Curtis McGrath wins the 2016 Sportsman of the Year award.
CURTIS MCGRATH (Australia) - Winner of the 2016 'Sportsman of the Year' award.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CurtMcGrath
Facebook: www.facebook.com/Curtis-McGrath-470492569650385
Website: http://curtismcgrath.com.au
Born: 1988, sport: Canoe Sprint, represents: Australia
2016: Paralympic Games: Gold KL2 200m, World Championships: Gold KL2 200m & VL2 200m
2015: World Championships: Gold VL2 200m & Silver KL2 200m
2014: World Championships: Gold VL2 200m
When searching for the definition of the words gutsy, inspiring and dominant you might find Curtis McGraths name listed. Loosing both of his legs in 2012 after stepping on an improvised explosive device whilst serving with the Australian Army in Afghanistan, Curtis made it his mission to represent Australia on the sporting field. But in true Curtis fashion he went one better than this, taking home the first KL2 200m Paralympic gold medal in history.
As a result of his dominant performance in Rio in addition to his two gold medal performances at the 2016 World Championships, Curtis has added another award to his resume, the 2016 World Paddle Awards 'Sportsman of the Year' award.
"Winning the award is a huge achievement for me. I have worked hard since I was injured in 2012 and I am so happy that I have been given the opportunity to represent my country and our sport in such a way that it has been recognised by the best in the world at paddling sports. I'm very humbled by it all," he said.
"There would be way too many people to thank on my list. For one athlete to get to the Paralympics or Olympics, whether it be first or last or just to the start line there is a huge amount of input and support from every angle. But there is one person who has kept me focused and kept me honest and that is my girlfriend Rachel, she has been through it all with me and I am so grateful to have her by my side."
When speaking about his feats and the way he goes about his work, you can be excused for having a body full of goosebumps.
"It’s a strange feeling knowing the amount of early mornings, sore muscles and countless paddle strokes has amounted to be the first to cross the line in the first ever paracanoe event at the Paralympics. A tremendous wave of relief and gratefulness came over me when I crossed the line, I was so grateful to be in the position I am with friends, family and the Australia fans supporting me. But I was also happy it was over, I had achieved what I said I would and pushed myself to stand on top of the podium. It was a great moment."
On top of his athletic performances, he was also given the honor of carrying the Australian flag at the Paralympic Games closing ceremony, a moment that is still quite surreal for the superstar.
"I thought I was already on cloud 9, but when I got asked to carry the closing ceremony flag I was stunned. I never thought it would be me that would be carrying it on my debut games. It was an amazing honour to carry it and it is a memory that I will cherish forever."
When asked about the future of Paracanoe Curtis is clearly overwhelmed with excitement about the possibilities.
"I believe now that Paracanoe is a Paralympic sport we will see the sport grow and the competition get tougher. I would really like to see V1 on the events list in the future and I think there is huge room to grow the sport and make it bigger and better every year."
With only three years of paddling under his belt, Curtis' future in the sport is just as exciting, but outside of the kayak he is planning on big things.
"For me personally, I want to get to Tokyo and do well at the Games in 2020, I have been thinking about another sport to do as well as Paracanoe but I haven’t picked one as of yet. I have some business courses lined up this year and I also have the Invictus Games coming to Sydney in 2018 which I am apart and exciting and also great for all wounded veterans. So there is a busy 4yrs ahead for me and I am looking forward to it all."
The possibilities for Curtis McGrath both in and out of a kayak are limitless. All we know is that he is destined for greatness.
Read Curtis' full profile here.