McIntosh was born on 13 July 1990 in Geelong, the youngest of three children to Glenn and Jenny McIntosh. He attended St. Thomas Primary School in Drysdale. In his youth, Sam showed an interest in individual sports and activities, such as swimming, karate, and BMX bike riding. Sam swam at the state level and at the Victorian Country LC Championships. Sam graduated with a VCE from Saint Ignatius College Geelong in 2008 after returning to school post-accident.
The Accident
In 2007, while riding a BMX bike on a family holiday in Coffs Harbour, he had an accident that left him a C6 quadriplegic.[5][6][7][8]
While in rehabilitation, he was visited by a school friend's sister, fellow Paralympian, Jemima Moore, who encouraged him to explore para sport. Following his accident, he initially played wheelchair rugby.[7][6]
On 31 December 2011, on a dance floor, his neck was broken for a second time. He spent two weeks in hospital and three months doing rehabilitation before he was able to continue his athletics career.[5] With six months between him and the 2012 London Paralympics, Sam was determined to recover, get back to training and represent his county. He succeeded.
Athletics
McIntosh at the 2012 London Paralympics
McIntosh is a T52 classified athlete who competes in the 100 metre, 200 metre and 400 metre events.[8]
McIntosh switched from wheelchair rugby to athletics following a meeting with Kaye Colman, the mother of Richard Colman.[7][6] He started competing in 2009.[9] In 2010, he was coached by Mandi Cole.[6] That year, he was able to purchase a racing wheelchair that fit him better.[9] At the 2011 Australian National Titles, he earned a gold medal in the 100 metre event, and a silver medal in the 200 metre event.[7]
Sam became ill after arriving in Rio for the 2016 Rio Paralympics. Although he was ill, he insisted on racing in the T52 100m event and he finished in fourth place.[10] Just after crossing the finish line for the T52 100m finals, Beat Bösch mistakenly drifted into his lane and crashed into him. Sam was upturned on the track and his racing chair was badly damaged. A medical team attended to him and due to health concerns and a concussion from the crash, Sam withdrew from the upcoming 400m event.
At the 2019 World Para Athletics Championships in Dubai, UAE, he finished third in his 100m T52 heat, pushing him through to the finals where he placed sixth with a time of 17.69s, tying his season best. This time was fast enough to make him eligible to be selected for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics (official selections have yet to be made).
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