitchell Gourley. Australian Paralympic Committee Athlete Profile. 9 February 2014.
  28. Web site: Sochi 2014 Latest Results . Australian Paralympic Committee . 17 March 2014 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140316222545/http://www.paralympic.org.au/sochi-2014/latest-results/latest-results . 16 March 2014 .
  29. News: McDonald. Margie. Paralympians put energy into alpine skiing for Sochi. 10 February 2014. The Australian. 4 February 2014.
  30. Web site: Mitchell Gourley. International Paralympic Committee Athlete Profiles. 21 March 2015.
  31. Web site: Big Season Ahead for Australian skiers. Australian Paralympic Committee. 16 March 2016.
  32. Web site: Maiden world titles for skiers Bertagnolli, Gourley. International Paralympic Committee News. 28 January 2017.
  33. Web site: Mitchell Gourley. 2018 Winter Paralympics Official site. 18 March 2018. 18 March 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180318182622/https://www.pyeongchang2018.com/en/game-time/results/PWG2018/en/alpine-skiing/athlete-profile-n3091748-mitchell-gourley.htm. dead.
  34. Web site: Australian Paralympic Winter Team for PyeongChang 2018 announced. Australian Paralympic Committee website. 20 February 2018.
  35. Web site: Alpine Worlds 2019: Double delight . International Paralympic Committee website . 24 January 2019.
  36. Web site: Mitchell Gourley . 14 March 2022 . 2022 Beijing Winter Paralympics Official Results . 13 March 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220313234450/https://results.beijing2022.cn/beijing-2022/paralympic-games/en/results/para-alpine-skiing/athlete-profile-n1078501-mitchell-gourley.htm . dead .
  37. Web site: 3 March 2022 . Full Circle For Australia's Beijing 2022 Flagbearers . 4 March 2022 . Paralympics Australia.
  38. Web site: Cox and James crowned Australian Snowsports Athlete of the Year. Ski and Snowboard Australia. 28 April 2017.
  39. Web site: Winners announced for Victorian Disability Sport and Recreation Awards. Disability Sport & Recreation Victoria. 18 August 2017. 8 December 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20171208122500/https://dsr.org.au/2017/08/18/winners-announced-for-victorian-disability-sport-and-recreation-awards/#. 8 December 2017. dead. dmy-all.
  40. Web site: Cooke earns Top Award. Victorian Institute of Sport website. 30 November 2017. 1 December 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20171201031746/http://www.vis.org.au/news-events/news/2017/11/cooke-earns-top-award/. dead.
  41. Web site: Matildas and Kerr Australia's fan favourites at AIS awards. Australian Sports Commission website. 12 December 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20171213010347/https://www.ausport.gov.au/news/ais_news/story_666457_matildas_and_kerr_australias_fan_favourites_at_ais_awards. 13 December 2017. dead.
  42. Web site: 2018 Australian Paralympic Team Co-captains announced. Australian Paralympic Committee website. 23 October 2017.

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