Fabian Blattman

Fabian John Blattman, OAM[1] (born 28 December 1958)[2] is an Australian Paralympic athlete. He became disabled after a motorbike accident. He started playing disabled bowls, before switching to athletics. As a Paralympic athletics competitor, he has set several world records and won two Paralympic gold medals.

Fabian Blattman
Australian T50 wheelchair athlete Fabian Blattman shades himself with a towel while he waits for his event at the 1996 Atlanta Paralympics
Personal information
Full nameFabian John Blattman
Nationality Australia
Born (1958-12-28) 28 December 1958
Narrandera, New South Wales, Australia
Medal record
Wheelchair athletics
Paralympic Games
1996 Atlanta Men's 1500 m T50
2000 Sydney Men's 400 m T51
1992 Barcelona Men's 4×100 m TW1–2
1996 Atlanta Men's 800 m T50
2000 Sydney Men's 1500 m T51
1992 Barcelona Men's 4×400 m TW1–2
2000 Sydney Men's 800 m T51
World Championships and Games for the Disabled
1990 Assen Men's 4x100 m Relay T1
1990 Assen Men's 100 m T1
1990 Assen Men's 200 m T1
IPC Athletics World Championships
1994 BerlinMen's 800 m T50
1998 BirminghamMen's Marathon T51
1994 BerlinMen's 1500 m T50
1994 BerlinMen's 5000 m T50
1994 BerlinMen's 400 m T50
1998 BirminghamMen's 400 m T51

Personal

Blattman was born on 28 December 1958 in the New South Wales town of Narrandera.[2] He attended Springwood High School, leaving the school in 1975 to take up an apprenticeship.[3] A 1978 motorcycle accident left him a quadriplegic.[4] Following the accident, he spent eighteen months in rehabilitation at the Mt Wilga Rehabilitation Centre in Hornsby, New South Wales. After rehabilitation, Blattman moved into his parents' home in Springwood, New South Wales. The house was retrofitted with a lift to enable him to reach his third floor bedroom.[5] Blattman moved out of his parents' home,[6] and independently travels around the world.[6] He played table tennis socially.[7]

Sporting career

Bowls

In 1985, Blattman competed at the Royal North Shore Paraplegic Games in the bowls event.[5]

Athletics
Close up of Blattman during the 800 m T51 final event at the 2000 Sydney Paralympics

Blattman started participating in wheelchair athletics to improve his general fitness level.[3] At the 1988 Seoul Games, he came fifth in the first heat of the Men's 200 m 1A – event.[8][9] He competed in the Stoke Mandeville Games in 1989 and 1990.[7] In 1990, at the World Championships and Games for the Disabled in Assen, Netherlands he won a gold medal in the men's 4x100 m relay T1 event and two bronze medals in the 100 m and 200 m T1 events.[7][10] He won a silver medal in the 4×100 m event and a bronze medal in the 4×400 m event at the 1992 Summer Paralympics.[11] At the 1996 Atlanta Games, he won a gold medal in the 1500 m event, for which he received a Medal of the Order of Australia,[1] and a silver medal in the 800 m event.[11] In 1998, Blattman won the Men's Marathon (T51) event at the World Championships.[12] At the 2000 Sydney Games, he won a gold medal in the men's 400 m T51 event, a silver medal in the men's 1500 m T51 event, and a bronze medal in the men's 800 m T51 event.[9] That year, he received an Australian Sports Medal.[13] In 2002, Blattman came in first in the T51 Quads event at the Arrive Alive Summer Down Under Wheelchair Track and Road Racing Series 10k event, with a time of 37.52.[14] He competed at the 2010 Optus Grand Prix in Canberra in the Men & Women 5,000 metres wheelchair event, but he did not finish.[15]

He won the Oz Day 10K Wheelchair Road Race T51 event nine times, firstly in 1992 and then in each year from 1995 to 2002.[16]

Blattman has held several world records in athletics.[4] These include:

