Ross Sutton
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| Nationality |
 Australia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 1937 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 2000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Ross Edward Sutton (1937–2000) was the first Australian Paralympic gold medallist.[1] He represented Australia in archery at the 1960 Summer Paralympics in Rome, Italy[1] and dartchery and fencing at the 1962 Commonwealth Paraplegic Games in Perth, Western Australia.[2] Sutton also competed in table tennis at the Second National Paraplegic Games.[3]
Personal life
Sutton was from Armidale, New South Wales.[4] On 20 April 1958,[5] 21-year-old Sutton was involved in a Tiger Moth plane crash in Boorolong near Armidale whilst taking a flying lesson. The crash left him paralysed.[1] Peter FitzSimons described the background to the crash. Sutton was in love with a young woman in the region and decided to drop a lover letter to her whilst flying. FitzSimons noted that he realised after he dropped it that it was not sufficiently weighted and his love was "blowin' in the wind", like a mad thing. Ross doubled the Moth back to try to catch it … and crashed. [6] Sutton died in 2000.[1]
Career
1960 Summer Paralympics
Sutton attended the first Summer Paralympics in Rome, Italy after undergoing two years of rehabilitation. He won a gold medal in Men's St Nicholas round open archery.[7] This was Australia's first gold medal at the Paralympic Games.[1]
1962 Commonwealth Paraplegic Games
At the 1962 Commonwealth Paraplegic Games in Perth, Western Australia, Sutton won gold medal in Dartchery, silver medal in Men's Team Sabre Fencing and bronze medals in the Gentleman FITA Round and Gentleman Windsor Round.[8]
Australian Paralympic Committee
Sutton's family donated his gold medal, with two bows, a box of arrows and various pieces of archery equipment to the Australian Paralympic Committee (APC), in what is arguably the most significant piece of sporting memorabilia in the APC’s collection. His medal and equipment have been on display at the National Sports Museum.[6]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 Wake, Rebekka (2012). "Our first gold medallist - Ross Sutton". Australian Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 18 April 2016.
- ↑ First Commonwealth Paraplegic Games : Official Programme. Perth: Paraplegic Association of Western Australia. 1962.
- ↑ The Second National Paraplegic Games. The Paraplegic Association of New South Wales. 1962. p. 6.
- ↑ "Pilot seriously injured when plane crashes". Canberra Times. 21 April 1958. p. 10. Retrieved 18 April 2016.
- ↑ "Pilot seriously injured when plane crashes". The Canberra Times. 21 April 1958. p. 10. Retrieved 1 May 2016 – via Trove.
- 1 2 FitzSimons, Peter (16 February 2013). "There's fire behind ACC smoke". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 13 October 2014.
- ↑ International Paralympic Committee; Sydney Paralympic Organising Committee (2000). Paralympic Games results : Rome 1960 to Atlanta 1996. Sydney, Australia: Sydney Paralympic Organising Committee. p. 542. OCLC 223030936.
- ↑ Report of the First Commonwealth Paraplegic Games, Perth , Western Australia, 10–17 November 1962. Perth: Paraplegic Association of Western Australia. 1962.