Sam Rizzo is a man on a mission, with his sights well and truly set on winning a Paralympic gold medal and setting a new world record.

Sam made his international debut at the 2018 Commonwealth Games – in front of a thumping home crowd, no less. It had been a long time coming for the Ballarat local, who was introduced to wheelchair racing in 2008 and hit the track for the first time in 2014.

Although Sam did not taste medal success – he placed sixth in the men’s 1500m T54 final – the opportunity to race alongside Paralympic powerhouses Kurt Fearnley and Jake Lappin was one that he relished, and is an experience he hopes to carry with him to the start line at the.

Before the Commonwealth Games, came the 2017 World Para-athletics Junior Championships in Nottwil, Switzerland, where Sam put his T54 rivals on notice with …

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Date of birth
3 August 2000
Sport
Para-athletics
Impairment
Physical Impairment – Spina bifida
How acquired
Congenital
Residence
Buninyong, VIC
Occupation
Fabrication apprentice
Started competing
2014
First competed for Australia
2018
Sport career highlights

Representing Australia at the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast, QLD

Greatest sporting moments

Watching Richard Colman win gold at the Paralympic Games

Heroes/role models

Richard Colman, Jake Lappin, Kurt Fearnley, Marcel Hug, Heinz Frei

Disciplines

  • Sport: Para-athletics Discipline: 100m Classification: T54
  • Sport: Para-athletics Discipline: 400m Classification: T54
  • Sport: Para-athletics Discipline: 800m Classification: T54
  • Sport: Para-athletics Discipline: 1500m Classification: T54

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