Greg Hammond

Hammond was born on 10 May 1967 in Sydney, with a shortened right forearm.[2][3] While growing up around Manly, one of his favourite sports was sailing.[3] As of 2000, he had two children, and was working as a mechanical engineer.[3]

Hammond (right) at the net during 2000 Summer Paralympics standing volleyball match

At the 1984 New York/Stoke Mandeville Paralympics, Hammond won three gold medals in the Men's 100 m Breaststroke A8, Men's 100 m Freestyle A8, and Men's 4x100 m Medley Relay A1–A9 events, and three silver medals in the Men's 100 m Butterfly A8, Men's 200 m Individual Medley A8, and Men's 4x100 m Freestyle Relay A1–A9 events.[3][4][5] At the 1988 Seoul Paralympics, he won two gold medals in the Men's 100 m Breaststroke A8 and Men's 100 m Freestyle A8 events, and a silver medal in the Men's 4x50 m Freestyle Relay A1–A8 event.[3][4][6] During his swimming career, he was coached by Peter Ryan and Harry Gallagher.[7]

He gave up swimming after the 1988 Summer Paralympics because he had achieved all his goals in that sport, and concentrated on sailing. He was part of a Sonar team that was aiming to participate in the 1996 Atlanta Paralympics, but it did not qualify because it came ninth in a pre-games regatta in Florida.[3] His crew then prepared to sail at the 2000 Sydney Paralympics, but in November 1999, one of the members quit due to business reasons.[3] An old friend then invited him to participate in the volleyball campaign, and he became part of the men's "standing" team, where his height of 1.96 metres (6 ft 5 in) gave him a distinct advantage.[3][4]

In 2007, Hammond was inducted into the Northern Beaches Sporting Hall of Fame.[8] In 2010, he received a Medal of the Order of Australia "For service to sport, particularly through achievements as a paralympian".[1]