| Personal information | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Birth name | Christie Skelton | ||||||||||||
| Nationality | Australian | ||||||||||||
| Born | 3 May 1980 Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia |
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| Residence | Sydney, New South Wales, Australia | ||||||||||||
| Height | 1.56 metres (5 ft 1 in) (2008) | ||||||||||||
| Weight | 45 kilograms (99 lb) (2008) | ||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||
| Country | Australia | ||||||||||||
| Sport | Wheelchair racing | ||||||||||||
| Event(s) | 800m, 1500m and 5000m, Marathon | ||||||||||||
| Achievements and titles | |||||||||||||
| Paralympic finals | 2008 Summer Paralympics: 4×100 m T53–T54 – Bronze | ||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Christie Dawes (born 3 May 1980) is an Australian Paralympic wheelchair racing athlete.
When she was young, Christie was very interested in athletics. At the age of 10, she was in a car accident. She survived, but had suffered paraplegia.[1] Christie continued in her career in athletics, but also took up the job of a primary school teacher.[2]
In 1996, she competed in the Atlanta Paralympics, where she was awarded the 1996 Young Paralympian of the Year Award. Three years later, she won a bronze medal for the 10 km Peachtree Road Race. In 2000, she competed in the Sydney Paralympics. Next was the 2004 Paralympics in Athens Paralympics. The events that she competed in were 800m, 1500m, 5000m races and the Marathon.[2] Dawes competed in the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing, and was one of several competitors caught up in a crash during the final of the women's 5000 metre T54 wheelchair event, eventually finishing sixth despite a broken front wheel.[3] The race was re-run, and Dawes spoke out against the treatment of Canadian athlete Diane Roy, who had been awarded the gold medal in the event, only to have it taken back and replaced with a silver medal when she finished second in the re-run.[4] In February 2010, Dawes won the 10 km world wheelchair road race championships in the United Arab Emirates.[5]