Tim Sullivan (athlete)

Timothy ("Tim") Francis Sullivan, OAM^[1] (born 16 September 1975)^[2] is an Australian Paralympic athlete.

Action shot of Sullivan winning gold in the 200 m T38 at the 2000 Summer Paralympics

Tim Sullivan

2012 Australian Paralympic team portrait of Sullivan
Personal information
Born	16 September 1975
Medal record Athletics (T38) Paralympic Games 2000 Sydney 100 m T38 2000 Sydney 200 m T38 2000 Sydney 400 m T38 2000 Sydney 4 × 100 m T35–38 2000 Sydney 4 × 400 m T35–38 2004 Athens 100 m T38 2004 Athens 200 m T38 2004 Athens 400 m T38 2004 Athens 4 × 100 m T35–38 2008 Beijing 4 × 400 m T35–38 IPC Athletics World Championships 2002 Lille 100 m T38 2002 Lille 200 m T38 2006 Assen 100 m T38 2006 Assen 200 m T38 2006 Assen 400 m T38 2006 Assen 4 × 100 m T35–38 2006 Assen 4 × 400 m T35–38 2011 Christchurch 400 m T38 2011 Christchurch 4 × 100 m T35–38

Personal

Sullivan shown on the gold medal podium at the 2000 Summer Paralympics. He won five gold medals at these games.

Sullivan was born in Melbourne, Australia. When Tim was eight years old, he was riding his bike to a park with his sister and a friend when they were approached by a couple of kids. One had a broken glass bottle and was threatening them. They started to chase Sullivan with the bottle. Due to this he ran on to a road and was struck by a car. From this accident Sullivan suffered cerebral palsy. It limits his verbal communication: he speaks in tiny, fast sentences and sometimes one word answers. It has also limited the use of the right side of his body.

Career

Sullivan at the 2012 London Paralympics

Tim Sullivan, is an Australian athlete who has won ten^[3] gold medals at the Paralympic Games.^[4] This includes five gold medals at the 2000 Summer Paralympics in Sydney (T38 200m; T38 100m; T38 400m; T38 4X400m relay; T38 4X100m relay),^[5] in which he received a Medal of the Order of Australia for his 'service to sport'.^[1] Tim also won four gold medals at the 2004 Summer Paralympics in Athens, in the T38 100m, 200m and 400m events, and as a member of the men's 4 × 100 m Relay team.^[6] In addition to the gold medals won, Sullivan also set world records in the 100m, 200m and 4 × 100 m relay at the 2004 Athens Paralympic Games.^[7] At the conclusion of the 2004 Paralympic Games in Athens, Tim was ranked 1st overall among athletes in his competitions.^[8]

Tim represented Australia again at the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing,^[4] where he won a gold medal in the men's 4 × 100 m T35–38 and also at the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London.^[2]

He held the Australian record for the highest gold medal count until being surpassed by Matthew Cowdrey in 2012.^[9]

Tim did not medal at the 2012 Games.^[10]

Recognition

In 2000, Sullivan was named Male Athlete of the Year by the Australian Paralympic Committee. In the same year, Sullivan also received the Victorian Institute of Sport's Award of Excellence.^[8]

In October 2004, he was named "Paralympian of the Year" by the Australian Paralympic Committee.^[6] In 2004, Sullivan was also awarded the Victorian Institute of Sport's Athlete With a Disability award.^[8]

See also

• Athletes with most gold medals in one event at the Paralympic Games