Ben Newton (wheelchair rugby)

Ben Newton, OAM (born 14 February 1988) is a wheelchair rugby player. He was selected to represent Australia at the 2012 Summer Paralympics in wheelchair rugby.

Ben Newton
2012 Australian Paralympic Team portrait of Newton
Personal information
Full nameBenaiah Newton
NationalityAustralia
Born (1988-02-14) 14 February 1988
Sydney, New South Wales
Sport
CountryAustralia
SportWheelchair rugby
Event(s)Team
ClubGold Coast Wheelchair Rugby Titans
Now coachingGold Coast Wheelchair Rugby Titans
Medal record
Wheelchair rugby
Paralympic Games
2012 LondonMixed

Personal life

Benaiah Thomas Newton was born on 14 February 1988 in Sydney, New South Wales.[1] When he was two and a half years old, he was in a car accident that left him an incomplete quadriplegic.[1][2] He attended Tyalla Public School and Orara High School,[2] and in 2010 graduated from Southern Cross University with a Bachelor of Psychology with Honours (1st class). During that year, he moved to Brisbane.[3] He was working towards earning a Certificate III and IV in Fitness in 2012, after already having become a qualified psychologist.[1][4] As of 2012, he was also working as a DDA Community Engagement Officer for Queensland Rail.[1]

Wheelchair rugby
Newton at the 2012 London Paralympics

Newton is a 2.5/3.0-point wheelchair rugby player.[1][5][6]

Newton started playing wheelchair rugby in 2004 while he was living in Coffs Harbour after having spent time watching the state representative team compete.[1][4][7] Following the 2010 Queensland Wheelchair Rugby State Championships, he was named the competitions most valuable player.[4] In 2010, he was a member of Gold Coast Wheelchair Rugby Titans in the National Wheelchair Rugby League.[5] That season, he was named to the league's All Star Four.[4] He captained the Titans in the 2012 season.[3][8] He again captained the Suncorp QLD Cyclones in 2013, leading them to their second consecutive Sporting Wheelies and Disabled Association's "Team of the Year" honour.

Newton was first named to the national team in 2010,[4] and made his debut in 2011.[1] As a member of that 2011 team, he played in the GB Cup and Asia Oceania Wheelchair Rugby Championships where his team went undefeated.[1] His team made the finals and qualified for the 2012 Summer Paralympics after defeating the Korea national wheelchair rugby team 63–37.[2] In May 2012, he participated in a test series against Japan in Sydney.[9] He participated in a London Test event, where his team defeated the Great Britain national wheelchair rugby team in the finals after having lost to Great Britain in a pool play earlier in the day.[8] He was selected to represent Australia at the 2012 Summer Paralympics in wheelchair rugby.[1][6] Going into London, his team is ranked second in the world behind the United States.[10] He was part of the team that won the gold medal.[11] The Australian team went through the five-day tournament undefeated.[12]

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."[13]

References
  1. "Ben Newton". Australia: Australian Paralympic Committee. 2012. Archived from the original on 12 July 2012. Retrieved 13 July 2012.
  2. Nick Houghton (9 November 2011). "Newton steels himself for London". Northern Star. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
  3. Nick Houghton (28 February 2012). "Newton's star continues to rise". Coffs Coast Advocate. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
  4. "Ben Newton (Jetstar Gold Coast Titans Wheelchair Rugby Squad) - National Wheelchair Rugby League". SportingPulse. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
  5. "- Teams". Wheelchair Rugby Australia. Archived from the original on 25 September 2012. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
  6. Nick Houghton (7 July 2012). "A high Roller | Coffs Coast Sport | Surfing, Rugby, Soccer, Football, Cricket in Coffs Coast". Coffs Coast Advocate. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
  7. "Ben Newton (QLD)". Sports.org.au. Archived from the original on 24 September 2012. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
  8. Nick Houghton (24 April 2012). "Steelers take the Test | Lismore Sports Extra". Northern Star. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
  9. Michelmore, Karen (4 May 2012). "Australia's Steelers smash and crash their way to London -". ABC Sydney — Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
  10. "Hose realises London dream". Camperdown Chronicle. 8 May 2012. Archived from the original on 2 February 2014. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
  11. "Mixed Wheelchair Rugby - Paralympic Wheelchair Rugby". Official site of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Retrieved 12 September 2012.
  12. "Batt stars as Australia win gold". Official site of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. 9 September 2012. Retrieved 12 September 2012.
  13. "Australia Day honours list 2014: in full". The Daily Telegraph. 26 January 2014. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
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