Tim Sullivan (athlete)

Tim Sullivan
2012 Australian Paralympic team portrait of Sullivan
Personal information
Born16 September 1975
Medal record
Athletics (T38)
Paralympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2000 Sydney 100 m T38
Gold medal – first place 2000 Sydney 200 m T38
Gold medal – first place 2000 Sydney 400 m T38
Gold medal – first place 2000 Sydney 4 × 100 m T35–38
Gold medal – first place 2000 Sydney 4 × 400 m T35–38
Gold medal – first place 2004 Athens 100 m T38
Gold medal – first place 2004 Athens 200 m T38
Gold medal – first place 2004 Athens 400 m T38
Gold medal – first place 2004 Athens 4 × 100 m T35–38
Gold medal – first place 2008 Beijing 4 × 400 m T35–38
IPC Athletics World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2002 Lille 100 m T38
Gold medal – first place 2002 Lille 200 m T38
Gold medal – first place 2006 Assen 100 m T38
Gold medal – first place 2006 Assen 200 m T38
Gold medal – first place 2006 Assen 400 m T38
Gold medal – first place 2006 Assen 4 × 100 m T35–38
Gold medal – first place 2006 Assen 4 × 400 m T35–38
Bronze medal – third place 2011 Christchurch 400 m T38
Bronze medal – third place 2011 Christchurch 4 × 100 m T35–38

Timothy ("Tim") Francis Sullivan, OAM[1] (born 16 September 1975)[2] is an Australian Paralympic athlete.

Action shot of Sullivan winning gold in the 200 m T38 at the 2000 Summer Paralympics

Personal

Sullivan shown on the gold medal podium at the 2000 Summer Paralympics. He won five gold medals at these games.

Sullivan was born in Melbourne, Australia. When Tim was eight years old, he was riding his bike to a park with his sister and a friend when they were approached by a couple of kids. One had a broken glass bottle and was threatening them. They started to chase Sullivan with the bottle. Due to this he ran on to a road and was struck by a car. From this accident Sullivan suffered cerebral palsy. It limits his verbal communication: he speaks in tiny, fast sentences and sometimes one word answers. It has also limited the use of the right side of his body.

Career

Sullivan at the 2012 London Paralympics

Tim Sullivan, is an Australian athlete who has won ten[3] gold medals at the Paralympic Games.[4] This includes five gold medals at the 2000 Summer Paralympics in Sydney (T38 200m; T38 100m; T38 400m; T38 4X400m relay; T38 4X100m relay),[5] in which he received a Medal of the Order of Australia for his 'service to sport'.[1] Tim also won four gold medals at the 2004 Summer Paralympics in Athens, in the T38 100m, 200m and 400m events, and as a member of the men's 4 × 100 m Relay team.[6] In addition to the gold medals won, Sullivan also set world records in the 100m, 200m and 4 × 100 m relay at the 2004 Athens Paralympic Games.[7] At the conclusion of the 2004 Paralympic Games in Athens, Tim was ranked 1st overall among athletes in his competitions.[8]

Tim represented Australia again at the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing,[4] where he won a gold medal in the men's 4 × 100 m T35–38 and also at the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London.[2]

He held the Australian record for the highest gold medal count until being surpassed by Matthew Cowdrey in 2012.[9]

Tim did not medal at the 2012 Games.[10]

Recognition

In 2000, Sullivan was named Male Athlete of the Year by the Australian Paralympic Committee. In the same year, Sullivan also received the Victorian Institute of Sport's Award of Excellence.[8]

In October 2004, he was named "Paralympian of the Year" by the Australian Paralympic Committee.[6] In 2004, Sullivan was also awarded the Victorian Institute of Sport's Athlete With a Disability award.[8]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Sullivan, Timothy Francis, OAM". It's an Honour. Archived from the original on 29 November 2020. Retrieved 25 January 2012.
  2. ^ a b "Tim Sullivan". Australian Paralympic Committee. Archived from the original on 31 August 2012. Retrieved 8 September 2012.
  3. ^ "Tim Sullivan". Paralympic.org. International Paralympic Committee.
  4. ^ a b "Aussie Paralympic athletics squad named" Archived 17 September 2008 at the Wayback Machine, The Age, 1 July 2008
  5. ^ "A look back at the Sydney Olympics and Paralympics" Archived 23 July 2008 at the Wayback Machine, Australian Bureau of Statistics
  6. ^ a b "Sullivan Wins Prestigious Award Down Under" Archived 6 August 2007 at the Wayback Machine, International Paralympic Committee, 1 November 2004
  7. ^ "Victorian Institute of Sport Annual Review" (PDF). Clearinghouse for Sport. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 April 2016. Retrieved 18 August 2017.
  8. ^ a b c "Athlete Bio". www.paralympic.org. Archived from the original on 18 August 2017. Retrieved 18 August 2017.
  9. ^ Foreman, Glenn (6 September 2012). "Matt Cowdrey becomes Australia's greatest Paralympian with 11th gold medal". News Limited Network. Archived from the original on 6 September 2012. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
  10. ^ "Tim Sullivan – Events and results". london2012.com. Archived from the original on 15 September 2012. Retrieved 16 September 2012.