Results - 2015 ICF PARACANOE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS (INCLUDING PARALYMPIC GAMES QUALIFICATION)

Biography

Curtis MCGRATH

Federation :	PADDLE AUSTRALIA
Gender:	Male
Date of birth:	31/03/1988
Height (cm.) :	193
Weight (Kg.) :	90

Athlete entered in:
Men's 200m KL2 SENIOR
Men's 200m VL2 SENIOR

NICKNAME:

Kiwi, because I was born there and have a small accent

HOBBIES:

Snowboarding, skiing, watching the New Zealand rugby union team, watching movies

PREFERRED POSITION / STANCE / STYLE / TECHNIQUE:

Strong finish

OTHER SPORTS:

Netball, Australian Defence force team. He competed in swimming at the US Marine Trial Games six months after he was injured in Afghanistan

BIOGRAPHY:

Type of Impairment
Limb deficiency (news.com.au, 24 Jul 2016)

Origin of Impairment
Acquired (news.com.au, 24 Jul 2016)

Impairment Details
In August 2012 he was serving with the Australian Army in Afghanistan. "I was on an IED [improvised explosive device] patrol, clearing a checkpoint. I was walking with my rifle in my right hand and a metal detector in my left. Next thing I know, I'm on my back, it's quite dark and there are rocks falling. I got up on my elbows, looked down and realised I'd stepped on an IED and my legs were gone. When they put me on the stretcher and carried me to the vehicles, I said, 'You guys will see me in the Paralympics'." His left leg was amputated below the knee, and the right leg above the knee. (curtismcgrath.com.au, Sep 2016; menshealth.com.au, Sep 2016; news.com.au, 24 Jul 2016)

Awards
He was named Sportsman of the Year at the 2016 World Paddle Awards. (worldpaddleawards.com, 28 Feb 2017)

He received the 2016 Queensland Academy of Sport Peter Lacey Award for Sporting Excellence in Australia. (qasport.qld.gov.au, 09 Dec 2016)

General
FROM NEW ZEALAND TO AUSTRALIA
He was born in Dunedin, New Zealand, but at age 10 moved with his family to Western Australia. At age 14 they moved back to New Zealand to live in Queenstown, but after he finished school they returned to Australia to settle in Brisbane, Queensland. (menshealth.com.au, Sep 2016)

A four-time Paralympic champion, McGrath is among the best in business in Paracanoe and was the flagbearer at the Opening Ceremony in France. The Australian who became a father last month, studied aviation administration from Griffith University, Gold Coast and is also a motivational speaker. Born in Dunedin, New Zealand, he moved to Western Australia at the age of 10. While he did return, McGrath settled in Brisbane. He donated his KL2 gold medal from Rio 2016 to the Australian war memorial. The former soldier became the first canoeist from any nation to win three career Paralympic gold medals in Tokyo.

WEBSITE:

http://curtismcgrath.com.au

FACEBOOK:

https://www.facebook.com/curtismcgrathofficial/

TWITTER:

https://twitter.com/curtmcgrath

INSTAGRAM:

https://instagram.com/CurtMcgrath/

PLACE OF RESIDENCE:

Gold Coast, Australia

OCCUPATION:

Soldier

LANGUAGES:

English

HIGHER EDUCATION:

School

REASON FOR TAKING UP THE SPORT:

My Outdoor Rec teacher got me involved with whitewater kayaking and I really enjoyed it. After getting injured in Afghanistan I wanted a sport that I enjoyed to take me to the Paralympics, so Paracanoe was the first choice.

He took part in a 1000km paddle in Australia from Sydney, NSW, to Brisbane, QLD, organised by Mates4Mates, a veterans' support group. He realised the able-bodied participants were in the same boats, using the same paddles and going at the same pace as him. After the event he began to research Para canoe. He telephoned Andrea King, the Australia Para canoe national coach, who invited him to the team's base in Gold Coast, QLD, Australia.

MOST INFLUENTIAL PERSON IN CAREER:

Coach

TRAINING PARTNER(S):

Varsity Lakes sprint team

HERO/IDOL:

Richie McCaw, All Black Captain

SUPERSTITIONS/ RITUALS/ BELIEFS:

He wears a metal band on his right wrist which is engraved with the names of nine Australian and New Zealander combat engineers who were killed serving in Afghanistan. He looks at the band before each race.

SPORTING PHILOSOPHY/ MOTTO:

World Champs don't sleep in. "Achieve one goal and move onto the next."

FAVOURITE PADDLING COURSE:

Moscow

FAVOURITE FOOD:

Seafood

FAVOURITE MUSIC:

Kid Cudi, Incubus, Shapeshifter, NAS, Ásgeir, Of Monsters and Men

AMBITIONS :

To win a gold medal at the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo

AWARDS AND HONORS:

Queensland Sports person with a disability 2014, Gold Coast Sports person with a disability 2014, Australian Canoeing Sports person with a disability 2014, first Australian to win a Paracanoe gold medal at a world champs.

CLUB:

Varsity Lakes Paddlers Club

NAME OF COACH:

Andrea King

NATIONALITY OF YOUR COACH:

Australian

SINCE WHEN HAVE YOU BEEN COACHED BY HIM/ HER?:

Jan 2014

TRAINING REGIME:

He trains twice a day, six days per week. Each session lasts from 90 minutes to two hours

SENIOR INTERNATIONAL DEBUT YEAR:

2014

SENIOR INTERNATIONAL DEBUT COUNTRY:

Russia

SENIOR INTERNATIONAL DEBUT COMPETITION:

World Championships

SENIOR INTERNATIONAL DEBUT LOCATION:

Moscow

OTHER INFORMATION:

Rank	Event	Year	Location	Result
World Championships
1	KL2	2016	Duisburg, GER	42.043
1	VL2	2016	Duisburg, GER	51.267
1	VL2	2015	Milan, ITA	49.489
1	V1 200m TA	2014	Moscow, RUS	48.596
2	KL2	2015	Milan, ITA	43.185