 2016 Australian Paralympic team portrait of Lees | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| National team | Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 1 March 1977 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country | Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Wheelchair rugby | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Disability class | 1.0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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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. [1] [2]
Lees' life changed in June 2000. Lees, a mechanic at the time, was on a motocross circuit in Laverton, Victoria. His bike ran off the track and the resulting accident led to him breaking his neck. [3] He is paralysed from the chest down but has recovered some mobility since the accident, improving to a point where he can 'stand a bit and use my arms a bit.' [3] His partner is Melanie Josephs and they have two girls. [4] He works part-time for Disability Sport and Recreation.[ citation needed ]
In 2002, Lees started playing wheelchair rugby on a social, non-competitive level.
In 2009, he made his debut for the Victoria state team and the Australian Steelers. He competed in the 2010 World Rugby Wheelchair Championships, where his team captured a silver medal. [5]
Lees was a member of the Steelers, and they won the gold medal at the 2012 London Paralympics. He was a member of the Australian team[ specify ] that won its first world championship gold medal at the 2014 World Wheelchair Rugby Championships at Odense, Denmark. [6]
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. [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]
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. [9]
Lees 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." [10]
Lees announced his retirement from the Steelers in November 2021 and moved to a Development Coach with Paralympics Australia. [11]
