Sam Harding (athlete)


Sam Harding is an Australian Paralympic athlete. His classification is T13 and competes in 400m and the 800m events. Harding represented Australia at the 2012 Summer Paralympics.

Personal

Harding was born in Perth on 11 May 1991. He has a visual impairment called choroideremia, which is a hereditary condition and has resulted in him losing most of his peripheral vision. Harding attended Wesley College in Perth where he competed in rowing and completed a course in massage therapy.

Sporting career

Harding began his sporting career as a tandem cyclist competing for Western Australia. He then switched to running after winning three gold medals, in the 400m, 800m and 1500m, at the 2009 Paralympic Youth Games in Melbourne. After this success, Harding was recognised by the Australian Paralympic Committee's Paralympic Talent Search Program and fast-tracked into a talent development camp held in Canberra.
Between 2010 and 2012, Harding received a dAIS scholarship and moved to the Australian Institute of Sport to train.
In 2010, Harding competed in the 2010 national championships where he won bronze in the 800m. He was then selected to represent Australia at the 2011 International Paralympic Committee Athletics World Championships, in Christchurch, where he achieved a personal best and German Nationals where he finished fifth in both 800m events.
Harding was selected to represent Australia at the 2012 Summer Paralympic Games. However, he fell ill prior to his event, the T13 800m, and was unable to compete.
He competed at the 91st and 92nd Australian Athletics Championships where he won silver in the men's 800m and 400m respectively.
In 2015, Harding won silver in the Men's 400m at the 2015 IPC Athletics Grand Prix held in Brisbane.
Harding is aiming to compete at the 2016 Summer Paralympics held in Rio de Janeiro.
He is coached by Iryna Dvoskina at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra who he has described, along with Australian Paralympians Evan O'Hanlon and Heath Francis, as being influential to his sporting career.