Ashley Adams facts for kids
Adams at the 1996 Summer Paralympics in Atlanta
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| Full name | Ashley Phillip Adams | ||||||||||||||||
| Nationality |  Australia |
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| Born | 12 October 1955 Toowoomba, Queensland |
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| Died | 17 March 2015 (aged 59) | ||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Ashley Phillip Adams (born October 12, 1955 – died March 17, 2015) was an amazing Australian athlete. He was a Paralympic shooter who won medals for his country. He was also a cattle farmer.
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About Ashley Adams
Ashley Adams was born in Toowoomba, Australia. In 1982, when he was 26, he had a motorbike accident. He broke his back and became a paraplegic, meaning he couldn't move his legs. After the accident, he spent six months getting better in rehabilitation.
Ashley was a cattle farmer. He owned a very large farm, about 64,000 acres, near Blackall, Queensland. He made many changes to his farm so he could move around easily. For example, he put in special gates that opened both ways. He was known for producing high-quality beef and for helping improve cattle through breeding.
Sadly, Ashley Adams died on March 17, 2015. He was 59 years old. He passed away after an accident with a quad bike on his farm.
Competitive Shooting
Ashley Adams was a very skilled competitive sport shooter. He started shooting in competitions in 1993. He already had some experience with shooting from working on farms.
He competed in many different shooting events. Some of these included:
- R3 Mixed Air Rifle Prone
- R1 Men's 10m Air Rifle Standing
- R6 Mixed 50m Free Rifle Prone
- R7 Free Rifle 3x40 50m
When he shot in club events, he represented the Charleville Small Bore Rifle Club. He shot from a lying-down position on the ground. This was similar to how Olympic shooters compete, even though he used a wheelchair. He even received a scholarship from the Australian Institute of Sport from 1998 to 2000.
Achievements in Shooting
Ashley achieved many great things in his shooting career:
- In 1998, he set a world record in the English Match.
- He won a gold medal at the IPC Shooting World Championships in Spain in the 50m Rifle Prone event that same year.
- He won first place at the Swiss Open in both 2002 and 2003.
- In 2007, he won a gold and a bronze medal at the Korean Cup.
- Also in 2007, he won first place at the Australian Open Able-body Prone National Championship.
- In 2011, he competed in ISSF World Cup events. He finished first in Spain and second in Turkey.
- In 2011, he was ranked number one in the world in two different shooting events.
- He was also ranked as one of the top able-bodied shooters in Australia that year.
- By the end of 2014, he was ranked in the top ten in the world for three different events.
Paralympic Games
Ashley Adams first represented Australia at the international level in the 1996 Summer Paralympics in Atlanta. He then went on to compete in four more Paralympic Games:
- 2000 Summer Paralympics in Sydney
- 2004 Summer Paralympics in Athens
- 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing
- 2012 Summer Paralympics in London
At the 2004 Athens Games, Ashley won two medals for Australia. He earned a silver medal in the Mixed Free Rifle Prone SH1 event. He also won a bronze medal in the Men's Air Rifle Standing SH1 event.
At the 2008 Beijing Games, he finished fourth in two events: the 10m air rifle standing and the 50m free rifle prone. In his final Paralympics in London in 2012, he finished in the top twenty in all four of his events.
Recognition
Ashley Adams was honored many times for his achievements in sports.
- He received a Merit Award from the Australian Paralympic Committee.
- He won the Male Athlete Senior Sporting Wheelies Award twice.
- In 2000, he was given an Australian Sports Medal.
Today, Australia's main organization for target shooting, Shooting Australia, presents the Ashley Adams Perpetual Trophy every year. This award recognizes the best and fairest athlete, as voted by top "Aiming4Gold" athletes.
