Christie Dawes

Christie Dawes née Skelton (born 3 May 1980)[1] is an Australian Paralympic wheelchair racing athlete. She has won three medals in athletics at six Paralympics from 1996 to 2016 .

Christie Dawes
Dawes pre race at the 2000 Summer Paralympics
Personal information
Birth nameChristie Skelton
NationalityAustralian
Born (1980-05-03) 3 May 1980
Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia
ResidenceSydney, New South Wales, Australia
Height1.56 m (5 ft 1 in) (2008)
Weight45 kg (99 lb) (2008)
Sport
CountryAustralia
SportWheelchair racing
Event(s)800 m, 1500 m and 5000 m, Marathon
Medal record
Wheelchair racing
Representing  Australia
Paralympic Games
2008 BeijingWomen's 4×100 m T53–T54
2016 Rio Women's 4×400 T53-54
2012 LondonWomen's 5000 m T54
IPC Athletics World Championships
1998 BirminghamWomen's 4 × 100 T54-55
1998 BirminghamWomen's 4 × 400 T54-55

Personal

When she was young, Dawes was very interested in athletics. At the age of 10, she was in a car accident. She survived, but became a paraplegic.[2] Christie continued in her career in athletics, but also took up the job of a primary school teacher.[3] She is married to her coach Andrew Dawes and their son was born in 2011.[1]

Athletics
Dawes shown waiting at the 100 m semi final wheelchair race, 2000 Summer Paralympics. Cheri Beccera (US) is seen in the foreground.
Photo of Dawes at City2Surf 2011, where she was the winner of the women's Wheelchair Division

In 1996, Dawes competed in the Atlanta Paralympics,[4] where she was awarded the 1996 Young Paralympian of the Year Award.[1]

Three years later, she won a bronze medal for the 10 km Peachtree Road Race. In 2000, she competed in the Sydney Paralympics.[4]

Next was the 2004 Paralympics in Athens Paralympics, where she competed in 800 m, 1500 m, and 5000 m races and the Marathon.[3][5] She also competed in the 800 m wheelchair demonstration event at the 2004 Athens Olympics.[6]

She competed in the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games, coming fifth in the Women's 800 m EAD T54 event.[7]

Dawes competed in the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing, and was one of several competitors caught up in a crash during the final of the women's 5000 m T54 wheelchair event, eventually finishing sixth despite a broken front wheel.[8] The race was re-run, and Dawes spoke out against the treatment of Canadian athlete Diane Roy, who had been awarded the gold medal in the event, only to have it taken back and replaced with a silver medal when she finished second in the re-run.[9] Dawes won a silver medal at the Women's 4x100 m T53/54 event at the Beijing games.[5]

A few months after the games, she came third in the New York City Marathon.[1] In January 2009, she won the Oz Day 10K Wheelchair Road Race.[10] In February 2010, Dawes won the 10 km world wheelchair road race championships in the United Arab Emirates.[11]

Dawes at the 2012 London Paralympics
Dawes at the 2012 London Paralympics

After giving birth to her son in February 2011, she won three bronze medals at the 2011 National Titles in April. She then won a silver medal in the Chicago Marathon and came fourth in the New York City Marathon.[1] At the 2012 London Paralympics, Dawes participated in the T54 class of the 800 m, 1500 m, 5000 m and marathon events.

She won a bronze medal in the T54 5000 m [5] and finished sixth in the T54 marathon.[12] At the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games, she came fourth in the 1500 m T54.[13]

At the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Paralympics, she competed in four events and medalled in one. Christie, Angie Ballard, Madison de Rozario and Jemima Moore placed 3rd in the 4x400m relay but were disqualified, before successfully appealing the decision and being reinstated to 2nd.[1] Her results in the 2016 Rio Olympics are as follows; 1500 m T54 placed 8th overall with a time of 3:26.00. 5000 m T54 she placed 11th in her heat with a time of 12:15.95 and did not advance to the finals. In the Marathon T54 she placed 7th overall with a time of 1:42:59.[14]

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References
  1. "Christie Dawes". Australian Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 14 June 2012.
  2. Christie Dawes Archived 2009-09-12 at the Wayback Machine, Telstra Paralympic Education Program.
  3. Athlete Profile: Christie Dawes, Athletics Australia.
  4. Results for Christie Skelton from the International Paralympic Committee (archived). Retrieved 14 June 2012.
  5. Results for Christie Dawes from the International Paralympic Committee (archived). Retrieved 6 October 2012.
  6. "Christie Dawes". Australian Olympic Committee. Retrieved 14 June 2012.
  7. "DAWES Christie". Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games Corporation. Archived from the original on 21 April 2012. Retrieved 14 June 2012.
  8. Crash delivers Dawes another chance, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 9 September 2008.
  9. Swanton, Will: Anger as win turns to fool's gold, The Age, 13 September 2008.
  10. "Oz Day 10K HALL OF FAME" (PDF). Wheelchair Sports NSW website. Retrieved 1 March 2015.
  11. Dawes claims wheelchair world title , The Sydney Morning Herald, 7 February 2010.
  12. "2012 T54 Marathon Results". International Paralympic Committee. Archived from the original on 19 April 2014. Retrieved 6 October 2012.
  13. "Angela Ballard wins para-1500m gold, Kurt Fearnley claims silver". ABC News. 1 August 2014. Retrieved 1 August 2014.
  14. "Results - Women's Marathon - T52/T53/T54". International Paralympic Committee. 18 September 2016. Archived from the original on 26 October 2016. Retrieved 19 September 2016.
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