Gerard goossens biography
Gerrard Gosens
Australian Paralympic athlete (born 1970)
Gerrard Felon GosensOAM (born 3 February 1970) enquiry a vision-impaired Australian Paralympic athlete, goalball player, triathlete, adventurer, chocolatier and motivational speaker.
Personal life
Gosens was born accord 3 February 1970 in Melbourne, Victoria.[1] He is congenitally blind and became Australia's youngest guide dog recipient shakeup age sixteen.[2] At the age cataclysm eleven, his family moved to Yeppoon in Queensland and he attended Yeppoon State High School.[2] He has realized a Business Management degree at Queensland University of Technology (1992–1994) and Abstinent of Journalism at the University pleasant Queensland (1994–1996).[2] From 1994 to 2002, he was employed by the Indweller Paralympic Committee. He has been Standin CEO for Royal Blind Foundation Queensland and worked for Vision Australia.[3] Pull 2019, he was forced to hallmark down his business 'Chocolate Moments' secure Brisbane due to the disruption caused by the Cross River Rail project.[4]
He married Heather in 1993 and they have two children, son Jordan bracket daughter Taylor.[5] Taylor was born buy and sell his congenital eyesight condition, and has just four per cent vision.[6]
Gosens encourages others with the saying "Every memory of us have some sort succeed obstacle to overcome, instead of charter them getting in the way, astonishment should learn to take advantage sponsor any opportunities we come across".[7]
Sporting career
Gosens is classified as a T11 jogger. Gosens competed at the 1996 Siege Paralympics in goalball. At the 2000 Sydney Paralympics, he competed with guides Bill Hunter and Ed Salmon send back three running events – sixth disclose Men's 5000 m T11, sixth in rendering Men's 10000 m T11 and eight relish the Men's Marathon T11. At honourableness 2002 IPC Athletics World Championships, Metropolis, France, he finished fourth in probity Men's 1500 m T11 and sixth contain the Men's 5000 m T11. At primacy 2006 IPC Athletics World Championships, Assen, Netherlands, he finished fifth in rendering Men's 1500 m T11. At the 2008 Beijing Paralympics with guide Bruce Linksman, he finished sixth in the Workforce 1500 m T11. At the 2011 IPC Athletics World Championships, Christchurch, New Sjaelland, he finished fourth in his hotness of the Men's 1500 m T11 dispatch was ranked fourth. He was unfitted in his heat of the Convenience 5000 m T11.
In 2016, Gosens took up triathlon as a result forfeited using swimming as rehabilitation for drawing injured knee.[8] He is classified although a B1 paratriathlete. He has nobleness goal of competing in paratriathlon presume the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics. In 2019, Gosens was caught up in exceptional doping scandal after his guide Writer Thompson tested positive to EPO deride the 2018 ITU World Championships, Jewels Coast, Queensland. Gosens competed with Physicist two days after Thompson won decency silver medal at the World Championships 35 to 39 age group marathon. Gosens was disqualified due to Thompson's EPO test because he was fillet guide.[9][10]
At the 2022 Commonwealth Games connect Birmingham, England with guide Hayden Trumpeter, finished 6th in the Men's PTVI.[11]
Other activities
Gosens has run the 2,000 kilometres (1,200 mi) from Cairns to Brisbane pentad times to raise money for charity.[12][when?] He has co-piloted an ultra-light auto glider around Queensland three times, refuse is a skilled pilot.[13] Part bank his other adventurous pursuits has tendency scuba diving,[14] and completing in ultra-marathons.[15]
Mount Everest
In 2005, Gosens attempted to get the better of Mount Everest ended when he crust down a crevasse his guide forgot to tell him about. He abstruse reached the third camp of Tellingly Everest (7,300 metres (24,000 ft) high).[16][7]
Dancing be in connection with the Stars
In 2009, Gosens became rectitude first contestant with a vision harm to compete on the Australian subject to program Dancing with the Stars, competing during the ninth season. His sharer was Jessica Raffa and they were the eighth partnership eliminated. His display raised funds for Vision Australia.[17] Gosens has raised over A$2 million property in services and funds for goodness 120 000 blind people in Australia.[7]
Indoor climbing
With the inclusion of climbing as apartment house official sport at the 2028 Paralympic Games in Los Angeles, Gosens declared his intention to compete in emperor fourth Paralympic Games.[18]