Cameron
Carr

With a decade of experience playing wheelchair rugby at an elite level, Cameron Carr is one of the most accomplished athletes on the Australian wheelchair rugby team.

A keen sportsman from a young age and the son of State of Origin representative Norm Carr, Cameron had a promising career in rugby league ahead of him, having signed a contract with the Sydney Roosters at 19.

Due to drive down to Sydney to start his new life as a professional athlete, the club offered to fly him down a few weeks later so that he could spend more time with his family. That same weekend, Cameron attended a 21^st birthday party and, choosing to get a lift home with a friend, his friend fell asleep at the wheel and crashed less that 100m from Cameron’s home.

The Port Macquarie local says that it took him a long time to get accustomed to using a wheelchair, and several years to come to terms with his quadriplegia, before discovering a new pathway to becoming a professional athlete through wheelchair rugby.

First introduced to wheelchair rugby through his rehabilitation clinic, Cameron initially shied away from contact sport as he tried to forget about the life he could have had playing rugby league.

Seven years later, he rediscovered his competitive streak, kick-starting what was to become a long and decorated career in Para-sport.

Making his Paralympic debut at Beijing 2008, Cameron thrived on the international stage, helping lead the Steelers to just their second podium finish at a Paralympic Games, collecting silver in a 53-44 loss to the USA.

Having never been to China, he immersed himself in the culture and hopes to return one day outside of a major international event.

Following their 51-66 defeat of rivals Canada in the gold medal match at London 2012, the Steelers became the first team in wheelchair rugby history to win consecutive Paralympic gold medals and a World Championship title in a four-year period, defeating the USA 59-58 in a double-overtime thriller at Rio 2016.

Outside of sport, Cameron enjoys spending time with his wife and son. He is on the verge of completing a Bachelor of Clinical Exercise Physiology at the Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane.