Kevin Cunningham (Paralympian)
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Kevin Cunningham |
| Nationality |  Australia |
| Born | 11 August 1939 |
| Died | 4 January 2023 (aged 83) |
Kevin Cunningham (11 August 1939 – 4 January 2023) was an Australian Paralympic athlete. A member of Australia's first Paralympic Games team, he participated at the 1960 Rome and 1968 Tel Aviv Paralympic Games.
Personal
[edit]Kevin Cunningham was born in Perth, Western Australia on 11 August 1939.[1] His parents were Irene and Edward.[1] His mother Irene died when he was six and was brought up by his grandmother.[1] He attended Jolimont School and Perth Technical College.[1] He undertook an apprenticeship at SW Hart & Company.[1] In 1957, he was involved in a motor vehicle accident and thrown out of T-Model Ford.[1] He was in a coma for three weeks.[1] His rehabilitation was undertaken at the Shenton Park Rehabilitation Centre.[1] In 1966, he married Maureen, a nurse from Shenton Park Rehabilitation Centre.[1]
Cunningham died on 4 January 2023, at the age of 83.[2]
Career
[edit]![[icon]](/wiki/File:Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg){kind=small} | This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (January 2016) |
Paralympic Games
[edit]
Cunningham's interest in Paralympic sport stemmed from his time at Shenton Park Rehabilitation Centre where he witnessed residents training for the International Stoke Mandeville Games.[1] He participated at the 1960 Rome Games, in wheelchair fencing and wheelchair basketball.[3][4] He was not selected for 1964 Tokyo Games due to an injury in selection trials in Adelaide.[1] He participated in the 1968 Tel Aviv Games in men's slalom C in athletics and wheelchair basketball.[4][5] Cunningham won silver medals in both of these events.[1]
Whilst celebrating 50 years of Paralympic sport, in 2010, Cunningham was honoured as a member of the Australian wheelchair basketball team which competed at the 1960 Rome Games alongside his teammates; Kevin Coombs, Gary Hooper, Bill Mather-Brown, Bruno Moretti, and Chris O'Brien[6] (pictured on the right).
Commonwealth Paraplegic Games
[edit]Cunningham participated in three Commonwealth Paraplegic Games. At the 1962 Perth Games, he competed in many events and won gold medals in the pentathlon and men's wheelchair basketball.[1][7] At the 1966 Kingston Games, he won a gold medal in track relay, 3 silver and two bronze medals in basketball and track and field events.[1] He competed at the 1970 Games in Edinburgh, Scotland and then retired from Paralympic sport.[1]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "Kevin Cunningham interviewed by Ian Jobling in the Australian Centre for Paralympic Studies oral history project, National Library of Australia, 2011". National Library of Australia Oral History. Retrieved 6 January 2016.
- ^ "The West Announcements". www.westannouncements.com.au. 7 January 2023. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
- ^ "The Original Wheelchair Basketball team honoured". Australian Basketball Association. Retrieved 7 January 2016.
- ^ a b Labanowich, Stan; Thiboutot, Armand. "Team Rosters:Paralympic Games (Men) 1960–1980" (PDF). Wheelchairs Can Jump. Retrieved 7 January 2016.
- ^ "Cunningham". International Paralympic Committee Historical Results Database. Retrieved 7 January 2016.
- ^ "The Original Wheelchair Basketball Team Honoured". Basketball Australia. 27 October 2010. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
- ^ Report of the First Commonwealth Paraplegic Games, Perth, Western Australia, 10–17 November 1962. Perth: Paraplegic Association of Western Australia. 1962.
External links
[edit]
- 1939 births
- 2023 deaths
- Paralympic athletes for Australia
- Paralympic wheelchair basketball players for Australia
- Paralympic wheelchair fencers for Australia
- Wheelchair basketball players at the 1960 Summer Paralympics
- Wheelchair fencers at the 1960 Summer Paralympics
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1968 Summer Paralympics
- Wheelchair basketball players at the 1968 Summer Paralympics
- Wheelchair category Paralympic competitors
- Australian amputees
- Athletes from Perth, Western Australia
- Australian male fencers
- Sportsmen from Western Australia