Peter Kirby (athlete)
Australian Paralympic athlete
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Peter Kirby (born 1964/1965) is an Australian Paralympic arm amputee athlete. He won one gold, one silver and three bronze medals at the 1984 New York Paralympics.
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Australian |
| Born | 1964/1965 |
Kirby was born in Bega, New South Wales and was the son of a Wiradjuri father and mother. His family moved around New South Wales during the period of indigenous segregation but finally settled in Eden, New South Wales.[1] At the age of 13, he lost his right hand and forearm when he touched fallen high voltage power lines at Eden sportsground.[1][2]
Before the accident, he was a top athlete at high school. Kirby has stated that one of his teachers Phil Gould assisted him to adjust his running style to compensate for his amputated right forearm.[1][2] At the age of 19, he competed at the 1984 Summer Paralympics in New York in five athletics events and won five medals – a gold medal in the Men's 4×100 m Relay A4–9 event, a silver medal in the Men's 4 x 400 m Relay A4–9 event, and three bronze medals in the Men's 100 m A6, Men's 400 m A6 and Men's Long jump A6 events.[3][4][5] He was the first indigenous Australian Paralympian to win a gold medal.[2]
After returning from the New York Games, he was presented with a silver tray during half-time at the next first grade rugby league match. The Eden community played a significant role in him going to the Games as they fundraised to meet his travel costs.[1] Kirby competed at the 1985 Australia Games where the relay team from New York Games broke the world record.[1]
Kirby also played Rugby League for the Eden Tigers, Pambula-Merimbula Bulldogs and South Coast United. He also played soccer for over 11 years.[6]