Hamish MacDonald (athlete)

Hamish MacDonald

2012 Australian Paralympic Team portrait of MacDonald
Personal information
Full name	Hamish Anderson MacDonald
Nationality	Australia
Born	19 August 1974 Melbourne, Victoria
Height	170 cm (5 ft 7 in)
Weight	80 kg (176 lb)
Medal record Athletics Paralympic Games 1996 Atlanta Men's Shot Put F32-33 2004 Athens Men's Shot Put F32-33 World Championships 2002 Lille Men's Shot Put F34 2006 Assen Men's Shot Put F34 1998 Birmingham Men's Shot Put F34 Commonwealth Games 2010 Delhi Men's Shot Put F32/34/52

Hamish Anderson MacDonald, OAM (born 19 August 1974) is an Australian Paralympic athlete. He was born in Melbourne and lives in Canberra. He has cerebral palsy. His achievements and advocacy have made him one of Australia's most respected Paralympians.

MacDonald, the second of four brothers, grew up in Melbourne. His mother, Jeannie, a nurse, ensured that he had the same opportunities in sport as his brothers. While in primary school, he was required to catch a train into the city twice a week for physiotherapy. MacDonald did not walk without callipers until he was eight.

MacDonald has stated that several teachers have played a pivotal role in his interest in sport. In primary school, his physical education teacher Gary Cole, an Australia international soccer player gave support and enthusiasm. In 1986, his family moved to Alice Springs and physical education teachers Shane Claridge and Michelle Parker, at Alice Springs High School, provided encouragement. He said: "They were the best teachers; they certainly gave me a big boost and helped to set my sights on track and field sports." He started powerlifting and wanted to compete in this sport at the Paralympics. However, Parker encouraged him to turn to athletics and in his final year at high school, he was selected for the Barcelona Paralympics.

MacDonald was an elite seated shot putter and competed at the Paralympic Games in Barcelona 1992, Atlanta 1996, Sydney 2000, Athens 2004, Beijing 2008 and London 2012.

At the 1992 Barcelona Games, he competed in the Men's 100m C5 and 200m C5-6 without winning any medals. In the lead up to the Barcelona Games, the people of Alice Springs raised $12,000 for him to compete. In 1994, he accepted an Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) Athletes with a Disability residential scholarship in Canberra. He held this scholarship until 2009 and during this period was coached by Chris Nunn, Scott Goodman and Alison O'Riordan. After six months at the Australian Institute of Sport, he was strongly encouraged to switch to throwing events due to rapidly increasing standards in Paralympic sprinting and his powerlifting background. He had unsuccessfully tried throwing events in Little Athletics because of difficulties staying in the throwing circle due to poor balance. His functional classification allowed him to throw from a chair and he subsequently won a gold medal at the 1996 Atlanta Games in the Men's Shot Put F32-33 event, in a world record. He was awarded an Medal of the Order of Australia for this achievement.