Stephen Eaton

Stephen Robert Eaton, OAM^[1] (born 15 September 1975) is an Australian athlete with cerebral palsy from Toowoomba, Queensland who competes at the national and international level in discus throwing and shot put at events such as the Paralympic Games and IPC Athletics World Championships.^[2]

Stephen Eaton

2000 Australian Paralympic team portrait of Eaton
Personal information
Full name	Stephen Robert Eaton
Nationality	Australia
Born	(1975-09-15) 15 September 1975 (age 50) Toowoomba, Queensland
Medal record Wheelchair athletics Paralympic Games 1996 Atlanta Men's Discus F32–33 2000 Sydney Men's Discus F34 IPC World Championships 1998 Birmingham Men's Discus F34 2002 Lille Men's Shot-put F33-34

Eaton seen during discus competition at the 1996 Atlanta Paralympics

Eaton relaxes on the grass during the discus F34 final at the 2000 Sydney Paralympics

Eaton first began to participate in track and field events at the age of eight, under the guidance of coach Anne Marsh.^[2] He represented Australia at a Paralympic level for the first time in 1993, and won two gold medals at the 1994 FESPIC Games.^[2] He won a bronze medal in the Men's Discus F32–33 event at the 1996 Atlanta Paralympics.^[3] He won a silver medal in the men's discus at the 1998 IPC Athletics World Championships.^[4] He had an Australian Institute of Sport Athletics with a Disability scholarship from 1997 to 2000.^[2] He was also supported by the Queensland Academy of Sport.^[5]

He won a gold medal at the 2000 Summer Paralympics in the men's discus F34 event,^[3] for which he received a Medal of the Order of Australia.^[1] In 2000, he received an Australian Sports Medal.^[6]

Eaton has highlighted the therapeutic value of sport for anyone with a disability. He commented "If I didn't play sport I don't know what I would do. I get to meet people and to travel."^[2]