John Charles Smith (born 27 November 1989), known professionally as JohnBoy Smith, is a British parathlete and wheelchair racer of Romany[1] descent who competes in the T54 category sprint events.[2]

Johnboy Smith
Personal information
NationalityBritish
BornJohn Charles Smith
(1989-11-27) 27 November 1989 (age 36)
Gravesend, England
Sport
CountryGreat Britain / England
SportWheelchair Racing
DisabilityParaplegia
Disability classT10/T11
Event(s)
T54 Marathon, Wheelchair Sprints

Early life

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Smith was born in Gravesend, Kent, England. At age 16, he was mistaken for a poacher and shot in the back leading to a spinal cord injury that left him with complete T10/T11 paraplegia.[3] He got motivated to pursue para-athletics and wheelchair racing after watching 2012 London Paralympics.[4]

Career

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He won a silver medal in the T54 marathon of 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games held in Australia representing England.[4] He competed in 2020 Summer Paralympics in Tokyo, Japan representing Great Britain in T54 marathon.[5][6] In 2022 Smith won a gold medal for England at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in the marathon (T54) event.[7]

See also

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References

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