Stephen Thomas
| Star Sign: |
Capricorn |
| Date of Birth: |
5 January 1977 |
| Born: |
Bridgend |
| Lives: |
Weymouth |
| Event: |
Sonar Sailing |
| Aims for Next 3 Years: |
Gold at the 2012 Paralympic Games |
| Achievements & Honours |
2003 IFDS World Championships Bronze (Sailing)
2004 IPC World Championships, 5th (Sledge hockey)
2004 Athens Paralympic Games, 6th (Sailing)
2005 - 2006 Sonar Sailing World Champion
2006 Winter Paralympic Games (Sledge hockey)
2008 Paralympic Games, 7th
2009 ISAF Sonar World Cup Gold
2010 IFDS World Championships Silver (Sailing)
2011 IFDS World Championships Silver (Sailing)
Representative honours (Wales) at U18 level in Rugby Union, then in 1996 contracted meningococcal septicaemia and became a double below the knee amputee. He started playing sledge hockey first in 1997 and went on to compete at the Winter Paralympic Games (2006).
|
| Interesting Facts |
|
| My Heroes: |
My parents, Sir Steve Redgrave and Lance Armstrong |
| What Drives Me: |
To be the best that I can be! |
| Likes: |
Italian food, walks on the beach, aching after training hard |
| Dislikes: |
Intolerance, rudeness and selfishness |
| What makes me laugh?: |
Young children’s quotes, BBC series ‘How Not To Live Your Life’ |
| Favourite Films: |
Gladiator, Top Gun, Anchorman, Underworld Trilogy |
| Favourite Music: |
Eclectic taste, from rock and indie to Foo Fighters, dance and rap, then chilled out anything from Snow Patrol to Michael Buble |
| Best Brands: |
adidas, Panasonic, musto |
| Life without Sport: |
Dream job has always been to represent my country. UK Sport and the RYA have enabled me to do that. I have a degree in Sports Development so plan to work in a facilitating role or become a teacher after retiring. |
| How I got started?: |
The Wales Disability Sport Performance Manager asked me to try out for the British Paralympic sailing team, I made it through the trials and went from there |
| What else?: |
Competing at the British Championships, in strong winds, my helmsman and I fell over board. I saw the boat sailing away, then I found myself being dragged along by a rope tangled around my prosthetic limb.
The only chance of survival was to unclip my leg. The crew tried to pull me in but they pulled out my false leg instead first, but I survived to tell the tale! |
|
|
