Graham Condon

Graham Thomas Condon QSM JP (11 February 1949 – 8 September 2007) was a disabled athlete who won seven medals for New Zealand competing in Paralympic swimming and athletic events and a total of 36 medals in international competition overall. He was also a local-body politician and a disability advocate.

Graham Condon
QSM JP
Personal information
Full nameGraham Thomas Condon
NationalityNew Zealander
Born(1949-02-11)11 February 1949
Died8 September 2007(2007-09-08) (aged 58)
Medal record
Men's para athletics
Representing  New Zealand
Paralympic Games
Gold medal – first place1972 HeidelbergDiscus 3
Gold medal – first place1980 ArnhemDiscus 2
Silver medal – second place1980 ArnhemMen's Slalom 2
Silver medal – second place1988 SeoulSlalom 2
Bronze medal – third place1984 New York &
Stoke Mandeville		Marathon 2
Bronze medal – third place1984 New York &
Stoke Mandeville		Slalom 2

Biography
Plaque commemorating the redevelopment of Cathedral Square in 1998/99, with Condon listed as one of the councillors

Condon was rendered a paraplegic after contracting childhood polio.[1] Condon was the only New Zealander to take part in six consecutive Paralympics.[2] He competed in the Paralympics in athletics and swimming at both the 1968 Tel Aviv and 1972 Heidelberg Games, and won a gold medal in the Men's Discus 3 event at the latter competition.[3] He participated in the 1976 Toronto Paralympics[1][4] and won a gold medal in the Men's Discus 2 event and a silver medal in the Men's Slalom 2 event at the 1980 Arnhem Games; he also participated in swimming at the 1980 games.[3] At the 1984 New York/Stoke Mandeville Games, he won two bronze medals in the Men's Marathon 2 and Men's Slalom 2 events.[3] During the Marathon, he was with a bloc of competitors from Australia, America, and Canada when he hit a pothole around the 20-kilometre (12 mi) mark, causing the competitor behind him, Robert McIntyre, to lose his balance and flip upside down. Condon helped McIntyre back into position and ended up coming third.[3][5] His final Paralympics were the 1988 Seoul Games, where he won a silver medal in the Men's Slalom 2 event.[3] He won a total of seven Paralympic medals and 36 medals in international competitions throughout his career.[6]

He was one of the founding members of Parafed Canterbury, which strives to boost sport and recreational involvement among disabled people.[7] He was also a board member of the national sports agency SPARC for five years.[8] Condon was elected as a Christchurch city councillor in 1995 and served four terms as a city councillor.[1][9] He was standing for re-election for the Shirley-Papanui ward in the October 2007 election.[1]

Death

On Saturday 8 September 2007 the 58-year-old Condon was killed in an accident involving a car while riding his hand-propelled bicycle.[1] He was struck by a fifteen-year-old driver on Lower Styx Road, Brooklands.[10] The funeral was held at the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament where hundreds of mourners paid their respects.[11] He was survived by his wife of 35 years, Kath, and his two children, Craig and Andrea.[1][12]

Recognition

Condon was awarded the Queen's Service Medal for community service in the 1982 Queen's Birthday Honours,[13] and a New Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal in 1990.[12]

The Graham Condon Recreation and Sports Centre in Papanui, which opened on 9 October 2011, is named after him.[14] Parafed Canterbury have also named a scholarship after him.[7]

References
  1. "Graham Condon". Christchurch City Libraries. Retrieved 11 August 2012.
  2. "High achiever Condon remembered". TVNZ. 9 September 2007. Retrieved 19 March 2008.
  3. "Condon". Paralympic.org. International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 11 August 2012.
  4. "1976 Summer Paralympic Games: New Zealand Team". Paralympics New Zealand. Archived from the original on 8 August 2012. Retrieved 11 August 2012.
  5. Gray, Alison (1997). Against the Odds: New Zealand Paralympians. Hodder Moa Beckett. p. 31. ISBN 978-1-86958-566-2.
  6. King, Caroline (10 October 2011). "Graham Condon's name lives on". Star Canterbury. Archived from the original on 23 February 2013. Retrieved 11 August 2012.
  7. "Nelson takes out sport scholarship". The Press. 1 January 2009. Retrieved 11 August 2012.
  8. "SPARC acknowledges former board member, Graham Condon". Infonews.co.nz. 9 September 2007. Retrieved 11 August 2012.
  9. Hudson, Alice (9 September 2007). "Paralympian killed". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 11 August 2012.
  10. "Teen in Condon death on restricted". TVNZ. 10 September 2007. Retrieved 11 August 2012.
  11. Scott, Don (14 September 2007). "Funeral biggest show in city". The Press. Retrieved 1 October 2011.
  12. "Canterbury loses braveheart councillor". The Press. 10 September 2007. Retrieved 11 August 2012.
  13. "No. 49010". The London Gazette (3rd supplement). 12 June 1982. p. 41.
  14. "New Recreation and Sport Centre honours late Graham Condon". Christchurch City Council. 3 October 2011. Archived from the original on 2 November 2011. Retrieved 11 August 2012.
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