Curtis Wain McGrath, OAM (born 31 March 1988) is an Australian paracanoeist and former soldier. He took up canoeing competitively after both of his legs were amputated as a result of a mine blast while serving with the Australian Army in Afghanistan. McGrath won consecutive gold medals in the Men's KL2 at the 2016 Rio and 2020 Tokyo Paralympics,[1][2] and has won ten gold medals and a silver at ICF Paracanoe World Championships between 2014 and 2019.
McGrath was born in New Zealand on 31 March 1988.[3] His parents are Kimberley and Paul, and he has two siblings – Brent and Sophia.[4] He grew up in Queenstown, New Zealand and attended Wakatipu High School.[4] As a ten year old, his farming family moved to the Western Australian Wheatbelt but then returned to Queenstown.[5] In his last year at high school, he was awarded the Bruce Grant Memorial Trophy for Outdoor Education. His family later relocated to Brisbane, Queensland.[6] McGrath had a desire to become a jet pilot but became a combat engineer.[5]
McGrath was awarded a Sporting Full Blue at Grffith University whilst studying a Bachelor of Aviation Management.[7]
At the 2016 Australian Paralympic Team Launch in Sydney, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull made the following comments about McGrath:
... he has overcome those injuries through rehabilitation and intense training to become an elite paracanoeing competitor. Now only three years on from that shocking accident, that shocking event, those wounds, those injuries, he is out on the water representing Australia at Rio, providing an inspiration to our Defence Forces, to all our wounded warriors, those with a disability and those without. His story is a remarkable feat of triumph over adversity, triumph out of tragedy.[10]
Sporting career
Prior to his military injury, McGrath was a keen white water canoeist, rugby player and swimmer.[9] He took up canoeing and swimming as part of his rehabilitation. His first disability sport experience was at the United States Marine Games in San Diego where he won three gold medals in swimming.[4] In devoting his energy to sport, McGrath commented: "In sport, you are getting your body to do things you don't do every day. It helps your body to adjust more easily to everyday things."[4]
In October 2013, McGrath, with his father Paul, participated in a 1,000km paddle from Sydney to Queensland to raise funds for the Mates4Mates.[11]
McGrath took up paracanoe in December 2013.[12] He originally competed in V1 (Va'a Outrigger Canoe) in the TA (Trunk and arms category). In 2014, he won the Australian and Oceania Championships in V1 200 m, 500 m and 1000 m events.[3] He is now classified as a KL2 paracanoeist. Almost two years after losing his legs in Afghanistan, he won the gold medal in the V1 200 TA event in world record time at the 2014 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships in Moscow, Russia. After winning the gold medal McGrath commented: "Even when I was on the stretcher getting carried to the medevac chopper I said I was going to be in the Paralympics, and this is the first step".[9] His aim is to compete at the 2016 Summer Paralympics, where paracanoeing makes it debut. In September 2014, he captained the Australian Team at inaugural Invictus Games in London, and won a bronze medal in swimming and made the archery final.[13]
In March 2015, due to the International Paralympic Committee deciding not run the Va'a events in the 2016 Summer Paralympics, McGrath has switched to kayak events.[14] At the 2015 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships, in Milan, Italy, he won a gold medal in the Men's V–1 200 m VL2 and a silver medal in the Men's K–1 200 m VL2. After winning the silver medal in the Paralympic Games event, McGrath said: "This is a whole new ball game for me, the boats are a lot faster, so I had to learn pretty quick".[15]
At the 2016 ICF Paracanoe World Championships in Duisburg, Germany, McGrath won two gold medals in Men's KL2 200m and VL2 200m. In winning the Men's KL2 200m, a Paralympic Games event, he defeated six time world champion Markus Swoboda.[16][17]
McGrath competed at 2016 Invictus Games in Orlando, Florida, where he won IR4 one minute row. He also competed in swimming events.[18]
McGrath fulfilled his goal of winning the Men's KL2 200 m at the 2016 Rio Paralympics in a Paralympic record time of 42.190.[2] It was Australia's first gold medal in paracanoe at the Paralympics.[2] He was given the honour of being the Australian flag bearer at the Rio Paralympics Closing Ceremony.[19]
McGrath celebrating gold medal at Tokyo 2020 in Men's VL3 200mMcGrath at Paris 2024
At the 2019 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships in Szeged, Hungary, McGrath won gold medals in the Men's KL2 200m and Men's VL3 200m.[23] At the 2020 Summer Paralympics,[24] McGrath won gold in both the Men's KL2 and the Men's VL3. In the Men's KL2, McGrath came third in his Heat, and first in his Semi-Final. He won the final in a time of 41.426. In the Men's VL3 he was unbeatable in both his Heat and in the Final. His time in the Final was 50.537.[25]
He was selected to compete at the 2024 Summer Paralympics in Paris, France.[26] In the lead up to the Paralympics, McGrath won gold and bronze medals at the 2024 ICF World Para Canoe Championships in Szeged, Hungary.[27] At the Paralympics, he won gold in the KL2.[28]
McGrath lives on the Gold Coast, Queensland and trains on the water at Varsity Lakes. He was originally coached by Andrea King.[12] In 2021, he was coached by Shaun Caven and Guy Power. McGrath is supported by Mates4Mates, branch of the RSL Queensland, a charity that provides support for injured ex-servicemen and women.[3]
Recognition
2014 – Sporting Wheelies and Disabled Association Most Improved Athlete of the Year[29]
2014 – Australian Canoeing Paracanoeist of the Year[30]
2014 – The Courier-Mail McDonald's Queensland Athlete with a Disability Award[13]
2014 – Para Performance of the Year – presented by Dairy Australia (Nomination)[31]
2015 – Australian Canoeing Paracanoeist of the Year[32]
2016 – Flag bearer for the Australian team at the Rio Paralympics Closing Ceremony[19]
Henry Manni is a Finnish athlete and paracanoeist who has competed and medaled in both fields at World Championship level. In Paracanoeing he won a bronze medal in the K-1 200 m TA event at the 2010 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships in Poznań. Manni later switched to athletics as a wheelchair sprinter in the T34 classification. In 2013 he won a bronze in the World Championships in the 200m event, following this with four golds in the 2014 European Championships and three further World championship medals in 2015.
