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

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.

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. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Graham Condon". Christchurch City Libraries. Retrieved 11 August 2012.
  2. ↑ "High achiever Condon remembered". TVNZ. 9 September 2007. Retrieved 19 March 2008.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "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. 1 2 "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. 1 2 "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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