Neil Fuller

Neil Robert Fuller, OAM[1] (born 2 August 1969 in Shoreham by Sea, Sussex)[2] is an Australian athlete, Paralympic competitor, and amputee.

Neil Fuller

Action shot of Fuller sprinting at the 2000 Summer Paralympics
Personal information
Full name	Neil Robert Fuller
Nationality	Australian
Born	2 August 1969 (1969-08-02) (age 51) Shoreham by Sea, Sussex, England
Medal record Men's para athletics Representing  Australia Paralympic Games 1992 Barcelona 4 x 100 m TS2,4 1996 Atlanta 4 x 100 m T42-46 2000 Sydney 200 m T44 2000 Sydney 400 m T44 2000 Sydney 4 x 100 m T46 2000 Sydney 4 x 400 m T46 1992 Barcelona 200 m TS2 1992 Barcelona 400 m TS2 1996 Atlanta 100 m T43-44 1996 Atlanta 200 m T43-44 2004 Athens 400 m T44 2004 Athens 4 x 400 m T42-46 1992 Barcelona 100 m TS2 2000 Sydney 100 m T46 2004 Athens 4 x 100 m T42-46 World Championships 1994 Berlin 100 m T44 1994 Berlin 200 m T44 1994 Berlin 400 m T44 1994 Berlin 4 x 100 m T42-46 1998 Birmingham 100 m T44 1998 Birmingham 200 m T44 1998 Birmingham 400 m T44 1998 Birmingham 4 x 400 m T42-46 2002 Lille 200 m T44 2002 Lille 400 m T44 1994 Berlin Long Jump F44 World Championships and Games for the Disabled 1990 Assen Long Jump 7F

Fuller carrying the Australian flag at the 2000 Summer Paralympics

During his youth, Neil was an ambitious soccer player, gaining a position playing at state level for South Australia. It was during a soccer match on 25 July 1987[3] that his tibia and fibula were broken, and a major artery in his right leg was severed in an attempted tackle to the shin. Legally becoming an adult during his 22 days in hospital, he opted to have the lower part of his right leg amputated after gangrene had set in.

In February 1989, Fuller entered the Amputee Nationals in Adelaide in the 100m race, long jump and high jump. Fuller was then selected as a member of the Australian team to compete at the Far East and South Pacific International Championships where he competed in the 100m, long jump, high jump and the pentathlon.[3]

After the accident, Fuller made a comeback into the world of sports becoming a world class runner and world record holder.

He is now coordinator of Sport at St Peters Collegiate Girls School in Adelaide, South Australia

Athletic Achievement

In 1990, Fuller competed in the World Championships and Games for the Disabled in Assen, Netherlands winning a bronze medal in the men's long jump 7F.[4] Fuller also participated in the 1998 World Championships in Birmingham, UK where he won four gold medals.[5] He participated in four consecutive Summer Paralympic Games, from 1992 to 2004. In 1992 he won a gold medal, for which he received a Medal of the Order of Australia,[1] two silver medals, and one bronze medal. At the 1996 Summer Paralympics, he won silver in the 100 and 200 metre races and gold in the 4×100 metre relay. Four years later, at the Sydney Paralympics, he won four gold medals in the 200 metres, 400 metres, 4×100 metre relay, and 4×400 metre relay, and a bronze in the 100 metres. At the 2004 Paralympics in Athens, he won two silver medals in the 400 metres and the 4×400 metre relay, and a bronze in the 4×100 metre relay.[6]

Awards

He was inducted into the Athletics South Australia Hall of Fame in 1997.

In 2012, Neil was inducted into the South Australia Sport Hall of Fame.[7]

In 2000, Fuller received an Australian Sports Medal for "service to amputee athletics as World Class Competitor and Development of National Training Squad".[8]

In 2001, he was inducted into the Australian Institute of Sport 'Best of the Best'[9]

References

1. "Fuller, Neil Robert, OAM". It's an Honour. Archived from the original on 16 December 2013. Retrieved 2 January 2012.
2. Xth Paralympic Games Atlanta U.S.A. August 15-25 1996 : Australia : team handbook. Sydney: Australian Paralympic Federation. 1996. p. 26.
3. Fuller, Neil (2000). One Foot in the Door. South Australia: Single X Publications. p. 13. ISBN 0957702809.
4. World Championships and Games for the Disabled - Athletics Results. Netherlands: Organising Committee. 1990.
5. "Article of the Month". E-Bility. 2002. Retrieved 21 July 2017.
6. Results for Neil Fuller from the International Paralympic Committee (archived), retrieved 10 January 2012.
7. Homfray, Reece (11 October 2012). "Five SA legends to be honoured in Sport Hall of Fame". News.com.au. Retrieved 21 July 2017.
8. "Fuller, Neil Robert: Australian Sports Medal". It's an Honour. Retrieved 10 January 2012.
9. Australian Institute of Sport 'Best of the Best' Archived 2012-11-17 at the Wayback Machine </

External links

• ABC news article
• Athletics.org profile
• Neil Fuller at Australian Athletics Historical Results
• Neil Fuller at the International Paralympic Committee