July 27, 2017

Engineering student claims gold at world Paralympic championships

James Turner celebrates another win on the track. 

Less than a year after claiming gold at the Rio Paralympics, UOW engineering student James Turner has once again run a world record-breaking race, taking home three gold medals at the World Paralympic Athletics Championships in London.

James took out first place in the 200m (T36) race in a world record time of 24.09 seconds, as well as first place in the 800m (T36) and 400m (T36).

James, who commenced a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering at UOW in 2015, began his foray into athletics as a member of the Australian Pararoos seven-a-side team for cerebral palsy footballers.

When the Pararoos were unsuccessful in their bid for Rio, James was contacted by Athletics Australia who saw footage of him playing in Birmingham.

In between study commitments, his sporting focus shifted from football to athletics. James was selected to represent Australia in the 2016 Rio Paralympics where he took home gold in the men’s 800m (T36) event and broke the world record by close to three seconds.

Adding to his list of accolades, James received a Medal of the Order of Australia for service to sport as a gold medallist in the Rio 2016 Paralympics.

James was an NAB Sports Scholarship recipient in 2015.

Photo supplied courtesy of the Australian Paralympic Committee.