Sam McIntosh

Sam McIntosh (born 13 July 1990) is an Australian Paralympic athlete who races in the T52 100m, 200m, and 400m events. He holds 3 Australian National Records and 2 Oceania Records. He represented Australia at the 2012 London Paralympic Games and 2016 Rio Paralympic Games in athletics as well as the 2011, 2015, 2017, and 2019 Para Athletic World Championships.[1][2]

Sam McIntosh
2016 Australian Paralympic Team portrait of McIntosh
Personal information
Nickname(s)Mallo, Quadzilla, Quadzilla Sam
NationalityAustralia
Born (1990-07-13) 13 July 1990
Drysdale, Victoria
WebsiteSamMcIntosh.com
Sport
CountryAustralia
SportParalympic athletics
Event(s)100 metre, 200 metre and 400 metre
Turned pro2011
Coached byFred Periac
Achievements and titles
World finals2011, 2015, 2017, 2019
Paralympic finals2012, 2016
Personal best(s)17.07 (100 metre), 32.02 (200 metre) 64.08 (400 metre)

Early Life

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

[3][4] In 2007, while riding a BMX bike on a family holiday in Coffs Harbour, he had an accident that left him a C6 quadriplegic.[3][5][6]

Post-Accident

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.[3][6]

Second Accident

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.[4][4]

McIntosh switched from wheelchair rugby to athletics following a meeting with Kaye Colman, the mother of Richard Colman.[3][6] He started competing in 2009.[7] In 2010, he was coached by Mandi Cole.[6] That year, he was able to purchase a racing wheelchair that fit him better.[7] 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.[3]

In 2012, he participated in a national team training camp at the Australian Institute of Sport.[5] He was selected to represent Australia at the 2012 Summer Paralympics in athletics in the 100 m and 200 m events.[3][4] He did not medal at the 2012 Games.[8]

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.[8] 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 2017 World Para Athletics Championships in London, England, he finished sixth in 100m T52 (18.69s (+0.4)) and ranked 12th in the Men's 400m T52.[9] McIntosh was one of three Geelong Para Athletes, as well as Martin Jackson and Jemima Moore, to be selected for the Championships.[10]

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, tieing 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).


Records

Sam currently holds three Australian National Records and two Oceania Records. [11]

Australian National Records

T52 100m: 17.07s (+1.9m/s) (Canberra, Australia, January 21, 2020) Previously beating his own record of 17.30 from Arbon, Switzerland in 2015

T52 200m: 32.02s (+0.6m/s) (Arbon, Switzerland, June 4, 2015)

T52 400m: 1:04.08s (Perth, WA, Australia, April 16, 2010)


Oceania Records

T52 100m: 17.07s (+1.9m/s) (Canberra, Australia, January 21, 2020) Previously beating his own record of 17.39 from Canberra, Australia in 2016

T52 200m: 33.08s (+1.5m/s) (Canberra, Australia, January 21, 2014)

Notes
  1. "Australian Paralympic Athletics Team announced". Australian Paralympic Committee News, 2 August 2016. Archived from the original on 9 April 2019. Retrieved 2 August 2016.
  2. McIntosh, Sam (17 April 2019). "Sam McIntosh—FAQ". Sam McIntosh. Archived from the original on 20 April 2019. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
  3. Wednesday, 15 August 2012 (13 July 1990). "Coles and VIS present Gateway to London | Sam McIntosh | Paralympic Athletes". Victorian Institute of Sport. Retrieved 15 August 2012.
  4. "Sam McIntosh". Australia: Australian Paralympic Committee. 2012. Archived from the original on 12 July 2012. Retrieved 13 July 2012.
  5. Name: (will appear on website) (1 August 2012). "Sam overcomes selection setback". Geelong Advertiser. Retrieved 15 August 2012.
  6. "Go-go Sam embraces life". Geelong Advertiser. 7 August 2010. Retrieved 15 August 2012.
  7. "Sam's Paralympic dreams given boost". Geelong Advertiser. 26 November 2010. Archived from the original on 17 February 2011. Retrieved 15 August 2012.
  8. "Sam McIntosh". Australian Athletics Historical Results. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 14 November 2016.
  9. Ryner, Sascha. "A trio of gold medals bolsters Australia's medal tally". Athletics Australia News, 23 July 2017. Archived from the original on 26 August 2017. Retrieved 23 July 2017.
  10. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 4 September 2017. Retrieved 4 September 2017.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  11. "Athletics Australia - Records". Athletics Australia. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
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