James Paterson (skier)
James Lawrence Paterson OAM is an Australian Paralympic skier who has cerebral palsy.
Paterson was from Terrigal, New South Wales and a marine mechanic for Halvorsen Boats. After the 1994 Games, Paterson thanked the Terrigal community and his employer for supporting his overseas preparation.
At the 1994 Lillehammer Winter Paralympics, he competed in four events and won a silver medal in the Men's Downhill LW9 event and a bronze medal in the Men's Giant Slalom LW9 event. In 1996, at the IPC Alpine Skiing World Championships, he won a silver medal and two bronze medals. At the 1998 Winter Paralympics, he was team captain and competed in four events. He won a gold medal in the Men's Downhill LW1,3,5/7,9 event and a bronze medal in the Men's Slalom LW9 event Between 1997 and 1999, he was an Australian Institute of Sport Athlete with a Disability scholarship holder. His last major international competition was the 2000 IPC Alpine Skiing World Championships, where he won a silver medal in the Men's Giant Slalom LW1,3,7,7,9. He announced his retirement in June 2001 citing his lost passion and the cost of competing on his family and finances.
In 2000, he received an Australian Sports Medal. In 2008, he was awarded Order of Australia in recognition for being a medallist at Paralympics and Disabled World Ski Championships. He has been inducted into the Central Coast Sporting Hall of Fame.
He is married to Martina, and has two children – Emily and Cameron.
