Ben Tudhope
 Ben Tudhope was given the honour of carrying the flag for Australia at the Closing Ceremony of the Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games | |||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
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| Nationality |
 Australia | ||||||||||||
| Born |
13 December 1999 St Leonards, New South Wales | ||||||||||||
| Height | 170 cm (5 ft 7 in) | ||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||
| Country | Australia | ||||||||||||
| Sport | Para-snowboarding | ||||||||||||
| Disability class | SB-LL | ||||||||||||
Medal record
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Ben Tudhope (born 13 December 1999) is an Australian Paralympian who competed in para-snowboard cross at the 2014 Winter Paralympics in Sochi. His selection at the age of 14 meant that he became Australia's youngest Winter Paralympian, replacing Mitchell Gourley. He was the youngest competitor at the 2014 Winter Paralympic Games from any country.
Personal
Ben Tudhope was born with cerebral palsy due to a lack of oxygen to the brain during his birth and damage caused to the white matter in his brain, which caused hemiplegia on the left side of his body and damage connecting nerve tissue vital for movement[1][2] He lives in Manly, a suburb of Sydney, and attends Shore Grammar School SCEGS.[3]
Career
Tudhope's older sister Annabel introduced him to snowboarding in 2009.[3] Annabel has competed on the World Snowboard Tour, and his other sister Phoebe has competed for Australia in mogul skiing.[4] His Winter Paralympics path began in 2011 when Peter Baff, the head coach of Perisher's Winter Sports Club alerted Peter Higgins, Australia's Paralympic snowboard team head coach, of his ability even though he was not tall.[2]
In 2014, Tudhope was 150 centimetres (4 ft 11 in) tall, and his French-made snowboard is 141 centimetres (56 in) long. Ben competed in the 2013 European Cup to qualify for the 2014 Winter Paralympics. Due to his age, his mother Melissa has accompanied him to overseas competitions.[2] He trains at Perisher Ski Resort, and undertakes dryland training at Monster Skatepark in the Sydney suburb of Homebush.[5] In 2013, he was an Amelia McGuiness Australian Snowsports Development Foundation scholarship holder.[6]
Tudhope's selection for the 2014 Winter Paralympics in Sochi at the age of 14 meant that he became Australia's youngest Winter Paralympian, replacing Mitchell Gourley.[3] He was the youngest competitor at the 2014 Winter Paralympic Games from any country.[7] He finished 10th out of 33 competitors in the Men's Para-snowboard Cross, and was chosen to carry the Australian flag at the closing ceremony.[7]
References
- ↑ "Ben Tudhope". Australian Paralympic Committee Athlete Profiles. Retrieved 8 February 2014.
- 1 2 3 Kemp, Emma. "Youngster targeting a spot on Sochi team". Megaform, 20 November 2013. Retrieved 8 February 2014.
- 1 2 3 Cowley, Rowan (5 February 2014). "Shore student Ben Tudhope Australia's youngest winter Paralympian at 14". Mosman Daily. Retrieved 8 February 2014.
- ↑ "Ben Tudhope". International Paralympic Committee Alpine Skiing Profiles. Retrieved 9 February 2014.
- ↑ "13-year-old Ben Tudhope aims for Sochi". Mountain Watch. Retrieved 8 February 2014.
- ↑ "The AMASDF 2013 Scholarship Holders". NSW Snow Sports. Retrieved 8 February 2014.
- 1 2 Paxinos, Stathi (17 March 2014). "Sochi Winter Paralympics end in style". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 16 March 2014.
External links
- Ben Tudhope – Australian Paralympic Committee profile
- Ben Tudhope – International Paralympic Committee Alpine Skiing profiles