Curtis Thom

Wheelchair racer Curtis Thom made a successful return to competition in 2016 after having surgery the previous season. At the 2016 nationals in Edmonton he won the T54 100, 200 and 400-m races each by 0.25 seconds or less. He was named to the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games in which he helped Canada to the bronze medal in the 4X400-m relay.

Thom required surgery in 2015 to repair his ventricular shunt, a device that prevents fluid from building up in the brain. He was born with spina bifida and hydrocephalus. He had four operations in the first 10 days of his life and although he had learned to walk by age two, a growth spurt while he was still a small boy meant he required further surgery for a tethered spinal cord. He has used a wheelchair ever since.

Thom started wheelchair racing at age 10. He was inspired to try the sport after watching the Atlanta 1996 Paralympic Games.