| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Australian |
| Born | 1960 (age 63–64) |
Robert "Bob" Staddon (born 1960) is an Australian Paralympic swimmer who won three bronze medals at the 1984 New York/Stoke Mandeville Paralympics.
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Australian |
| Born | 1960 (age 63–64) |
Robert "Bob" Staddon (born 1960) is an Australian Paralympic swimmer who won three bronze medals at the 1984 New York/Stoke Mandeville Paralympics.
Staddon was born in 1960 and grew up in the Sydney suburb of Avalon. [1] [2] In 1972, his family moved to Cooranbong and in 1973 to the Newcastle suburb of New Lambton. [1] He attended Broadmeadow High School until 1977. After leaving school, he joined the Royal Australian Navy as an able seaman. [1] In September 1980, he had a water slide accident in Jakarta, Indonesia that resulted him becoming a quadriplegic. [3] He underwent rehabilitation including swimming at Royal North Shore Hospital. [1] He was coached by Eric Arnold at the Junction Swim Centre in Newcastle. [1] From 1982 to 1986, he focussed on swimming and worked as an instructor at Forster and Junction Swim Centre. [1] He then lectured on the prevention of spinal injuries for Royal North Shore Hospital. [1] He became the first quadriplegic in Australia to gain an advanced open water diving certificate and a coxwain's certificate. [1]
At the 1981 Para-Quad national Games in Melbourne, he won a gold medal and two silver medals. [1] He won two gold medals and a silver medal at the 1982 FESPIC Games in Hong Kong. [1] At the 1983 International Stoke Mandeville Games he won two gold medals and a bronze medal. [1] He competed at the 1984 New York/Stoke Mandeville Games, where he won three bronze medals in the Men's 100 m Freestyle 1C, Men's 25 m Backstroke 1C and Men's 3×25 m Freestyle Relay 1A–1C events. [1] [4] [5]
In 1984, Staddon received the "Best Single Sporting Performance" award from Sport Australia, the NBN Sport Star of the Year Special Award, and the Para-Quad Sporting Federation's "Most Outstanding Swimming Award". [1] He was named "Citizen of the Year" by the Newcastle Australia Day Council in 1987, and was inducted into the Hunter Region Sporting Hall of Fame in 1999. [1] [6]
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