Jeff Adams

For other people with the same name, see Jeffrey Adams (disambiguation).

Jeff Adams

File:Jeff Adams.jpg Adams in 2021
Personal information
Full name	Jeffrey Adams
Born	November 15, 1970 (1970-11-15) (age 55) Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
Medal record Men's athletics Representing Canada Paralympic Games Gold medal – first place 1996 Atlanta 800m T53 Gold medal – first place 2000 Sydney 800m T53 Gold medal – first place 2000 Sydney 1500m T53 Silver medal – second place 1992 Barcelona 800m TW4 Silver medal – second place 1992 Barcelona 4x400m relay TW3-TW4 Silver medal – second place 1996 Atlanta 400m T53 Silver medal – second place 2000 Sydney 400m T53 Bronze medal – third place 1988 Seoul 800m 5-6 Bronze medal – third place 1988 Seoul 1500m 5-6 Bronze medal – third place 1996 Atlanta 4x400m relay T52-T53 Bronze medal – third place 2000 Sydney 5000m T53 Bronze medal – third place 2000 Sydney 4x100m relay T52-T53 Bronze medal – third place 2004 Athens 400m T53

Jeffrey Adams (born November 15, 1970, in Mississauga, Ontario) is a Canadian lawyer, and a former Paralympian, a six-time world champion in wheelchair sports.

Competitive racing

Adams competed at six consecutive Summer Paralympics from 1988 to 2008, winning a total of three gold, four silver, and six bronze medals. At the 1988 Summer Paralympics he won two bronze medals, one in the 800m race and one in the 1500m race. Four years later at the Barcelona Games he won two silvers, one in the 800m race and one as part of the 4 × 400 m relay. At the 1996 Summer Paralympics he won gold in the 800 m, silver in the 400 m, and bronze in the 4×400 m relay. Four years later, at the Sydney games, he won five medals, a gold in the 800 m and 1500 m, a silver in the 400 m and a bronze in the 5000 m and 4x100 m. At the 2004 Paralympics he won a bronze in the 400 m race. Adams was coached by Peter Eriksson.

Post-competition

In 2002, Adams ascended the 1,776 steps of the CN Tower in a specially designed wheelchair; in 2004, he climbed the Acropolis.

In March 2010, he was a torchbearer during the 2010 Winter Paralympics torch relay.

In 2012 Adams was part of the broadcast crew on Channel 4's coverage of the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London.

Adams is additionally a motivational speaker.

He is an inductee into the Canadian Disability Hall of Fame (1997, then the Terry Fox Hall of Fame). In 2018, he was awarded the Order of Sport, marking his induction into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame (2018).

Personal life

Adams underwent radiation therapy for cancer as a child, and aftermath of the treatment led to a spinal injury at age 9 that paralysed him. After retiring from competition, Adams and business partner Christian Bagg co-launched Marvel Wheelchairs with Cervélo Cycles, producing adjustable wheelchairs for everyday use. After Cervélo was unable to secure bridge financing for debt to suppliers, Marvel was taken over and unsuccessful attempts were made to sell it by Cervélo. Cervélo was taken over by PON, and Adams and Bagg launched a new company making wheelchairs called ICON in 2010. An appearance on the CBC reality show Dragons' Den led to a new partnership with a manufacturer, Multimatic, to produce the wheelchairs designed by ICON.

Through much of his career, Adams lived in Brampton, Ontario.

External links

• Jeff Adams at the International Paralympic Committee
• Jeff Adams at IPC.InfostradaSports.com (archived)
• Jeffrey Adams at World Athletics at the Wayback Machine (archived 2019-04-23)
• Jeff Adams pitches on Dragons' Den
• Speaker's Spotlight
• National Speakers Bureau
• "After dominating the track, Jeff Adams keeps pushing boundaries of excellence" episode of Beyond the Win, CBC Sports, May 18, 2021.