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| Nationality |  Great Britain | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Website | MarcWoods.com | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Sport | Swimming | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Marc Woods is a former British swimmer, who competed at five Paralympic Games, (Seoul 1988, Barcelona 1992, Atlanta 1996, Sydney 2000, Athens 2004) winning 12 medals. [1] [2]
Born in Cleethorpes on the 1st February 1969 Marc Patrick Woods is the son of Maurice and Patricia Woods. A swimmer at county-level, Marc was diagnosed with an osteosarcoma as a teenager. Aged 17, he had his left foot amputated as a result of the cancer and underwent intensive chemotherapy at the Western Park Hospital in Sheffield. Following his amputation, the day after having his stitches removed, he returned to the pool coaches by his father. Within a year, he was swimming faster times with one foot than he previously had with two, and just 18 months after he finished his chemotherapy he was selected to represent Great Britain at the Seoul Paralympics. [1] [2]
Woods subsequently competed at European & World Championships and Paralympic Games. He was coached by three coaches over his career. Initially his father whilst he lived at home, then Doug Campbell at Barnet Coptahll Swimming Club and Millfield School and then finally with Lars Humer at the Manchester Aquatic Centre. In his 17 years of competition he won 12 Paralympic medals from five Paralympic Games held in Seoul, Barcelona, Atlanta, Sydney and Athens, and four of those medals being gold. [3] Woods also won a further 21 medals from European and World Championships. [1] [4]
After he retired from international swimming in 2004, he went on to commentate for both BBC Sport and Channel4 at the Paralympics in Beijing, London, Rio and Tokyo. At the same time he developed a successful consultancy business delivering team effectiveness solutions and executive coaching. Woods has delivered leadership solutions for many organizations such as the RBS, Barclays, IBM, Adidas, GSK, John Lewis Partnership, etc. [2] [5] He also travels extensively keynote addresses as a motivational speaker. [6]
Woods married Petra Karina Markell in 2008 and has a daughter Evie Clementine and a son Harry Maurice. Once retired from swimming he embarked on a series of new challenges such as developing mountaineering skills by trekking on Nepal, Ecuador and Peru. He also climbed the world's highest volcano Cotopaxi in Ecuador, Mont Pelvoux part of the Massif des Ecrins in France and the 22,200 ft Mera Peak in Nepal. [6]
Matthew John Cowdrey is an Australian politician and Paralympic swimmer. He presently holds numerous world records. He has a congenital amputation of his left arm; it stops just below the elbow. Cowdrey competed at the 2004 Paralympic Games, 2006 Commonwealth Games, 2008 Paralympic Games, 2010 Commonwealth Games, and the 2012 Paralympic Games. After the 2012 London Games, he is the most successful Australian Paralympian, having won thirteen Paralympic gold medals and twenty three Paralympic medals in total. On 10 February 2015, Cowdrey announced his retirement from swimming.
Sven "Rocker" Decaesstecker is a Belgian Paralympic swimmer.
Giles Bruce Long MBE, is a retired British swimmer, public speaker, TV presenter & commentator. He is also the inventor of LEXI.
Christine Ingrid Wolf, OAM is an Australian Paralympic athlete born in Germany who competed for Germany and Australia mainly in category F42 long jump and T 42 100 m events.
Ellie Victoria Cole, is an Australian retired Paralympic swimmer and wheelchair basketball player. After having her leg amputated due to cancer, she trained in swimming as part of her rehabilitation program and progressed more rapidly than instructors had predicted. She began competitive swimming in 2003 and first competed internationally at the 2006 IPC Swimming World Championships, where she won a silver medal. Since then, she has won medals in the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships, the Commonwealth Games, the Paralympic Games, the IPC Swimming World Championships, and various national championships. Following the 2012 London Paralympics, where she won four gold and two bronze medals, Cole underwent two shoulder reconstructions and made a successful return to swimming at the 2015 IPC Swimming World Championships, winning five medals, including three golds. She subsequently represented Australia at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Paralympics, the 2018 Commonwealth Games, and the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics. In claiming her seventeenth Paralympic medal in Tokyo, Cole became Australia's most decorated female Paralympian with six gold, five silver and six bronze medals from four Paralympic Games.
