Mark Davies (athlete)

Mark Hedley Davies[1] (30 June 1960 – 9 January 2011)[2][3] was an Australian Paralympic athlete. He was born in Darwin, and was the first man to represent the Northern Territory in sport for the blind.[2][4] He had a degenerative eye condition that caused tunnel vision; he found it more difficult to compete in able-bodied sports as he got older, and by 2000, he had lost all of his sight.[4][5]

Mark Davies
Davies at the Atlanta Paralympics in 1996
Personal information
Full nameMark Hedley Davies
Nationality Australia
Born30 June 1960
Darwin, Northern Territory
Died9 January 2011(2011-01-09) (aged 50)
Darwin, Northern Territory
Medal record
Men's athletics
Paralympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1984 New York/Stoke Mandeville Men's 100 m B2
Gold medal – first place 1984 New York/Stoke Mandeville Men's Pentathlon B2
IPC Athletics World Championships
Bronze medal – third place1998 BirminghamMen's Discus F11

He began his athletic career before the establishment of the Northern Territory Institute of Sport, so he had to organise all his training and transport independently.[6] In 1982 he joined the newly formed Northern Territory Blind Sports Association, and went on to win many medals and break Australian records at national blind sporting championships.[5] At the 1984 New York/Stoke Mandeville Paralympics, he won gold medals in the Men's Pentathlon B2, where he broke a world record, and the Men's 100 m B2.[5][7] He also competed in athletics without winning any medals at the 1988 Seoul, 1992 Barcelona, 1996 Atlanta, and 2000 Sydney Games.[7] He worked as an athletics coach, and assisted other blind sportspeople in the Northern Territory.[5][8] In 2000, he received an Australian Sports Medal.[1]

He died in Darwin on 9 January 2011, a week after the death of his wife.[3][4] The Australian Paralympic Committee described him as "a genuine pioneer of the Australian Paralympic movement".[9]

References
  1. "Davies, Mark Hedley: Australian Sports Medal". It's an Honour. Retrieved 17 February 2012.
  2. "Australians at the 1996 Atlanta Paralympics: Athletes". Australian Sports Commission. Archived from the original on 20 January 2000. Retrieved 17 February 2012.
  3. "Sleeping peacefully: Mark Hedley Davies". Anglicare Northern Territory. 10 January 2011.
  4. "Paralympic pioneer dies in Darwin". ABC News. 10 January 2011. Retrieved 17 February 2012.
  5. Tiffen, Peter (7 October 1988). "Blind athletes off in quest for gold". Northern Territory News.
  6. McNally, Lucy (10 January 2011). "Tribute for Paralympic champ". ABC News. Retrieved 17 February 2012.
  7. "Athlete Search Results". International Paralympic Committee. Archived from the original on 27 September 2013. Retrieved 17 February 2012.
  8. Maurice, Michael (28 March 1988). "Paralympics appeal launch". Northern Territory News.
  9. "Vale Mark Davies". Australian Paralympic Committee. 10 January 2011. Archived from the original on 29 April 2012. Retrieved 17 February 2012.
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