![]() 2016 Australian Paralympic team portrait of Edmondson | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Nickname | Edmo | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Nationality | Australian | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Born | 24 June 1990 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Country | ![]() | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sport | Wheelchair rugby | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Disability class | 2.0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
|
Andrew John Edmondson OAM (born 24 June 1990) is an Australian wheelchair rugby player. He won a gold medal at the 2016 Rio Paralympics and a bronze medal at the 2024 Paris Paralympics. [1] [2]
Edmondson was born on 24 June 1990. [3] His friends call him "Edmo". At the age of 13, he broke his neck whilst surfing at Coogee Beach. [3] At the time, he had received a scholarship to play rugby at Scots College in Sydney. [3] He has a Bachelor of Sports Business from the Australian College of Physical Education. [3] In 2021, he lives in Port Macquarie, New South Wales and is able to train with Ryley Batt. He has business role working for Melrose Wheelchairs and is a part of a public speaking programme through the Australian Institute of Sport in regards to mental health. [4]
As part of his rehabilitation, he watched a video on wheelchair rugby whilst at the Prince of Wales Hospital and became interested in the sport. [3] In 2004, he attended an Australian Paralympic Committee Come and Try Day. [3] He made his debut for the national team the Australian Steelers in 2014. [3] As of 2016, he has been a member of the NSW Gladiators for 10 years and captained the team for the last two years. [5] In 2015, he played in the United States wheelchair rugby competition. [5]
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. [6] He was awarded the Order of Australia Medal in 2017. [7]
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. [8]
Edmondson his won first world championship gold medal at the 2022 IWRF World Championship in Vejle, Denmark, when Australia defeated the United States . [9]
At the 2024 Summer Paralympics, he was a member of the Steelers that won the bronze medal defeating Great Britain 50–48. [10]