Thomas Geierspichler

Thomas Geierspichler medal table
Thomas Geierspichler (Vienna 2008)
Wheelchair athlete
Austria
Paralympic Games
gold	Athens 2004	1500 m ( T52 )
gold	Beijing 2008	Marathon (T52)
silver	Athens 2004	800 m (T52)
silver	Athens 2004	5000 m (T52)
silver	Athens 2004	Marathon (T52)
bronze	Sydney 2000	Marathon (T52)
bronze	Athens 2004	400 m (T52)
bronze	Beijing 2008	800 m (T52)
bronze	London 2012	400 m (T52)

Thomas Geierspichler (born April 14, 1976 in Salzburg ) is an Austrian racing wheelchair driver. He was five times world champion, six times European champion and is Paralympic winner over 1500 meters and in the marathon, where he also holds the world record. He was once overall winner of the World Series, the Swisseries and the America Series.

Life

On April 4, 1994 , Geierspichler had an accident on the way home from a discotheque as a friend's co-driver. After two months in the rehabilitation center , he learned that he would be paralyzed from the waist down. He formed a new circle of friends and got drug and alcohol problems. In 1997, on New Year's Eve, he stopped smoking, drinking and taking drugs.

Career

At the beginning of 1998, Geierspichler met a racing wheelchair driver and was given the opportunity to take part in a training camp. Driven by his motto “Anything is possible for those who believe”, he fought his way to the top of the world in wheelchair racing within a very short time and surprisingly won the bronze medal at the 2000 Paralympic Games in Sydney. In 2008 he won the gold medal in the marathon in a world record time.