Full name Gary Leslie Hooper Nationality Australia | Name Gary Hooper Role Paralympian | |
Born 11 February 1939 Sydney | ||
Gary Leslie Hooper, MBE (born 11 February 1939) is an Australian Paralympic competitor. He won seven medals at three Paralympics from 1960 to 1968.
Contents
Personal
Hooper was born on 11 February 1939 in Sydney. He never knew his biological father, and lived with his stepfather. He contracted polio at the age of eleven, and lost the use of both his legs.
He worked as a bookkeeper, and later as a public speaker and accessibility consultant. He was a judge in fencing at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. He has been married to Janice since 1964, and they have two sons.
Career
At the 1960 Rome Games, Hooper won a silver medal in the Men's Precision Javelin B event. At the 1964 Tokyo Games, he won a gold medal in the Men's Wheelchair Dash above T10 event and two silver medals in the Men's Wheelchair Relay above T10 and Men's Lightweight weightlifting events; he also competed in swimming and wheelchair fencing at the games. At the 1968 Tel Aviv Games, he won a gold medal in the Men's 100 m Wheelchair A event and two silver medals in the Men's 4x40 m Relay open and Men's Shot Put B events; he also competed in swimming, weightlifting, and wheelchair fencing at the games. He participated in the 1962, 1966, and 1970 Commonwealth Paraplegic Games in Perth, Jamaica, and Edinburgh, respectively.
Recognition
Hooper became a Member of the Order of the British Empire in 1969 "for achievements at the Paraplegic Olympics".