Sam McIntosh

BIOGRAPHY

Starting with his debut in 2011 at the World Para Athletics Championships, wheelchair racer Sam McIntosh, has compiled an impressive career which has included three Paralympic Games and four world championships. Selected for the 2023 World Para Athletics Championships, Sam will be chasing that elusive first medal after a number of fourth places.

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Sam McIntosh’s life changed dramatically in 2007 when he fell off a BMX bike while holidaying with his family in Coffs Harbour, breaking his neck to become a quadriplegic.

While recovering in hospital, the thrill-seeker from Geelong was inspired by stuntmen he saw performing back flips in wheelchairs and turned his attention to wheelchair rugby. However, a chance encounter with Kaye Colman, the mother of Paralympic gold medallist Richard Colman, directed Sam down the path of wheelchair racing.

In a 12-month period, and guided by Richard’s coach Mandi Cole, Sam managed to improve his times in the 100m, 200m and 400m by just over one, four-and-a-half and nearly five seconds, respectively, and though unable to snatch gold from Swiss champion Beat Boesch at the 2010 Swiss Nationals, finishing second to him in the 100m, 200m and 400m events, these results only further motivated Sam to strive for Paralympic gold.

On debut in the green and gold he achieved finals appearances in all his events at the 2011 World Para Athletics Championships in Christchurch, New Zealand. A year later was his Paralympic Games debut in London in the T52 100m and 200m. In 2015 at the world championships, he was fifth in the 100m, an equal-best performance internationally. 

Sam edged closer to his goal of Paralympic gold at Rio 2016, where he placed just one short of a medal in the 100m. Two more appearances at the 2017 and 2019 world championships, were followed by his third Paralympics in Tokyo, where he was again just off the podium in the T52 100m with fourth place.

He has been in career-best form in 2023, pushing faster than his Australian record with a 17.14 100m time at the ACT Championships in January. A series of good times, have booked his eighth Australian team – for the 2023 World Para Athletics Championships in Paris in July.

Outside of training and competition, Sam watches BMX riding and plays the guitar, with his passion for music once prompting him to wheelchair crowd-surf at a Parkway Drive concert.

@ 20 June 2023 david.tarbotton@athletics.org.au