  • 1990: 4x100 and 4x400 m events at the 1990 Stoke Mandeville Games[7]
  • 1991: 1500 m[7]
  • 1995: 2:40.15 in the men's T51 800 m event in Etobicoke, Canada on 25 June[17]
  • 1998: 05:01.49 in the 1500 m and 16:51.81 in the 5000 m at the Summer Down Under international wheelchair track meeting at Sydney International Athletic Centre on 28 January[18][19]
  • 1999: 16:46.95 in the 5000 m at the Summer Down Under international wheelchair track meeting at Sydney International Athletic Centre on 29 January[19][20]

He had an Australian Institute of Sport scholarship from 1994 to 2000 in Athletics.[21] His coach was Andrew Dawes, who has worked with Paralympic gold medalists Louise Sauvage and Greg Smith.[22]

References
  1. "Blackman, Fabian John". It's an Honour. Retrieved 1 January 2012.
  2. "Australians at the 1996 Atlanta Paralympics: Athletes". Australian Sports Commission. Archived from the original on 19 January 2000. Retrieved 13 June 2014.
  3. "Paralympian returns to Springwood High School". Blue Mountain Gazette. 10 January 2001. Archived from the original on 29 March 2012. Retrieved 8 October 2011.
  4. "Motor Accident Authority Paralympic Program". Parliament of New South Wales. 2 June 1999. Archived from the original on 6 October 2013. Retrieved 8 October 2011.
  5. Norington, Brad (25 April 1985). "It's more than just a game". Sydney Morning Herald. p. 9.
  6. Schofield, Deborah (May 2009). "Gary Foley – Improving 'Life Skills' Through Boxing & Medicine Ball workouts" (PDF). ParaQuadNews (2): 19. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 April 2011. Retrieved 8 October 2011.
  7. Barcelona Paralympics 1992 : Australian team members profile handbook. Glebe, New South Wales: Australian Paralympic Federation. 1992. 20779.
  8. "Men's 200 m 1A – Results". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 7 February 2012.
  9. "Athlete Search Results". International Paralympic Committee. Archived from the original on 6 October 2013. Retrieved 7 February 2012.
  10. World Championships and Games for the Disabled – Athletics Results. Netherlands: Organising Committee. 1990.
  11. "Track and Field Achievements". Australian Institute of Sport. Archived from the original on 21 March 2012. Retrieved 8 October 2011.
  12. "NSWIS World Champions" (PDF). NSW Institute of Sport. p. 2. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 August 2011. Retrieved 8 October 2011.
  13. "Blattman, Fabian: Australian Sports Medal". It's an Honour. Retrieved 7 February 2012.
  14. "Racing". Sports N Spokes Magazine. Retrieved 9 October 2011.
  15. "OPTUS GRAND PRIX – CANBERRA". Cool Running Australia. 21 March 2010. Retrieved 8 October 2011.
  16. "Oz Day 10K HALL OF FAME" (PDF). Wheelchair Sports NSW website. Retrieved 1 March 2015.
  17. "T51 MALE 800 m 2008". International Wheelchair & Amputee Sports Federation. 2008. Retrieved 8 October 2011.
  18. "T51 MALE 1500 m 2008". International Wheelchair & Amputee Sports Federation. 2008. Retrieved 22 September 2012.
  19. "Sydney's Blattman Sets 3rd World Record In 12 Months". Illawarra Mercury. 30 January 1999. Retrieved 9 October 2011.
  20. "T51 MALE 5000 m 2008". International Wheelchair & Amputee Sports Federation. 2008. Retrieved 22 September 2012.
  21. Nihil, G. (2006). Australian Institute of Sport : celebrating excellence. Focus Publishing. p. 103. ISBN 1-921156-16-3.
  22. Mannion, Tim. "Paralympic Legend: Andrew Dawes". Australian Paralympic Committee. Archived from the original on 3 April 2012. Retrieved 8 October 2011.
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