 2012 Australian Paralympic team portrait of Harding | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | 11 May 1991 Perth, Australia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.79 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Sam Harding (born 11 May 1991) is an Australian Paralympic athlete and paratriathlete. His classification is T12 and competed in 400m and the 800m events. [1] He represented Australia at the 2012 Summer Paralympics and 2020 Summer Paralympics in athletics and has been selected to compete in paratriathlon at the 2024 Paris Paralympics. [2]
Harding was born in Perth on 11 May 1991. [3] He has a visual impairment called choroideremia, which is a hereditary condition and has resulted in him losing most of his peripheral vision. [1] Harding attended Wesley College in Perth [1] where he competed in rowing and completed a course in massage therapy. [4]
Harding began his sporting career as a tandem cyclist competing for Western Australia. [4]
He then switched to running after winning three gold medals, in the 400m, 800m and 1500m, at the 2009 Paralympic Youth Games in Melbourne. [4] After this success, Harding was recognised by the Australian Paralympic Committee's Paralympic Talent Search Program and fast-tracked into a talent development camp held in Canberra. [5]
Between 2010 and 2012, Harding received a dAIS scholarship [6] and moved to the Australian Institute of Sport to train. [1]
In 2010, Harding competed in the 2010 national championships where he won bronze in the 800m. [4] He was then selected to represent Australia at the 2011 International Paralympic Committee Athletics World Championships, in Christchurch, where he achieved a personal best [1] and German Nationals where he finished fifth in both 800m events. [4]
Harding was selected to represent Australia at the 2012 Summer Paralympic Games. [3] However, he fell ill prior to his event, the T13 800m, and was unable to compete. [7]
He competed at the 91st and 92nd Australian Athletics Championships where he won silver in the men's 800m and 400m respectively. [8] [9]
In 2015, Harding won silver in the Men's 400m at the 2015 IPC Athletics Grand Prix held in Brisbane. [10]
At the 2020 Summer Paralympics in the Men's 1500 m T13, he finished eleventh. [11]
He was coached by Iryna Dvoskina and Philo Saunders at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra. [1]
At the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England with guide Luke Harvey, he won the silver medal in the Men's PTVI. [12] Harding went into the 2024 Paris Paralympics ranked eighth in the Men's PTVI and finished fifth with guide is Aaron Royle, Olympian at the 2016 and 2020 Games. [13]
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