Terry Giddy

Terence Kenneth Giddy (2 April 1950 – 18 August 2023) was an Australian Paralympic athlete with paraplegia, who won six medals over six Paralympics.

Terry Giddy
2000 Australian Paralympic team portrait of Giddy
Personal information
Full nameTerence Kenneth Giddy
NationalityAustralian
Born(1950-04-02)2 April 1950
Kempsey, New South Wales, Australia
Died18 August 2023(2023-08-18) (aged 73)
Kempsey, New South Wales, Australia
Height1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Medal record
Men's athletics
Representing  Australia
Paralympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1984 New York/
Stoke Mandeville 		Discus 4
Silver medal – second place 1972 Heidelberg 100 m Wheelchair 4
Silver medal – second place 1988 Seoul Discus 4
Silver medal – second place 1992 Barcelona Discus THW6
Bronze medal – third place 1992 Barcelona Shot Put THW6
Bronze medal – third place 1996 Atlanta Shot Put F55

Personal life

Terence Kenneth Giddy was born on 2 April 1950 in the New South Wales town of Kempsey, as the second of four children.[1][2] He became paraplegic at the age of 15 after a tree-felling accident.[3] He was married to Margaret from 1978 until her death in 2022,[4][5][6] and had three stepsons and two grandchildren.[3] He ran Big Terry's Little Gym, which trained powerlifters who won world titles.[2] He was 1.8 metres (5 ft 11 in) tall.[7]

Terry Giddy died in Kempsey on 18 August 2023, at the age of 73.[5][8] In the later part of his life, he lived at Bupa Aged Care Facility in West Kempsey.[9]

Career
Giddy competing in the F55 seated discus throw event at the 1996 Atlanta Paralympics

Giddy became involved in paralympic sport after a dare. He said "It began at a Christmas party...we were racing up and down the back lane and I said to the boss if I train a bit harder I may get to the Commonwealth Games. My boss and colleagues said if I got picked they would send me away and that's how it started."[10]

Giddy's first national competition was the National Games in 1969, and his first international competition was the 1970 Commonwealth Paraplegic Games in Edinburgh, where he won three gold medals and a silver medal.[2] At the 1972 Heidelberg Paralympics, he won a silver medal in the Men's 100 m Wheelchair 4 event,[11] and also participated in the Australia men's national wheelchair basketball team.[12] He participated in the 1974 Commonwealth Paraplegic Games in Dunedin, New Zealand.[2] He was selected for but did not participate in the 1976 Toronto Paralympics due to illness, and also did not participate in the 1980 Arnhem Paralympics.[2] He won a gold medal at the 1984 New York/Stoke Mandeville Paralympics in the Men's Discus 4 event, a silver medal in the same event at the 1988 Seoul Paralympics, a silver medal in the Men's Discus THW6 event and a bronze medal in the Men's Shot Put THW6 event at the 1992 Barcelona Paralympics, and a bronze medal in the Men's Shot Put F55 event at the 1996 Atlanta Paralympics.[11]

Just before the 2000 Sydney Paralympics, his classification was changed from F56 to F55, and he was told that he had been competing in the wrong disability group for his entire career.[13] He did not win any medals at the 2000 Games.[11] Giddy regretted his disqualification by video footage in the shot put at the Sydney Games after throwing a world record.[10] In 2002, while training in Germany for the world titles in France, he cracked his sternum and hurt his back in a fall. He then prepared for the 2004 Athens Paralympics, but the back injury had flared up again, and the plate in his back had broken in half. He retired in early 2004 due to the injury.[10] He came back for the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games, where he came seventh in the seated shot put, and was Australia's oldest ever Commonwealth Games athlete.[14] At his farewell dinner in 2004, Chris Nunn, Head Coach of the Australian Athletics team at the Sydney Games, said "Whilst you may have travelled thousands of miles in economy class, your contribution has always been first class".[10]

Recognition

In 1988, Giddy received an Advance Australia Award.[15] He carried the flag at the opening ceremony of the 1992 Barcelona Paralympics.[2][10] In 2000, he received an Australian Sports Medal.[16] That year, he carried the Sydney Olympic torch.[7] He also received an Australia Day award and was given the key to the town of Kempsey.[10] He was one of three Paralympians who campaigned about work safety for WorkCover during and after the 2000 Summer Paralympics.[3] After his death, two members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly paid tribute to him in state parliament: Michael Kemp, who had been his physiotherapist, and fellow Paralympian Liesl Tesch.[17]

References
  1. "Australians at the 1996 Atlanta Paralympics: Athletes". Australian Sports Commission. Archived from the original on 20 January 2000. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
  2. "Terry Giddy interviewed by Rob Willis and Tony Naar". Australian Centre for Paralympic Studies oral history project. National Library of Australia. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
  3. "WorkCover Goes For Gold in Paralympics". No. 74. Workers Online. 20 October 2000. Archived from the original on 13 December 2000. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
  4. "Margaret Giddy interviewed by Rob Willis". Australian Centre for Paralympic Studies oral history project. National Library of Australia. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
  5. Robert B Walker Funerals (23 August 2023). "Terry Giddy funeral". Vimeo. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
  6. "Search for Notices: Margaret Giddy". The Ryerson Index. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
  7. "Giddy Terence". Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games Corporation. Archived from the original on 27 August 2006. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
  8. "Confirmation lettter about funeral of Terence Kenneth Giddy "Terry"" (PDF). Robert B Walker Funerals. 21 August 2023. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
  9. "Paralympian who gave it his best shot". Bupa Media. 20 July 2018. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  10. Khoury, Andre (1 March 2004). "Injury forces Paralympic legend to retire". The Macleay Argus. Archived from the original on 8 August 2008. Retrieved 26 June 2012.
  11. "Terry Giddy". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
  12. Labanowich, Stan; Thiboutot, Armand. "Team Rosters:Paralympic Games (Men) 1960–1980" (PDF). Wheelchairs Can Jump. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 April 2012. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
  13. Tedmanson, Sophie (21 October 2000). "Outnumbered, but Giddy in class of his own". The Australian. p. 52.
  14. "Pittman the Fastest into Final in Womens 400m Hurdles". Athletics Australia. 22 March 2006. Archived from the original on 26 October 2009. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
  15. Barcelona Paralympics 1992 : Australian team members profile handbook. Glebe, New South Wales: Australian Paralympic Federation. 1992. 20779.
  16. "Giddy, Terry: Australian Sports Medal". It's an Honour. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
  17. "Tribute to Terence Kenneth Giddy". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Parliament of New South Wales: Legislative Assembly. 23 August 2023. pp. 80–81.
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