ABOUT

The accident and a chance encounter

At the age of 17, Sam broke his neck while BMX riding on holiday. He completely shattered his C-6 vertebrae rendering him quadriplegic for the rest of his life.

After a chance encounter on the street with Paralympian gold medalist Richard Colman’s mother, Kaye, he was introduced to the world of Para Athletics. She said, “My son is a Paralympian, and I saw you from across the road. You look young and fit and you have nice long arms. Have you ever tried wheelchair racing?" A year later, Sam got in a race chair for the first time.

Introduction to Para AthleticS AND international debut

From that point on, Sam has dedicated his life to his Para Athletics aspirations. He initially trained with Mandi Cole, Richard Colman’s coach. Sam rapidly proved to be a rising star. His international debut was the 2011 Para Athletics World Championships in Christchuch, NZL. There he broke the Australian 100m record with his fifth place finish. He competed in the final of all three events he contested in at Christchurch. To continue his impressive year, Sam won gold in the 100m and silver in the 200m at the 2011 National Titles. 

The Second Accident and recovery

Almost exactly a year after his debut in Christchurch, while Sam was at the peak of his game, he re-broke his neck. New Year’s Eve 2011 while on the dance floor celebrating, Sam flipped his chair and fractured his hi C7 vertebrae, one below the initial break over four years earlier. Sam didn’t return to his race chair for three months post-accident, but 5 days after surgery he was already exercising with the London 2012 Paralympic Games in sight. Because of the now limited movement in his neck from fusing the C5 through the T1 vertebrae, Sam had to change his pushing technique. Once back in the race chair, he slowly worked back up to training, starting with shorter distances and rebuilding stamina and strength. He gruelingly trained for the next 5 months.

london 2012 paralympic games

Sam reached his goal of competing in his first Paralympics at London in 2012. He competed in the 100m and 200m events. An experience that he describes as, “absolutely terrifying and the biggest rush at the same time!” and “being on the start line and hearing the whole stadium yelling and cheering was an unforgettable experience.” He was honoured to be able to represent Australia at the Paralympics, and after the excruciating nine months leading into the games after the accident. 

2012-2015: rest, recalibration, and return

After the London 2012 Paralympic Games Sam suffered from fatigue as his body was still recovering from the accident and the strenuous training that lead up to the Games. Consequently, he failed to qualify for the 2013 Para Athletics World Championships and took time away from the chair to allow his body to recover. He returned to racing in 2014 to prepare for the 2015 Doha Para Athletics World Championships.

2015-2017: 2015 doha world championships, 2016 rio de janeiro paralympics, and 2017 London world championships

Sam’s return to the international Para Athletic stage was at the Doha Para Athletics World Championships in October 2015. He competed in the 100m and 400m events. He placed sixth in his 400m heat. He came in first for the 100m heat and placed fifth in the 100m finals. His performance in Doha lead to Sam again representing his country at the 2016 Rio Paralympics where he was slated to compete in the 100m and 400m events. Sam placed third in his 100m heat and fourth in the 100m finals. Just after crossing the finish line, another athlete accidentally crashed into Sam causing Sam and his race chair to flip. While his helmet took most of the blow, this left Sam somewhat concussed. The concussion and feeling unwell resulted in Sam having to withdraw from the 400m event. At the 2017 London Para Athletics World Championships Sam again competed in the 100m and 400m events. Sam placed fourth in his 100m heat and sixth in the 100m finals.

Early 2019: Switzerland and los angeles

In late May and early June, Sam competed in races in Switzerland: Nottwil 2019 World Para Athletics Grand Prix, Daniela Jutzeler Memorial, and Swiss Nationals. Sam brought back a first place win from the Nottwil 2019 World Para Athletics Grand Prix! Shortly after his win in Switzerland, his passion for para sports was spread internationally with a visit to Los Angeles, California in June for the fifth annual Angel City Games hosted at UCLA. Sam was able to enjoy the sun and try out some other para sports including Table Tennis and Swimming. While in Los Angeles, Sam shared his experiences with para sport to the UCLA community. He attended a UCLA Committee on Disabilities (UCOD) meeting and partnered with the UCLA Disabilities and Computing Program for a presentation/speaking engagement and an interview! In August, Sam spent 3 weeks training at the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) and competed in the first of this year’s ACT Winter Competitions. While in Canberra, Sam hit new personal bests in starts, top end speed, and quickest time trial.

2019 Dubai World championships

In mid-October, Sam was officially selected to represent Australia at the 2019 Para Althletics World Championships which took place 7-15 November. He raced in the T52 100m and 400m events. After a slower run in the 400, Sam managed to come in 3rd in his 100m heat, with a time of 17.76s which moved him on to the finals. In the finals, Sam managed to tie his season best of 17.69s and come in 6th. While Sam would have loved to be on the podium, he is happy with his consistent performances and anticipates much improvement before Tokyo 2020.

evee!

In December 2019, Sam’s hugely anticipated new race chair was finally completed. He has been waiting for one since his chair was damaged in the 2016 Rio crash where his chair was seriously bent. The chair was anointed Evee, for reasons he will not disclose (secrets!). He was thrilled and has been feeling stronger and quicker than ever in the new chair.

