Richard Nicholson

Richard Nicholson

2012 Australian Paralympic Team portrait of Nicholson
Personal information
Nationality	Australia
Born	30 June 1970 Sydney, New South Wales
Medal record Powerlifting Paralympic Games 2000 Sydney Men's Up To 60 kg Commonwealth Games 2002 Manchester Bench Press Athletics T54 Paralympic Games 2004 Athens Men's 4×100 m T53-54 2012 London 4×400 metre relay - T53/54

Richard Nicholson (born 30 June 1970) is a Paralympic powerlifting and athletics competitor from Australia. He has competed at five successive Paralympic Games from the 1996 to 2012 Summer Paralympics. At the 2000 Games, he won a silver medal in the powerlifting Men's Up to 60 kg event. In athletics, at the 2004 Athens Paralympics he won a silver medal in the Men's 4 × 100 m T53–54 event and at the 2012 London Paralympics a bronze medal in the Men's 4 × 400 m T53–54 event. He is aiming to compete at the 2016 Rio Paralympics.

Nicholson was born on 30 June 1970 in Sydney, New South Wales. At the age of four he became ill and subsequently lost the use of his legs. At the age of seven, he used a skateboard given to him by his parents to move around Canberra. In 2015, he works as a sports consultant at the Australian Sports Commission. In February 2016, it was announced that Nicholson was being appointed to being University of Canberra 's second Athlete in Residence. This position allows him to opportunity to share his experience with University of Canberra students.

Nicholson first sporting activity was archery follow by gymnastics. Nicholson noted that gymnastics gave him a strong upper body and strong work ethic, particularly through the Roman rings. He then took up powerlifting where he competed at the 1996 Atlanta Games and finished eight in the 56 kg category. He went on to win a silver medal in the 60 kg category at the 2000 Sydney Games. He also won a silver medal in the bench press at the 2002 Manchester Commonwealth Games. He quit powerlifting because of the existence of doping. Ten powerlifters tested positive to drugs at the 2000 Sydney Paralympics.