Kenneth Cairns

Last updated

Kenneth Cairns
MBE
Personal information
Born (1957-12-20) 20 December 1957 (age 65)
Sport
CountryFlag of the United Kingdom.svg  Great Britain
Sport Paralympic swimming
ClubPort Glasgow Otters
Coached byEddie McCluskey
Medal record
Paralympic Games
Swimming
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 1984 Stoke Mandeville
/ New York 		Men's 25 m Backstroke 1B

[1]

Gold medal icon (G initial).svg1984 Stoke Mandeville
/ New York		Men's 25 m Breaststroke 1B [2]
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg1984 Stoke Mandeville
/ New York		Men's 25 m Freestyle 1B [3]
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg1984 Stoke Mandeville
/ New York		Men's 100 m Freestyle 1B [4]
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2000 Sydney Men's 100 m Freestyle S3 [5]
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg1984 Stoke Mandeville
/ New York		Men's 3×25 m Individual Medley 1B [6]
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg1984 Stoke Mandeville
/ New York		Men's 3x25 m Freestyle Relay 1A-1C [7] [8]
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 1992 Barcelona Men's 150 m Medley SM3 [9]
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 1996 Atlanta Men's 50 m Butterfly S3 [10]
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg2000 SydneyMen's 200 m Freestyle S3 [11]
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg2000 SydneyMen's 50 m Freestyle S3 [12]
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg2000 SydneyMen's 4×50 m Freestyle 20 pts [13]
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 2004 Athens Men's 4x50 m Freestyle 20 pts [14]

Kenneth Cairns MBE (born 20 December 1957) is a British swimmer who won five Paralympic gold medals across five Games, along with several world titles. [15] He broke several records in swimming events, and was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2001 New Year Honours for services to disabled sports. [16] [15] [17]

Contents

Cairns was inducted into the Scottish Sports Hall of Fame in 2015, [18] and into the Scottish Swimming Hall of Fame in 2018. [19] [20]

Biography

At the age of 16 Cairns was involved in a motorcycle accident which resulted in damage to his spine and left him confined to a wheelchair. [17] [21] He began swimming to improve his fitness in 1976 and, at the National Stoke Mandeville Games the following year, won all of the swimming events that he entered. Before dedicating his time fully to swimming he chose to go to college and finish his education. [21] He returned to the pool in 1982 and began competed in class S3 events up until he retired due to ill health just before the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing. [15] When not swimming Cairns is a keen harmonica player who regularly competes in the annual National Championships in Bristol. In 2009 he won in the jazz section. [21]

Cairns made his Paralympic Games debut in 1984, winning four gold medals, one individual silver, and a team silver in the relay. [8] While this would prove to be his greatest Paralympic performance he was able to win at least one medal in every Paralympic Games from 1992 to 2004, finding particular success in the freestyle events. Between 1990 and 2006 Cairns won 16 medals in World Championship competitions, including 7 golds, and 21 medals in European Championships until 2001. [19] He swam relay events with Mike Kenny and Sascha Kindred amongst others. [8] [14]

Now retired, Cairns continues to support swimming galas around the country that are organised by Scottish Disability Sport. [15] At one such event Cairns met and inspired Andrew Mullen who went on to find World Championship and Paralympic swimming success. [22]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matt Levy</span> Australian Paralympic swimmer

Matthew John Levy, is a retired Australian Paralympic swimmer. At five Paralympic Games from 2004 to 2020, he has won three gold, one silver and six bronze medals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roy Fowler (Paralympian)</span> Australian Paralympic competitor

Roy Fowler was an Australian Paralympic competitor, who won ten medals at six Paralympics from 1964 to 1988.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Australia at the 1964 Summer Paralympics</span> Sporting event delegation

Also known as the 13th Stoke Mandeville Games, the 1964 Summer Paralympics was the 2nd Paralympic Games. Hosted in Tokyo, the games ran from 8 to 12 November. Australia won a total of 30 medals and finished fourth on the medal tally behind Italy (3rd), Great Britain (2nd) and the United States (1st). Australia competed in 6 of the 9 sports at the Games, winning medals in each of those sports, but was most successful in the pool, winning a majority of their medals in swimming events.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greg Hammond</span> Australian Paralympic swimmer

Gregory John Hammond , OAM is an Australian Paralympic swimmer who also competed at an international level in sailing and volleyball.

Wayne Ryding is an English Paralympic swimmer, who was born in Wigan and initially competed for Australia. At the 1984 New York/Stoke Mandeville Paralympics, he won a gold medal in the Men's 100 m Freestyle 5 event, in which he set a new world record, and a silver medal in the Men's 400 m Freestyle 5 event. At the 1988 Seoul Paralympics, he won a bronze medal in the Men's 400 m Freestyle 5 event. He then married an Englishwoman and moved to England. He represented England at the 1994 Victoria Commonwealth Games, and represented Great Britain at both the 1996 Atlanta and 2000 Sydney Paralympics; he won a bronze medal at the 2000 games in the Men's 100 m Breaststroke SB6 event.

Phillip John Tracey is a quadriplegic Australian Paralympic swimmer. At the 1984 New York/Stoke Mandeville Paralympics, he won a bronze medal in the Men's 100 m Freestyle 1A event. He won three silver medals at the 1988 Seoul Games in the Men's 100 m Freestyle 1A, Men's 25 m Backstroke 1A and Men's 50 m Freestyle 1A events. He competed in swimming without winning a medal at the 1992 Barcelona Paralympics. He was from Murrumbeena, Victoria and 34 at the time of the Games.

Helena Martha Brunner, OAM, is an Australian swimmer, who won seven medals at the 1984 New York/Stoke Mandeville Games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grant Patterson</span> Australian swimmer

Grant Patterson is an Australian Paralympic swimmer. At the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics, his second games, he won a silver and bronze medal.