2020 Qualifying Races: Summer down under, ACT States, CAnberra Classic

The first Tokyo 2020 qualifying races of the season were the Summer Down Under (SDU) racing series hosted January 20 & 21. Sam raced in the 100m twice (once each day) and the 400m once. On the first day of SDU, Sam raced an amazing 17.04s in the 100m, but it was disqualified because of a wind technicality. The next day, Sam raced the 100m in 17.07s, this time getting an official “A” qualifying time for Tokyo, a new season best, a new personal best, and a new Australian T52 100m record! Read more about this event in “Why Summer Down Under Made Me Scream (Internally)”. Sam acquired his second “A” qualifying time at the ACT State Championships on 25 January with a time of 17.18s, officially 0.01s less than the threshold. Sam’s last domestic qualifying race of the season was in the pouring rain during the Canberra Classic on Feb 13. The weather conditions prevented quick times.

Tokyo 2020 —> tokyo 2021

On March 24, the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics were officially postponed and later announced to occur almost exactly a year later. The 2020 Paralympics will now be held in Tokyo on 24 August to 5 September 2021. Sam intends on continuing to train for the postponed Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.

Tokyo 2020 (24 August 2021 - 5 September 2021)

The postponed Tokyo 2020 Paralympics occurred between 24 August 2021 and 5 September 2021. Sam’s first race was on 27 August and was the T52 400m heat. Sam finished this heats in 10th, two positions short of advancing. On 3 September 2021, Sam competed in the T52 100m final, which took place in the rain. He came in 4th place, matching his Rio 2016 finish, just short of the podium. Sam notably finished in front of Gianfranco Iannotta, the reigning T52 gold medalist from Rio 2016.

Post-Tokyo 2020

Immediately following Sam’s T52 100m final, in an interview with the Geelong Adviser newspaper, Sam vowed to pursue the podium again at the Paris 2024 Paralympics.

World championships 2023 (Paris, FRA)

In preparation for the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, Paris hosted the 2023 Para Athletics World Championships in July. Sam achieved fourth place, continuing his streak from Tokyo. He was 0.16 seconds behind the bronze and 0.20 seconds behind silver. Being podium adjacent yet again fuelled him even further in his Paris Paralympic training.

2024: The infinite uphill battle

Sam returned from the Christmas holidays eager to get down to business. However, just a few days into the new year, he had a health complication that resulted in both internal and external bleeding and required urgent surgery. He was hospitalised and his training wa spurt on halt as he recovered from blood transfusions and surgery. While in hospital, Sam missed several key qualification opportunities including the Summer Down Under wheelchair racing series and the Dubai Grand Prix. While still complying with the doctor’s orders of a slow return to training, Sam competed in a domestic competition at the end of February. His time was nowhere near where he needed to be. Sam came back with a vengeance just a few weeks later in mid-March where he set a season’s best of 17.11 that launched him to #2 in the World Rankings and officially finalized his eligibility for Paris 2024 Paralympic selection. Even after this amazing feat, Sam’s recovery oscillated as he attempted to balance healthy recovery and the immense pressure of Paralympic training. Sam focused on the good days and kept fighting. Knowing time was of the essence, Sam chose to increase his training load and drive from home to the Victorian Institute of Sport (VIS) multiple times a week to ensure he was taking advantage of all the training support they had to offer.

Just four days after he was told he had been selected for the 2024 Paris Paralympic Team, while stationary in his car on the way to the VIS for training, he was rear-ended and his beloved car was totaled. He was shaken, had to recover from whiplash, and took a few weeks to ensure his race chair (that had been in the boot) was still race usable. Doing his best to skate off this new crisis, Sam refocused on his training plan. However, now without suitable transportation for himself and his race chair, he could no longer complete his training trips to the VIS. He would beg loved ones with large enough vehicles to take him to local Geelong tracks when they were able and trained without the in-person help of physios, biomechanists, and strength and conditioning coaches. Sam left for Paris without resolving his issue of being car-less.

Paris 2024

Sam arrived to the Village still a little shaken and worn out, but optimistic, as always. He competed in the T52 400m heat as a warm-up to his primary event and to get used to the fancy iconic purple track. He came out strong in the first half of the race and finished sixth in his heat. Shortly after, Sam began to feel weaker and fatigued. He competed in the T52 100m but didn’t feel like he could hit his normal top end speed. He finished fifth in his heat, 0.12 seconds off the finals threshold. Bewildered and devastated, Sam immediately apologised to fans and loved ones via interview with Channel Nine. Two days later, Sam again addressed his fanbase concluding his statement with “This is not all I have to offer and I can’t wait to prove it to you soon”.

What’s NexT?

Sam’s eyes are already set on the 2025 Para Athletic World Championships which are expected in October 2025.

off the track

Beyond the track, Sam can be found giving back to his community and helping push for social reform for individuals with disabilities. He co-founded Parallel Sports Inc. a not-for-profit sporting organisation for the physical disabled in the Geelong area. He runs wheelchair basketball and disability awareness clinics for local schools and businesses. He along with Paralympians Richard Colman and Jemima Moore spoke out for the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) in its founding years, when it was launching in the Geelong region. In March 2023, Sam made the courageous decision to return to school and obtain a university degree. As of June 2024, Sam is halfway through a Bachelor’s of Health Sciences degree majoring in both Exercise Science and Disability & Inclusion at Deakin University. Sam is part of Deakin’s Elite Athlete Program.