Clare Cunningham (athlete)

Clare Cunningham (née Bishop on born 15 June 1977) is a retired Paralympic swimmer and triathlete who represented Great Britain.[1] She was born without her left forearm.[2]

Clare Cunningham

Cunningham at the 2016 Paralympics
Personal information
Nationality	United Kingdom
Born	(1977-06-15) 15 June 1977 Hillingdon, UK
Height	5'6"
Medal record Representing  United Kingdom Women's Swimming Paralympic Games 1992 Barcelona 50m freestyle S9 1992 Barcelona 100 m backstroke S9 1992 Barcelona 100m freestyle S9 1992 Barcelona 4×100 m freestyle relay S7-10 1992 Barcelona 4×100m medley relay S7-10 Women's Paratriathlon ITU Triathlon World Championships 2009 Gold Coast TRI 4 2010 Budapest TRI 4 2011 Beijing TRI 4 2012 Auckland TRI 4 2013 London TRI 4 2014 Edmonton PT4 European Triathlon Championships 2009 Holten TRI 4 2010 Athlone TRI 4 2011 Pontevedra TRI 4 2013 Alanya TRI 4 2015 Geneva PT4 ITU Aquathlon World Championships 2012 Auckland TRI 4

Cunningham first swam in international competition at the age of 13, at the 1990 World Championships and Games for the Disabled in Assen, The Netherlands.[3] At the 1992 Summer Paralympics, Cunningham won the Women's S9 50m freestyle event in what was then World Record time.[4] She won silver medals in 100m freestyle, 100m backstroke, 4 × 100 m freestyle relay and 4 × 100 m medley relay events.[5] She competed at the 1996 Summer Paralympics but did not win a medal.[5] She retired from swimming after the Atlanta Paralympic games.[1]

In 2006, Cunningham turned to triathlon.[1][2] Initially competing in age-group races against non-disabled triathletes, she discovered paratriathlon in 2009.[1][6] Classified as a TRI-4 (arm-impaired) paratriathlete, she became the 2009 ITU European Paratriathlon Champion and 2009 World Paratriathlon Champion in her class.[7] She placed second at the ITU World Paratriathlon Championships in 2010, 2011 and 2012, and third in 2013 and 2014.[7]

In late 2012, Cunningham was elected to the International Triathlon Union Athletes Committee. She and South African Oswald Kydd, elected on the same day, are the first-ever paratriathlete representatives on the ITU Athletes Committee.[8][9]

Cunningham competed in paratriathlon at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in the PT4 category and finished seventh.[10]

To prepare for Rio 2016, Cunningham took a sabbatical from her career as a Chartered Accountant at Deloitte and has a 2:1 MA Honours in English Language and Literature from the University of St Andrews, Scotland.[11]

Since retiring Cunningham has gained an MSc in Sport and Exercise Psychology with distinction from Loughborough University. Cunningham is now using her wide range of experience of Paralympic sport in her role as Athlete Services Manager at the British Paralympic Association. [11][12]

References

1. "Clare Cunningham". International Triathlon Union. Retrieved 18 January 2013.
2. "Clare Cunningham: 2009 World Champion". British Triathlon. Retrieved 18 January 2013.
3. "Clare Cunningham: FAQ". Archived from the original on 22 July 2012. Retrieved 18 January 2013.
4. "Barcelona 1992 Paralympic Games – Swimming – Women's 50 m Freestyle S9". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 18 January 2013.
5. "Paralympic Games: Athlete Search Results: Clare Bishop". International Paralympic Committee. Archived from the original on 14 October 2013.
6. "Discovering paratriathlon". Clare Cunningham. Archived from the original on 20 April 2013. Retrieved 18 January 2013.
7. "Clare Cunningham: Results". International Triathlon Union. Retrieved 18 January 2013.
8. "Clare Cunningham elected to ITU Athletes' Committee". British Triathlon. Retrieved 18 January 2013.
9. "Committees". International Triathlon Union. 26 December 2012.
10. Clare Cunningham Archived 22 September 2016 at the Wayback Machine. rio2016.com
11. "Clare Cunningham Paralympics GB". Paralympics GB. Retrieved 20 June 2020.
12. "Clare Cunningham BPA Appointment". Paralympics GB. Retrieved 20 June 2020.

External links

• Clare Cunningham's website