Laurence McGivern is a former Irish Paralympic swimmer from Rostrevor, County Down, Northern Ireland. He trained in Belfast, Northern Ireland with Invictus Swimming Club under coaching of Steven McQuillan, retiring in May 2015. He has congenital amputations of both legs just below the knee. McGivern was a finalist in the 2010 Commonwealth Games and the 2012 Paralympic Games as well as various IPC World and European Swimming Championships. He competes in the S9 classification in his main event, the 100m backstroke retiring after a third place and bronze medal at the IPC Swimming World Championships in Montreal 2013.
Graham Edmunds is a British swimmer who has competed in three Paralympic Games, winning two gold medals in world record times. He was a member of the Reading Swimming Club where he was also a part-time lifeguard and coached the Cygnets, Reading's club for swimmers with learning difficulties.
Peter Maurice Hull, MBE is a British Paralympic gold medalist.
Brenden Hall, is an Australian Paralympic amputee swimmer who won two gold medals at the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London. He represented Australia at the 2016 Rio Paralympics where he won one gold, one silver and one bronze medal. He competed at 2020 Summer Paralympics, his fourth games.
Brendan John Burkett, OAM is an Australian swimmer who won five medals at four Paralympics and a silver medal at the 1994 Victoria Commonwealth Games.
Michael Auprince, is an Australian swimmer and wheelchair basketball player. He set several swimming records and was selected to represent Australia at the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London in swimming, where he won gold and bronze medals. He represented the Rollers team at the 2020 Summer Paralympics.
Richard Eliason is an Australian swimmer. He was selected to represent Australia at the 2012 Summer Paralympics in swimming. He has an intellectual disability and was among the first intellectually disabled athletes to compete in the Paralympics after the 2000 Summer Paralympics intellectual disability controversy. While he did not receive a medal at the Games, he placed 5th in the final. He is a recipient of the Service to Australian Swim Team award.
Matthew Anthony "Matt" Haanappel, is an Australian Paralympic swimmer. He was born in Wantirna, Victoria and resides in the far eastern suburbs of Melbourne. He has cerebral palsy right hemiplegia. Haanappel has represented Australia at the 2012 Summer Paralympics, the 2013 IPC Swimming World Championships, the 2014 Pan Pacific Para Swimming Championships, the 2016 Summer Paralympics, and the 2018 Commonwealth Games. He represents the Camberwell Grammar School Aquatic club.
Malta sent a delegation to compete at the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London, United Kingdom, from 29 August to 9 September 2012. This was the country's eighth appearance in a Summer Paralympic Games. The Maltese delegation consisted of a single short-distance swimmer: Matthew Sultana. In his three events, the men's 50 metres freestyle S10, the men's 100 metre butterfly S10 and the men's 100 metre breaststroke SB9, he failed to qualify beyond the first round.
Elizabeth Johnson is a British swimmer who has won gold medals in the Paralympic Games and International Paralympic Committee (IPC) world championships. She has cerebral palsy, placing her in the S6 classification.
Alice Tai, is a British paralympic swimmer. Tai competes in the SB8, SM8 and S8. She has represented Great Britain at European and World Championships and at the Commonwealth and Paralympic Games, gold medals at all levels.
Jeanette Clare Chippington, is a British Paralympic swimmer and paracanoeist. Chippington has represented Great Britain at seven Paralympics, five in swimming Summer Paralympics, 1988 Seoul, 1992 Barcelona, 1996 Atlanta, Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004. Competing as a S6 classification swimmer she favoured mainly 50 m and 100m freestyle competitions. After retiring from swimming Chippington returned to disability sport, becoming a world class paracanoeist, winning gold at the 2016 Summer Paralympics and bronze at 2020 Tokyo Paralympics.
Macau sent a delegation to compete at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 7–18 September 2016. This was the territory's eighth time competing at a Summer Paralympic Games since it debuted at the 1988 Summer Paralympics. The Macanese delegation to Rio consisted of one athlete, 18-year old swimmer Chen Yu Chia, who qualified for the Games by being granted a wild card place from the International Paralympic Committee in August 2016. His best finish was 17th in the men's 200 metre freestyle S14 tournament, and his other result was 19th in the men's 200 metre individual medley SM14.
Cyprus sent a delegation to compete at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 7 to 18 September 2016. This was the island country's eighth consecutive appearance in a Summer Paralympiad having made its debut at the 1988 Summer Paralympics. The Cypriot delegation to Rio de Janeiro consisted of two athletes: sprinter Antonis Aresti and short-distance swimmer Karolina Pelendritou. Aresti placed sixth overall in the men's 400 metres T47 event and Pelendritou came fourth in the 100 metres breaststroke SB13 competition after losing the bronze medal by 20 cm (7.9 in) in the final.
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.
