Travis Gaertner

Travis Gaertner (born January 16, 1980) is a Canadian-American actuary. He previously competed with Team Canada in the Paralympic Games in wheelchair basketball, where he won a gold medal at the 2000 Summer Paralympics and the 2004 Summer Paralympics.

Travis Gaertner
Personal information
Nationality Canada  United States
Born (1980-01-16) January 16, 1980
Kitchener, Ontario, Canada
Education2003, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign
Websitegaertnergold.com
Medal record
Summer Paralympics
Wheelchair basketball
2000 Summer ParalympicsWheelchair basketball
2004 Summer ParalympicsWheelchair basketball

Early life and education

Gaertner was born on January 16, 1980 in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada to parents Diana and Jonathan.[1] He was born with a congenital disease causing him to be born without a left and half a right leg.[2] Until he was in fifth grade, Gaertner used a prosthetic leg but eventually switched to a wheelchair for better mobility.[3] When Gaertner was twelve years old, Jonathan died of cancer and he decided to take up wheelchair basketball.[4] By Grade 6, he qualified for the Manitoba Ramblers of the Manitoba Wheelchair Sports Association, and later joined the Manitoba senior wheelchair team. His play caught the attention of a Canadian coach who invited him to try out for the Canadian Paralympic team.[3]

Career

Gaertner joined Team Canada in 1998 and was selected to play for Canada at the 2000 Summer Paralympics.[5] After returning to the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign with a gold medal,[6] he helped the Manitoba Rolling Thunder win their first Canadian Wheelchair Basketball League championship title.[7] In 2002, he was one of four students who received the Wooddy Scholarship Award as someone who earned both academic and athletic acclaim.[8]

Later, he helped the Winnipeg Thunder win their third consecutive Canadian Wheelchair Basketball League championship title.[9] In 2004, Gaertner was named to Team Canada to compete at the 2004 Summer Paralympics[10] where he won gold.[11]

Gaertner earned his American citizenship in 2012 and qualified to compete with Team USA.[12] In May 2017, Gaertner began practicing handcycling under the coaching of Will Groulx and Tom Davis.[13] In 2018, he was named to the U.S. Paralympics Cycling Team for the 2018 UCI Road World Championships.[14]

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References
  1. "TRAVIS GAERTNER". teamusa.org. Retrieved January 8, 2020.
  2. "Travis burns up summer streets aboard specially-built bicycle". Winnipeg Free Press. Winnipeg. March 15, 1986.
  3. "Miles Macdonnell student aims for Sydney wheelchair basketball tourney". Winnipeg Free Press. Winnipeg. February 12, 1997.
  4. "He has no legs, but it's hard to feel sorry for him". Winnipeg Free Press. Winnipeg. June 2, 2000.
  5. "Michelle Stilwell, Travis Gaertner, Joe Johnson". Winnipeg Free Press. Winnipeg. September 13, 2000.
  6. "After Sydney: tracking down our Olympians". Winnipeg Free Press. Winnipeg. January 3, 2001.
  7. "Wheelchair athletes capture Canadian title". Winnipeg Free Press. Winnipeg. April 24, 2001.
  8. "Wooddy Scholarship Award" (PDF). math.illinois.edu/. Fall 2002. Retrieved January 8, 2020.
  9. "Pair perform magic for Thunder". Winnipeg Free Press. Winnipeg. April 23, 2003.
  10. "CANADIAN WHEELCHAIR BASKETBALL TEAMS SELECTED FOR ATHENS" (PDF). bcwbs.ca. Summer 2004. Retrieved January 8, 2020.
  11. "ATHENS 2004". cscm.ca. April 10, 2016. Retrieved January 8, 2020.
  12. Murphy, Dan (January 7, 2019). "Travis Gaertner's Quest for More Paralympic Gold". scifit.com. Retrieved January 8, 2020.
  13. Lieberman, Stuart (August 25, 2018). "Travis Gaertner Goes From Canadian Wheelchair Basketball Champion To American Para-cycling Hopeful". teamusa.org. Retrieved January 8, 2020.
  14. "U.S. Paralympics Cycling Announced 2018 Road World Championships Team to Include Local Burien Washington Handcyclist". prweb.com. July 19, 2018. Retrieved January 8, 2020.
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