Robin Surgeoner

Robin Hugh Surgeoner MBE (born 13 July 1963) is a British retired swimmer. He won nine[1][4][5] gold medals across three Paralympic Games competing as a British Paralympian in C4 events. Surgeoner was one of the original members of the British Paralympic Association committee. He now works as a Swim Coach, as an inclusion empowerment consultant and musician.

Robin Surgeoner
MBE
Personal information
Born (1963-07-13) 13 July 1963
Websitewww.angryfish.co.uk
Sport
Country Great Britain
SportParalympic swimming
ClubOrion Swimming Club Birmingham
Retired1992 from International Competition continued competing at National level until August 2018
Medal record
Paralympic Games[1]
1984 New York /
Stoke Mandeville[2]		Men's 50 m Backstroke C4
New York /
1984 Stoke Mandeville		Men's 50 m Freestyle C4
New York /
1984 Stoke Mandeville		Men's 100 m Freestyle C4
1984 New York /
Stoke Mandeville		Men's 200 m Freestyle C4
1984 New York /
Stoke Mandeville		Men's 4x50 m Freestyle Relay C1-C8
1988 Seoul[3]Men's 100 m Breaststroke C4
1988 SeoulMen's 100 m Freestyle C4
1988 SeoulMen's 200 m Freestyle C4
1988 SeoulMen's 400 m Freestyle C3-4

Athletic career

Born in England with hereditary spastic paraplegia,[6] Surgeoner was introduced to the pool through hydrotherapy and took to swimming at an early age. He found that he could keep pace with able-bodied children of the same age in swimming galas in Hong Kong, before the family returned to England in 1974 in time for him to attend secondary school. He joined the Rushmore Mallards, a local swimming group. Soon after, Surgeoner found success in the National Junior championships in Stoke Mandeville.[4]

With the 1984 Paralympic Games being jointly hosted by the United States and the United Kingdom Surgeoner competed in numerous events. He won gold medals at three different distances in the C4 freestyle and a further gold in the 50 m backstroke.[2] He returned for the 1988 Games in Seoul, again winning three freestyle golds along with one in the 100 m Breaststroke.[3] Surgeoner then competed in the 1992 Summer Paralympics in Barcelona, finishing fourth in both the 100 m Breaststroke SB5 and 4x50 m Medley Relay S1-6.[7]

Surgeoner was included in the 1989 New Year Honours and was awarded an MBE for services to sport for the disabled.[8] He retired from competitive swimming after the 1992 season.[4]

Other activities

Surgeoner performs as poet, artist, and musician under the stage name Angryfish.[7] In 2017 he established the "Why? Festival" in Birmingham to promote the works of the disability arts movement.[9]

References
  1. Brittain, Ian (2012). From Stoke Mandeville to Stratford: A History of the Summer Paralympic Games. pp. 169–178. ISBN 978-1-86335-986-3.
  2. "IPC Historical Results Archive – Stoke Mandeville/New York 1984 – Swimming". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 19 February 2018.
  3. "IPC Historical Results Archive – Seoul 1988 – Swimming". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 19 February 2018. {{Dead link|date=October 2020}|}
  4. Janicki, Klara (April 2013). "An Interview with Robin Surgeoner". National Paralympic Heritage Trust. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
  5. "Robin Surgeoner". Gilbey Films. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
  6. "Angryfish & Crips", Can-Do Musos, 2016
  7. "Athlete Bio – Surgeoner Robin". International Paralympic Committee. Archived from the original on 20 February 2018. Retrieved 19 February 2018.
  8. "No. 51578". The London Gazette (Supplement). 30 December 1988.
  9. Hambrook, Colin (26 June 2017). "Why Robin Surgeoner is building a platform for disability and diverse arts". Disability Arts Online. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
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