Kieran Modra facts for kids
2012 Australian Paralympic team portrait of Modra
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| Born | 27 March 1972 Port Lincoln, South Australia, Australia |
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| Died | 13 November 2019 (aged 47) Kingsford, South Australia, Australia |
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| Spouse(s) |
Kerry Golding
(m. 1997) |
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| Sport | Athletics, swimming, cycling | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Kieran John Modra AM (born March 27, 1972 – died November 13, 2019) was an amazing Australian Paralympic athlete. He was a talented swimmer and tandem cyclist.
Kieran won five gold medals and five bronze medals at eight Paralympic Games. These games took place between 1988 and 2016. He also earned two silver medals at the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games. His dedication and skill made him a true champion.
Contents
Early Life and Family
Kieran Modra was born in Port Lincoln, South Australia, on March 27, 1972. He was the third of four children. Kieran was born with a vision impairment called optic atrophy. This condition affected his eyesight.
He grew up on a farm in Greenpatch, near Port Lincoln. He went to high school at Immanuel College. Kieran's sister, Tania Modra, was also a Paralympic cyclist. She won two gold medals at the 2000 Sydney Games as a pilot for Sarnya Parker.
Kieran's Sports Journey
Kieran started his sports career in pole vaulting in 1987. He won a pole vaulting competition in 1989. He first competed in athletics at the 1988 Seoul Paralympics. There, he ran in the 1500 m race and threw the javelin.
After a knee injury, Kieran started swimming to help him recover. He began competing in swimming in 1990. At the 1992 Paralympics in Barcelona, he competed in both athletics and swimming. He won two bronze medals in swimming: the 100 m Backstroke and the 200 m Backstroke.
Switching to Cycling
In 1995, Kieran decided to try road and track cycling. He found it was a great way to get around. In tandem cycling, a visually impaired rider (like Kieran) rides on the back. A sighted rider, called a "pilot," rides on the front and steers.
At the 1996 Atlanta Games, his future wife, Kerry Golding, was his pilot. They won a gold medal in the Mixed 200 m Sprint Tandem event. Kieran also received a scholarship from the Australian Institute of Sport in 1998 and 1999.
World Championships Success
In 1998, at the UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships in Colorado Springs, Kieran and pilot Kerry Modra won three gold medals. They won in the Mixed Tandem Sprint, Mixed Tandem Time Trial, and Mixed Individual Pursuit events.
He competed at the 2000 Sydney Games, but did not win medals there. His pilot, Kerry, was pregnant and felt unwell during a race. So, Kieran's sister, Tania Modra, stepped in to pilot him for the rest of the games. In 2002, Kieran won two more gold medals at the IPC World Cycling Championships in Germany with pilot Darren Harry.
Athens 2004 and Challenges
Before the 2004 Athens Games, Kieran faced a challenge. There was a disagreement about his spot on the Australian cycling team. However, the Australian Paralympic Committee successfully argued for him to be included.
At the 2004 games, Kieran showed incredible strength. He won two gold medals. One was in the Men's Individual Pursuit Tandem, where he set a new world record. The other was in the Men's Sprint Tandem. He also won a bronze medal in the Men's Road Race. In one sprint race, Kieran and his pilot fell off their bike. Even with injuries, they got back on and won the final race just 45 minutes later!
More World Records and Medals
Kieran continued to break records. In 2007, he and pilot Tyson Lawrence broke their own world record in the individual pursuit. They broke it again at the 2008 Beijing Paralympics. At those games, they won a gold medal in the individual pursuit and a bronze in the 1 km time trial.
In 2011, Kieran teamed up with a new pilot, Scott McPhee. They won gold at the 2011 Montichiari World Championships, setting another world record. Kieran faced more challenges when he broke his collarbone and hip in a training fall. Later, he had another accident, breaking bones in his neck and spine. Despite these setbacks, he recovered quickly. He went on to win a gold medal at the 2012 London Games with Scott McPhee.
In 2014, Kieran won two silver medals at the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games with pilot Jason Niblett. He also won gold at the 2016 Montichiari World Championships with pilot David Edwards. At his final Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Kieran and pilot David Edwards won a bronze medal in the Men's Road Time Trial.
Personal Life
Kieran Modra married Kerry Golding in May 1997. They met at a friend's birthday party. Kieran and Kerry had three daughters together.
Sad Passing
Kieran Modra sadly passed away in a cycling accident on November 13, 2019. He was riding his bike on the Sturt Highway in Kingsford.
Awards and Recognition
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Kieran Modra received many awards for his amazing achievements:
- 1997: Medal of the Order of Australia
- 2000: Australian Sports Medal
- 2004: Australian Male Paralympian of the Year
- 2011: South Australian Institute of Sport Athlete with a Disability of the Year (with Scott McPhee)
- 2014: Appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for his great service to sport and to people with vision impairment.
- 2014: South Australian Institute of Sport Male Athlete with a Disability of the Year (with Jason Niblett)
See also
In Spanish: Kieran Modra para niños