David John Rolfe was a leg amputee Paralympic swimming and paracanoe competitor from Australia. He won a bronze medal at the 2000 Sydney Games in the Men's 4 × 100 m Medley 34 pts swimming event. He also competed in paracanoe world championship events.
Paracanoe classification is the classification system for paracanoe. It consists of three categories KL1, KL2 and KL3. Paracanoe will be included for the first time at the 2016 Rio Paralympics. The sport is governed by the International Canoe Federation.
Charlotte Sarah Henshaw is a British Paralympic full-time athlete across multiple disciplines. Originally a swimmer, she changed to canoeing from 2017, becoming the reigning World champion in the KL2 (five-time) and VL3 (three-time) 200m events. In September 2021, at the delayed 2020 Summer Paralympics in Tokyo, she became a Paralympic champion at her fourth games, winning the Women's KL2 event.
Paracanoe debuted at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro. A meeting of the International Paralympic Committee in Guangzhou, China in 2010 decided to add paracanoe to the roster of the Summer Paralympic Games.
Kara Kennedy is an Australian paracanoeist who has won silver medals at the 2013 and 2014 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships.
Amanda Jane "AJ" Jennings is an Australian paracanoeist and para archer. She won two gold medals at the ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships and a silver medal in the Women's 200m KL3 at the 2016 Rio Paralympics.
Paracanoe is canoeing for athletes with a range of physical disabilities. The Paralympic version of the sport is governed by the International Canoe Federation (ICF), and a va'a-specific variant is governed by the International Va'a Federation (IVF).
Susan Seipel is an Australian Para-canoeist, a gold and bronze medallist in kayak and outrigger canoe at the 2015 and 2016 World Championships. She won a bronze medal at the 2016 Rio Paralympics and a silver medal at the 2020 Summer Paralympics. another bronze medal at 2024 Summer Paralympics
Emma Clare Wiggs, is a British paracanoeist and former sitting volleyball player, who competes in the KL2 classification of paracanoe. She won gold at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in the KL2 category, gold and silver at the 2020 Summer Paralympics in VL2 and KL2 categories, and is also an eleven-time world champion. As a volleyball player she was part of the Great Britain team that competed at the 2012 Summer Paralympics.
The KL 2 class is for paracanoe paddlers with partial leg and trunk function alongside good arm strength. A KL2 class paddler should be able to sit upright within the kayak but may require a backrest. These athletes may be able to use a footboard to propel the canoe depending on leg function. Eligible paddlers typically meet one of the following:
Colin Sieders is an Australian paracanoeist and former racing driver. He competed for Australia at the 2016 Rio Paralympics.
Dylan Littlehales is an Australian paracanoeist. He competed for Australia at the 2016 Rio Paralympics and 2020 Tokyo Paralympics.
Jocelyn Neumueller is a paracanoeist. She competed for Australia at the 2016 Rio Paralympics.
Anne Dickins, is a British paracanoeist who competes in the KL3 classification. She won gold in this event at the 2016 Summer Paralympics, and has also won two World Championship and three European Championship golds.
Australia was represented by six athletes in the first Paralympic Paracanoeing event at the 2016 Rio Paralympics.
The 2016 ICF Paracanoe World Championships was held in Duisburg, Germany, from 17 to 19 May 2016. This event, which is usually part of the ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships, was held separately as the latter is not held in Olympic years. It shared the venue with, and was held concurrently with the 2016 European Canoe Sprint Olympic Qualifier tournament.
The men's KL2 competition at the 2016 ICF Paracanoe World Championships took place in Duisburg.
The 2019 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships, the 45th edition of the World Championships, were held in Szeged, Hungary from 21 to 25 August 2019.
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