Robert "Bob" Staddon is an Australian Paralympic swimmer who won three bronze medals at the 1984 New York/Stoke Mandeville Paralympics.

Bruce Oliver Thwaite was an Australian Paralympic competitor. During World War II, he sustained a spinal injury when he landed on a tree after parachuting from a bomber plane over Germany. He was treated at the Stoke Mandeville Hospital.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daniel Fox (swimmer)</span> Australian Paralympic swimmer

Daniel Fox is an Australian Paralympic swimmer. He won a silver medal at the 2012 Summer Paralympics and gold medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games. He represented Australia at the 2016 Rio Paralympics being awarded a bronze most recently in the 200m Freestyle S14. He has won gold at the Global Games, the Arafura Games, World Championships, Can-Am Championships, Para Pan Pacific Championships, EnergyAustralia Championships and the Commonwealth Games. Daniel also holds the world record for the 50m freestyle (24.77) and the 100m freestyle record (53.50) in the S14 classification. Daniel Fox is also the Australian ambassador for the INAS Global Games in 2019.

Michael Mike Quinn is an Australian Paralympic athletics, swimming and snooker competitor.

Mike Kenny, MBE is a retired British swimmer. He won 16 gold medals and two silvers over four Paralympic Games, making him the second most successful British Paralympian of all time. He twice retained his gold medals in three swimming events, breaking numerous world records in the process.

Sebastián Rodríguez Veloso is a Spanish Paralympic swimmer. He has competed at four Paralympic Games winning fifteen medals: eight gold, four silver and three bronze. His attendance at the Games was controversial after it was revealed that he had been jailed for bomb attacks while a member of First of October Anti-Fascist Resistance Groups (GRAPO).

Isabel Newstead, was a British paralympic athlete who competed at seven consecutive Paralympic Games from 1980 to 2004. Overall, Newstead won ten gold, four silver and four bronze medals in three different sports. She was inducted into the Scottish Sports Hall of Fame in 2008.

Rick Resa is a paralympic athlete from the United States competing mainly in category C2 events.

Robin Hugh Surgeoner is a British retired swimmer. He won nine gold medals across three Paralympic Games competing as a British Paralympian in C4 events. Surgeoner was one of the original members of the British Paralympic Association committee. He now works as a Swim Coach, as an inclusion empowerment consultant and musician.

Ana María Peiró is a Spanish paralympic athlete who competed in Para swimming. She won eight medals at the 1984 Summer Paralympics and 1988 Summer Paralympics. 

Pilar Javaloyas is a Spanish paralympic athlete who competed in Para swimming. She won eleven medals at the 1980, 1984, and 1988 Summer Paralympics.

Ruth Lamsbach is a German paralympic athlete and multiple medalist at the Paralympic Games.

References

  1. ↑ "Swimming at the Stoke Mandeville & New York 1984 Paralympic Games – Men's 25 m Backstroke 1B". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  2. ↑ "Swimming at the Stoke Mandeville & New York 1984 Paralympic Games – Men's 25 m Breaststroke 1B". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  3. ↑ "Swimming at the Stoke Mandeville & New York 1984 Paralympic Games – Men's 25 m Freestyle 1B". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  4. ↑ "Swimming at the Stoke Mandeville & New York 1984 Paralympic Games – Men's 100 m Freestyle 1B". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  5. ↑ "Swimming at the Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games – Men's 100 m Freestyle S3". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  6. ↑ "Swimming at the Stoke Mandeville & New York 1984 Paralympic Games – Men's 3×25m Individual Medley 1B". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  7. ↑ "Swimming at the Stoke Mandeville & New York 1984 Paralympic Games – Men's 3x25 m Freestyle Relay 1A-1C". International Paralympic Committee. Archived from the original on 27 February 2018. Retrieved 26 February 2018.
  8. 1 2 3 Brittain, Ian (2012). From Stoke Mandeville to Stratford: A History of the Summer Paralympic Games (PDF). pp. 190–197. ISBN   161229412X. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 November 2017.
  9. ↑ "Swimming at the Barcelona 1992 Paralympic Games – Men's 150 m Medley SM3". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  10. ↑ "Swimming at the Barcelona 1992 Paralympic Games – Men's 50 m Butterfly S3". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  11. ↑ "Swimming at the Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games – Men's 200 m Freestyle S3". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  12. ↑ "Swimming at the Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games – Men's 50 m Freestyle S3". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  13. ↑ "Swimming at the Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games – Men's 4×50 m Freestyle 20 pts". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  14. 1 2 "Swimming at the Athens 2004 Paralympic Games – Men's 4×50 m Freestyle 20 pts". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  15. 1 2 3 4 "CAIRNS Kenneth, MBE". Scottish Disability Sport. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  16. ↑ United Kingdom list: "No. 56070". The London Gazette (Supplement). 30 December 2000. p. 15.
  17. 1 2 Behan, Paul (9 August 2012). "Swim 'King' Kenny to feature on BBC Radio Scotland programme". Daily Record. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  18. ↑ "Kenny Cairns MBE". Scottish Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  19. 1 2 Race, Loretta (1 October 2018). "Duncan Scott & Steven Tigg Earn Top Scottish Swimming Honors". SwimSwam. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  20. ↑ "Scottish Swimming celebrate a year of success". Scottish Swimming. 1 October 2018. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  21. 1 2 3 "Paralympians' Club – Kenneth Cairns". British Paralympic Association. Archived from the original on 10 February 2018. Retrieved 24 February 2018.
  22. ↑ "The New Kids on the Swimming Block". scottishdisabilitysport.com. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 9 February 2014.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.