Kurt Fearnley

Kurt Fearnley OAM is an Australian wheelchair racer, who competes at the Olympic level. At the 2004 Olympic Games, he finished 5th in the demonstration sport of Men's 1500m wheelchair. Following this he won gold in the 5000m and marathon at the 2004 Summer Paralympics in Athens.

Born in the small western New South Wales town of Carcoar, Fearnley is the youngest of five children and sport was always a big part of the family's life. Oblivious to his disability, he played in everything against his able-bodied brothers and friends. At school athletics carnivals, he pushed his everyday wheelchair as fast as he could down the grass track as the others ran. Following an introduction to wheelchair sports and basketball in particular, Fearnley made the decision to focus solely on wheelchair racing.

Within four years he was representing his country at the 2000 Paralympic Games in Sydney. Here, Fearnley won silver medals in the 800 metres and 4×100 metre relay. At the Paralympic Games in Athens four years later, he won gold in the 5000 m and the marathon and a silver in the 4×100 metre relay. He pushed the last 5 km of the marathon on a flat tyre. Following this success, Fearnley travelled the world extensively, competing in some of the world's most exclusive events and is now regarded as one of the best wheelchair racers in the world. He won three golds and one bronze medal at the 2006 IPC World Athletics Championships.

In 2007, Fearnley won 10 International Marathons from 11 starts breaking 6 course records along the way. In addition, he won the wheelchair division of the 2006 and 2007 New York City Marathons.