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Chris Bond (wheelchair rugby)

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Chris Bond
2012 Australian Paralympic team portrait of Bond
Personal information
Full nameChristopher Adam Bond
NationalityAustralian
Born (1986-05-28) 28 May 1986 (age 38)
Sport
CountryAustralia
SportWheelchair rugby 3.5
ClubUniversity of Queensland Club
Medal record
Wheelchair rugby
Paralympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2012 London Mixed
Gold medal – first place 2016 Rio Mixed
Bronze medal – third place 2024 Paris Mixed
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2014 Odense Mixed
Silver medal – second place 2018 Sydney Mixed
Gold medal – first place 2022 Vejle Mixed

Christopher Adam Bond OAM (born 28 May 1986) is an Australian wheelchair rugby player. He has won gold medals at the 2012 London and 2016 Rio Paralympics and a bronze medal at the 2024 Paris Paralympics.[1][2] [3]

Personal

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Bond and his identical twin brother were born on 28 May 1986,[4][5][6] and grew up in the Australian Capital Territory.[5][7] He is missing both legs below his knees, his left wrist and his right four fingers as a result of a severe infection from a flesh eating bacterium he got while also being diagnosed with leukemia when he was nineteen years old.[4][5] During his rehab, he was often one of the youngest people in gym.[4] While he adjusted to life without his limbs, he started swimming at the pool at the Australian Institute of Sport.[4][5] When he was young, he played rugby league and was a fan of the Canberra Raiders. Following his illness, he became friends with Clinton Schifcofske, the Raiders former captain.[5] From 2008 to August 2011, he served as a board member of an organisation for young people trying to deal with their own cancer called CanTeen. During his time on the board, he also served as the organisation's national vice president.[5][8] In 2021, he lived in Baringa, Queensland.[7][9]

Wheelchair rugby

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Bond is a 3.5 point wheelchair rugby player.[5] In 2010, he began looking for a team sport to play and contacted Brad Dubberley, the head coach of the Australia national wheelchair rugby team who encouraged Bond to try the sport based on his existing love of rugby.[5]

Bond made his national team debut at the 2011 Great Britain Cup.[5] Wearing jersey number 10,[7] he represented Australia at the 2012 Canada Cup International Wheelchair Rugby Tournament. In the game against Canada, he and teammate Ryley Batt proved difficult for the Canadians to contain.[10] In May 2012, he participated in a test series against Japan national wheelchair rugby team in Sydney.[11] He scored eighteen goals in the fourth game which Australia won 47 – 44, and twenty goals in the fifth game where Australia won 61  – 55.[12] He played in the London Paralympic test event. He scored 14 points in the game against Canada national wheelchair rugby team that Australia won 56–52 and 20 points in the game against Sweden national wheelchair rugby team that Australia won 65–88.[13] In the finals match against Great Britain national wheelchair rugby team, he scored 22 points in Australia's 71–48 victory.[14] He was selected to represent Australia at the 2012 Summer Paralympics in wheelchair rugby.[5] Going into London, his team was ranked second in the world behind the United States.[15] He was part of the team that won the gold medal.[16] The Australian team went through the five-day tournament undefeated.[17]

Bond was a member of the Australian team that won its first world championship gold medal at the 2014 World Wheelchair Rugby Championships at Odense, Denmark.[18]

He was a member of the team that retained its gold medal at the 2016 Rio Paralympics after defeating the United States 59–58 in the final.[19]

At the 2018 IWRF World Championship in Sydney, Australia, he was a member of the Australian team that won the silver medal after being defeated by Japan 61–62 in the gold medal game.[20]

At the 2020 Summer Paralympics, the Steelers finished fourth after being defeated by Japan 52–60 in the bronze medal game. COVID travel restrictions led to Steelers not having a team training since March 2020 prior to Tokyo.[21]

Bond as Steelers captain won his second world championship gold medal at the 2022 IWRF World Championship in Vejle, Denmark.[22]

At the 2024 Summer Paralympics, he captained the Steelers that won the bronze medal defeating Great Britain 50–48.[23]


