Mike
Whitehead

Before his spinal cord injury, Mike Whitehead was an avid multi-sport athlete who enjoyed basketball, volleyball, hockey, soccer, and badminton. He was introduced to wheelchair rugby when his future teammates, including David Willsie, came to visit him at the Parkwood Rehabilitation Hospital in London, Ontario. He quickly became hooked on the contact and the level of competition and made the national team, just one year after his injury.

He has been a mainstay on Team Canada competing in the last five Paralympic Games (2 silvers & 1 bronze), six World Championships (1 gold, 1 silver & 2 bronze) and three Parapan Am Games (1 gold, 2 silver). He has taken on a mentorship role with his younger teammates in recent years, by sharing his experiences and knowledge of the sport.

Whitehead has also started coaching. He coached Canada’s wheelchair rugby team at the Toronto Invictus Games and at the 2021 Low-Point Tournament in Switzerland. He is an accomplished public speaker having presented at the notable TEDxBeaconStreet event in Boston.

At the 2019 Parapan American Games where Canada won silver, he was ranked among the top-10 in the tournament in steals.

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

Five consecutive Paralympic Games (2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020) … 2015, 2019, 2023 Parapan Am Games

PERSONAL

Injured in car crash at age 24 in 1999… Lives in Harrow, Ont…  Proud father of Addison a bio-medical engineering student and Avary who is heading into grade 12.

NOTABLE INTERNATIONAL RESULTS

2023 Parapan American Games 2nd

2022 Americas Championships 2nd

2022 World Championships 5th

2020 Paralympic Games 5th

2019 Parapan American Games 2nd

2018 World Championships 6th

2016 Paralympic Games 4th

2015 Parapan American Games 1st

2014 World Championships 2nd

2012 Paralympic Games 2nd

2008 Paralympic Games 3rd

2006 World Championships 3rd

2004 Paralympic Games 2nd

2002 World Championships 1st