André Viger
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André Viger , OC , CQ (born September 27, 1952 in Windsor , Ontario , † October 1, 2006 ) was a Canadian racing wheelchair user .
Viger grew up in Sherbrooke , Québec . On June 3, 1973 he was paraplegic in a traffic accident. After various rehabilitation measures, he first took part in a marathon in a wheelchair in 1979. In the following years he won numerous titles. He won the wheelchair classification of the Boston Marathon in 1984, 1986 and 1987, and he was also able to win the Oita Marathon four times in a row. At the 1990 World Cup, he achieved gold over 5,000 meters.
Between 1984 and 1996 he took part in all Paralympic Games and won two gold, two silver and one bronze medals. Hereof a gold medal he won in 1992 in Barcelona in the discipline in the 10,000 meters.
After the Paralympic Games in Barcelona, Viger ended his sporting career and opened Maison Andre Viger , a shop specializing in wheelchairs , in Montreal . He owned a number of jewelry stores in the 1980s, but sold them after he divorced his wife. In October 2006 he died of cancer.
Awards
- 1987 Chevalier de l ' Ordre national du Québec
- 1989 Officer of the Order of Canada
- 2005 Paralympic Hall of Fame
Web links
- Wheelchair athlete Andre Viger dies from cancer , October 2, 2006
- A Legend Passes ( February 8, 2007 memento in the Internet Archive )
- Biography on the website of handicaps.ca (French)
Individual evidence
- ^ Office of the Secretary to the Governor General Government of Canada: Order of Canada . Retrieved May 19, 2011.
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Viger, André |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Canadian racing wheelchair user |
| DATE OF BIRTH | September 27, 1952 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Windsor , Ontario , Ontario |
| DATE OF DEATH | October 1, 2006 |