He was awarded an Order of Australia Medal in the 2014 Australia Day Honours "for service to sport as a Gold Medallist at the London 2012 Paralympic Games."[6] In November 2016, Bond with Ryan Scott was awarded the Sporting Wheelies and Disabled Association Senior Male Athlete of the Year.[24]

In 2020, he joined the board of Disability Sports Australia.[25]

References

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  1. ^ "Steelers aim to maintain their reign in Rio". Australian Paralympic Committee News. 25 July 2016. Archived from the original on 29 August 2016. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
  2. ^ "Steelers Eyeing Paralympic History… Again". Paralympics Australia. Archived from the original on 29 July 2021. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
  3. ^ "Steelers chasing redemption at Paris Games". Yahoo Sports. 10 July 2024. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
  4. ^ a b c d "Chris Bond: Training to medal, not just to impress the girls". International Paralympic Committee. 27 July 2012. Archived from the original on 6 June 2013. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Chris Bond". Australia: Australian Paralympic Committee. 2012. Archived from the original on 12 July 2012. Retrieved 13 July 2012.
  6. ^ a b "Australia Day honours list 2014: in full". The Daily Telegraph. 26 January 2014. Archived from the original on 22 June 2014. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
  7. ^ a b c "Australia". Coupe Canada Cup 2012. Archived from the original on 25 May 2015. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
  8. ^ "Beating cancer the hard way". Our World Today. 28 October 2011. Archived from the original on 30 December 2012. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
  9. ^ "Chris Bond". Paralympics Australia. Archived from the original on 15 September 2015. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
  10. ^ "- Kelowna's Hickling key with Team Canada's wheelchair rugby team". Kelowna Capital News. 22 June 2012. Archived from the original on 5 August 2012. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
  11. ^ Michelmore, Karen (4 May 2012). "Australia's Steelers smash and crash their way to London –". ABC Sydney — Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 15 May 2012. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
  12. ^ "IWRF News". International Wheelchair Rugby Federation. 5 May 2012. Archived from the original on 10 September 2012. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
  13. ^ "International Wheelchair Rugby Federation : IWRF News". International Wheelchair Rugby Federation. 18 April 2012. Archived from the original on 10 September 2012. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
  14. ^ "Steelers defeat Great Britain on home soil". Sportingwheelies.org.au. Archived from the original on 29 April 2013. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
  15. ^ "Hose realises London dream". Camperdown Chronicle. 8 May 2012. Archived from the original on 2 February 2014. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
  16. ^ "Mixed Wheelchair Rugby – Paralympic Wheelchair Rugby". Official site of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Archived from the original on 12 September 2012. Retrieved 12 September 2012.
  17. ^ "Batt stars as Australia win gold". Official site of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. 9 September 2012. Archived from the original on 12 September 2012. Retrieved 12 September 2012.
  18. ^ "Australia wins first ever IWRF World Championship". Australian Paralympic Committee News. 11 August 2014. Archived from the original on 27 August 2014. Retrieved 27 August 2014.
  19. ^ Lees, Chris (19 September 2016). "Steelers double up with Paralympics gold". Sunshine Coast Daily. Archived from the original on 20 September 2016. Retrieved 19 September 2016.
  20. ^ "Results". IWRF Wheelchair Rugby World Championships website. Archived from the original on 10 August 2018. Retrieved 10 August 2018.
  21. ^ "Australia names wheelchair rugby team of 12 for Tokyo 2020". Inside The Games. 31 July 2021. Archived from the original on 31 July 2021. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
  22. ^ "Australian Steelers Are World Wheelchair Rugby Champions". Paralympics Australia. 17 October 2022. Retrieved 17 October 2022.
  23. ^ "Forged In Bronze: Steelers Reach Paralympic Podium After Eight-Year Wait | Paralympics Australia". www.paralympic.org.au. 2 September 2024. Retrieved 3 September 2024.
  24. ^ "2016 Annual Awards winners". Sporting Wheelies and Disabled Association website. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 15 December 2016.
  25. ^ Berkley, Geoff (2 September 2020). "Two-time Paralympic champion among duo to join Disability Sports Australia Board". Inside the Games. Archived from the original on 29 July 2021. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
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