Birthdate
Sport(s)
Wheelchair Rugby
Hometown
Windsor, Ont.
Classification
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 four Paralympic Games (2 silvers & 1 bronze), five World Championships (1 gold, 1 silver & 2 bronze) and two Parapan Am Games (1 gold, 1 silver). He has taken on a mentorship role with his younger teammates in recent years, by his sharing his experiences and knowledge of the sport.
Most recently, he coached Canada’s wheelchair rugby team at the Toronto Invictus Games, spoke at a TEDxBeaconStreet event in Boston, and was inducted into the Canadian Wheelchair Rugby Hall of Fame.
At the 2019 Parapan American Games where Canada won silver, he was ranked among the top-10 in the tournament in steals.
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
Four consecutive Paralympic Games (2004, 2008, 2012, 2016) … 2015 and 2019 Parapan Am Games
PERSONAL
Injured in car crash at age 24… Whitehead lives in Hollis, NH with his wife Kerri and his children Avary and Addison. He works for VESCO Metalcrafts measuring athletes for new rugby wheelchairs.
NOTABLE INTERNATIONAL RESULTS
- 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
Gallery
Year | Type | Host City |
Medals |
---|---|---|---|
2020 | Summer |
Tokyo, Japan
|
|
2019 | Parapan am Games |
Lima, Peru
|
1 silver medals |
2016 | Summer |
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
|
|
2015 | Parapan am Games |
Toronto, Canada
|
1 gold medals |
2012 | Summer |
London, England
|
1 silver medals |
2008 | Summer |
Beijing, China
|
1 bronze medals |
2004 | Summer |
Athens, Greece
|
1 silver medals |