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| Nationality | Australia | ||||||||||||
| Born | 12 October 1955 | ||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Ashley Adams (born 12 October 1955) is an Australian cattle grazier and Paralympic shooting medallist.
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Adams was born on 12 October 1955.[1] He became a paraplegic in 1982 at the age of 26 after being involved in an accident at a local motorbike competition, where he fell off his motorbike and broke his back. Following his accident, there was a six month period of rehabilitation.[2][3] His personal heroes include Lones Wigger and Yvonne Hill.[2] His sporting heroes include Ian Thorpe and Greg Norman.[4] He is a cattle grazier who owns a 64,000-acre (26,000 ha) station near Blackall, Queensland.[2][3] He made extensive modifications to the station's infrastructure to improve his access to the land, including the installation of gates that open both ways. He produces TendaBeef, and supports the genetic breeding of cattle.[3]
Adams is a competitive sport shooter. He started shooting competitively in 1993. He had some previous experience with shooting working on farms.[3] Events he competes in include R3 Mixed Air Rifle Prone, R1 Men’s 10m Air Rifle Standing, R6 Mixed 50m Free Rifle Prone and R7 Free Rifle 3x40 50m. When competing in club based events, he represents the Charleville Small Bore Rifle Club.[1] He shoots from a prone position on the ground similar to that of Olympic competitors, instead of a prone position in his wheelchair.[5] He had an Australian Institute of Sport scholarship from 1998 to 2000.[6]
In 1998, Adams set a world record at the English Match. He finished first at the Swiss Open in 2002 and 2003.[2] In 2007, he won a gold medal and a bronze medal at the Korean Cup.[2] That same year, he finished first at the Australian Open Able-body Prone National Championship. [4][2] In 2011, he competed in ISSF World Cup events in Turkey and Spain, where he finished first in the Spanish .22 event and second in the Turkish air rifle event.[7] In Spain, he also picked up fourth place in the men's R7 50m rifle 3 position SH1 event and seventh in the R1 10m air rifle SH1 event.[8]
Adams has been recognised several times for his sporting accomplishments. He has won the Australia Day Sports Award, and the Merit Award given out by the Australian Paralympic Committee. He twice won the Male Athlete Senior Sporting Wheelies Award,[2] and in 2011, he was ranked first in the world in two different shooting events.[7] Adams' highest world ranking for Paralympic shooting was second.[2] In 2011, he was also ranked as one of the top able-bodied open shooters in Australia.[7]
Adams is a Paralympic shooting competitor from Australia. He first represented Australia at an international level in the 1996 Summer Paralympics. He also competed at the 2000, 2004 and 2008 Summer Paralympics.[2] He won a bronze medal at the 2004 Summer Paralympics in the Men's Air Rifle Standing SH1 event, and a silver medal in the Mixed Free Rifle Prone SH1 event.[9] At the 2008 Summer Paralympics, he finished fourth in the 10m air rifle standing event and fourth in the 50m free rifle prone event.[2] As of 2011[update], he was actively training to be selected for the Australian Paralympic team that will compete at the 2012 Summer Paralympics.[7]