Neroli Fairhall
Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use New Zealand English Template:Infobox sportsperson
Neroli Susan Fairhall Template:Post-nominals (26 August 1944 – 11 June 2006) was a New Zealand athlete, who was the first paraplegic competitor in the Olympic Games.
Biography
Born in Christchurch in 1944, Fairhall took up archery following a motorbike accident that paralysed her from the waist down, ending her previous athletic career.
Fairhall won gold when archery was first introduced to the Commonwealth Games in Brisbane in 1982.
She finished in 35th place at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games. Fairhall was the first paraplegic to compete in the Olympic Games.<ref name=" NZ_Herald_10386306" />
Fairhall was a multiple national champion and won medals and held titles at the Paralympics, IPC-Archery World Championships and many international tournaments. She participated in four Summer Paralympics, in 1972, 1980, 1988, and 2000. At her first Paralympic Games she competed in track and field athletics.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> At the 1980 Games, she took part in both athletics and archery, winning a gold medal in the latter sport. At the 1988 and 2000 Paralympics she competed in archery only.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In the 1983 New Year Honours, Fairhall was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire, for services to archery and the disabled.<ref>Template:London Gazette</ref> She continued to coach at her Christchurch archery club after retiring from shooting. She died on 11 June 2006, aged 61, due to illness arising from her disability.<ref name="NZ_Herald_10386306">Template:Cite news</ref>
See also
References
Sources
External links
- Template:NZOC profile (archive)
- Template:Olympics.com profile
- Template:Olympedia
- Template:PNZ profile
- Template:IPC athlete
Template:S-start Template:S-ach Template:S-bef Template:S-ttl Template:S-aft Template:S-end
Template:1982 New Zealand Commonwealth Games team Template:1984 New Zealand Olympic team
- 1944 births
- 2006 deaths
- New Zealand female archers
- Olympic archers for New Zealand
- Archers at the 1984 Summer Olympics
- Archers at the 1982 Commonwealth Games
- Commonwealth Games gold medallists for New Zealand
- Paralympic archers for New Zealand
- Archers at the 1980 Summer Paralympics
- Archers at the 1988 Summer Paralympics
- Archers at the 2000 Summer Paralympics
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1972 Summer Paralympics
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1980 Summer Paralympics
- Paralympic gold medalists for New Zealand
- Paralympic wheelchair archers
- Medalists at the 1980 Summer Paralympics
- New Zealand Members of the Order of the British Empire
- Commonwealth Games gold medallists in archery
- Paralympic medalists in archery
- People with paraplegia
- Wheelchair discus throwers
- Wheelchair shot putters
- New Zealand wheelchair racers
- Paralympic discus throwers
- Paralympic shot putters
- Medallists at the 1982 Commonwealth Games
- Sportspeople from Christchurch
- 20th-century New Zealand sportswomen