 2012 Australian Paralympic team portrait of Bond | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Christopher Adam Bond | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nationality | Australian | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 28 May 1986 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country | Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Wheelchair rugby 3.5 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | University of Queensland Club | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Christopher Adam Bond OAM (born 28 May 1986) is an Australian wheelchair rugby player. He has won gold medals at the 2012 London and 2016 Rio Paralympics and a bronze medal at the 2024 Paris Paralympics. [1] [2] [3]
Bond and his identical twin brother were born on 28 May 1986, [4] [5] [6] and grew up in the Australian Capital Territory. [5] [7] He is missing both legs below his knees, his left wrist and his right four fingers as a result of a severe infection from a flesh eating bacterium he got while also being diagnosed with leukemia when he was nineteen years old. [4] [5] During his rehab, he was often one of the youngest people in gym. [4] While he adjusted to life without his limbs, he started swimming at the pool at the Australian Institute of Sport. [4] [5] When he was young, he played rugby league and was a fan of the Canberra Raiders. Following his illness, he became friends with Clinton Schifcofske, the Raiders former captain. [5] From 2008 to August 2011, he served as a board member of an organisation for young people trying to deal with their own cancer called CanTeen. During his time on the board, he also served as the organisation's national vice president. [5] [8] In 2021, he lived in Baringa, Queensland. [7] [9]
Bond is a 3.5 point wheelchair rugby player. [5] In 2010, he began looking for a team sport to play and contacted Brad Dubberley, the head coach of the Australia national wheelchair rugby team who encouraged Bond to try the sport based on his existing love of rugby. [5]
Bond made his national team debut at the 2011 Great Britain Cup. [5] Wearing jersey number 10, [7] he represented Australia at the 2012 Canada Cup International Wheelchair Rugby Tournament. In the game against Canada, he and teammate Ryley Batt proved difficult for the Canadians to contain. [10] In May 2012, he participated in a test series against Japan national wheelchair rugby team in Sydney. [11] He scored eighteen goals in the fourth game which Australia won 47 – 44, and twenty goals in the fifth game where Australia won 61 – 55. [12] He played in the London Paralympic test event. He scored 14 points in the game against Canada national wheelchair rugby team that Australia won 56–52 and 20 points in the game against Sweden national wheelchair rugby team that Australia won 65–88. [13] In the finals match against Great Britain national wheelchair rugby team, he scored 22 points in Australia's 71–48 victory. [14] He was selected to represent Australia at the 2012 Summer Paralympics in wheelchair rugby. [5] Going into London, his team was ranked second in the world behind the United States. [15] He was part of the team that won the gold medal. [16] The Australian team went through the five-day tournament undefeated. [17]
Bond was a member of the Australian team that won its first world championship gold medal at the 2014 World Wheelchair Rugby Championships at Odense, Denmark. [18]
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. [19]
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. [20]
At the 2020 Summer Paralympics, the Steelers finished fourth after being defeated by Japan 52–60 in the bronze medal game. COVID travel restrictions led to Steelers not having a team training since March 2020 prior to Tokyo. [21]
Bond as Steelers captain won his second world championship gold medal at the 2022 IWRF World Championship in Vejle, Denmark. [22]
At the 2024 Summer Paralympics, he captained the Steelers that won the bronze medal defeating Great Britain 50–48. [23]
He was awarded an Order of Australia Medal in the 2014 Australia Day Honours "for service to sport as a Gold Medallist at the London 2012 Paralympic Games." [6] In November 2016, Bond with Ryan Scott was awarded the Sporting Wheelies and Disabled Association Senior Male Athlete of the Year. [24]
In 2020, he joined the board of Disability Sports Australia. [25]
Australia national wheelchair rugby team represents Australia in international wheelchair rugby, is sport with national representation at the Paralympic Games. The Australian Team is known as the 'Steelers'.
Cameron Carr, is an Australian Paralympic wheelchair rugby player. He has won a silver medal at the 2008 Paralympics and gold medals at the 2012 and 2016 Paralympics.
Jason Lees, is a wheelchair rugby player from Victoria and was a member of the Australian Steelers that won the gold medals at the 2012 London and 2016 Rio Paralympics and competed at the 2020 Summer Paralympics.
Ryley Batt, is an Australian wheelchair rugby player. He has won two gold, one silver medal and one bronze medal at six Paralympic Games.
Gregory Stephen Smith, OAM is an Australian Paralympic athlete and wheelchair rugby player who won three gold medals in athletics at the 2000 Summer Paralympics, and a gold medal in wheelchair rugby at the 2012 Summer Paralympics, where he was the flag bearer at the opening ceremony.
Nazim Erdem, is an Australian wheelchair rugby Paralympic gold and silver medalist. He has won two gold and two silver medals at five Paralympics from 2000 to 2016.
Brad Dubberley is an Australian Paralympic wheelchair rugby Head Coach and former athlete. He won a silver medal as an athlete at the 2000 Sydney Games and was the head coach at the 2008 Beijing Games in the mixed wheelchair rugby event. He is the head coach of the Australian Wheelchair Rugby team known as the Australian Steelers.
Ryan Scott, is a Paralympic wheelchair rugby competitor from Australia. In four Paralympics, Scott has won a silver medal at the 2008 Beijing Paralympics and gold medals at the 2012 London and 2016 Rio Paralympics.
Cody Meakin, is a wheelchair rugby player. He was selected to represent Australia at the 2012 Summer Paralympics in wheelchair rugby.
Joshua Anthony "Josh" Hose, is a wheelchair rugby player. He has won gold medals at the 2012 London and 2016 Rio Paralympics and competed at the 2020 Summer Paralympics.
Andrew Harrison, is a wheelchair rugby player. He has won gold medals at the 2012 London and 2016 Rio Paralympics. and competed at the 2020 Summer Paralympics.
Benjamin John Fawcett is an Australian wheelchair rugby player and member of the national wheelchair rugby team. He won a gold medal at the 2016 Rio Paralympics and a bronze medal at the 2024 Paris Paralympics.
Jayden Warn is an Australian wheelchair rugby player. He won a gold medal at the 2016 Rio Paralympics as a member of the Australian Steelers and competed at the 2020 Summer Paralympics.
Michael "Mick" Ozanne is an Australian wheelchair rugby player. He represented the Steelers at the 2020 Summer Paralympics.
The Sweden national wheelchair rugby team represents Sweden in international wheelchair rugby. Sweden is the second most successful team in European competition, winning four gold medals at the European Championship. They have reached three Summer Paralympics, with their best finish being 5th in the 2000 Games in Sydney.
Andrew John Edmondson 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.
The Japan national wheelchair rugby team (日本全国車椅子ラグビーチーム) represents Japan in international wheelchair rugby. Japan is the third most successful team in the Asia-Oceania region, finishing outside the medal places only once in eight appearances at the IWRF Asia-Oceania Championship. Japan have won the tournament once, in 2015 and are also the 2014 Asian Para Games champions. They have reached six Summer Paralympics, winning the gold medal at the 2024 Games in Paris.
Ella Sabljak is an Australian 1.0 point wheelchair basketball and 2.5 wheelchair rugby player. She represented Australia at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics in basketball and at the 2024 Paris Paralympics, she won a bronze medal in wheelchair rugby with the Steelers.
Josh Nicholson is an Australian wheelchair rugby player and was a member of the Steelers that won a bronze medal at the 2024 Paris Paralympics.
Jake Howe is an Australian wheelchair rugby player. He has represented the Steelers at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics and the 2024 Paris Paralympics, where they won the bronze medal.
