Rick Hansen: the paraplegic athlete who became the first person to travel around the world in a wheelchair
Over twenty years ago, Rick Hansen began a 40,000 Km odyssey. Across 34 countries, including China, Australia, Russia, and Great Britain, Hansen spun the wheels of his wheelchair an average of 9,000 times each day in order to complete a journey equivalent to the circumference of the Earth. Already prominent in Canadian athletics and a national spokesperson for disabled athletes, Hansen hoped The Man In Motion World Tour would raise awareness and funds for spinal cord injury research far beyond Canada's borders. When he returned to Vancouver, British Columbia, in 1987, after a little more than two years on the road, Hansen had not only far outstripped his goal of raising $10 million, he positively altered the perception of disabled athletes- and became a living legend in the process.
Rick Hansen was born on August 26, 1957 and grew up in Williams Lake, British Columbia. A talented and aspiring athlete, Hansen was paralyzed in both legs after he was thrown from the bed of a pick-up truck at the age of 15. His doctors told him he was a paraplegic and would never walk again. Hansen chose to remain an athlete and through rehabilitation refocused his abilities on wheelchair sports. In the late 1970s, he led the Vancouver Cable Cars (then the most successful team in the Canadian Wheelchair Basketball Association), to five national championships in six years. Before he began the Man in Motion World Tour in 1985, Hansen had already won 19 international wheelchair marathons, including three world championships. He was named the National Disabled Athlete of the Year in 1979, 1980, and 1982. In 1983, he shared Canada's Athlete of the Year award with Wayne Gretzky. In 1984, he represented Canada at the Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
Rick Hansen was born on August 26, 1957 and grew up in Williams Lake, British Columbia. A talented and aspiring athlete, Hansen was paralyzed in both legs after he was thrown from the bed of a pick-up truck at the age of 15. His doctors told him he was a paraplegic and would never walk again. Hansen chose to remain an athlete and through rehabilitation refocused his abilities on wheelchair sports. In the late 1970s, he led the Vancouver Cable Cars (then the most successful team in the Canadian Wheelchair Basketball Association), to five national championships in six years. Before he began the Man in Motion World Tour in 1985, Hansen had already won 19 international wheelchair marathons, including three world championships. He was named the National Disabled Athlete of the Year in 1979, 1980, and 1982. In 1983, he shared Canada's Athlete of the Year award with Wayne Gretzky. In 1984, he represented Canada at the Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
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