Sam Ruddock facts for kids
Sam Ruddock (born 19 February 1990) is a British athlete who competes in Paralympic sports. He has cerebral palsy, a condition that affects movement. He has competed for Great Britain in both track and field events, like the shot put, and in track cycling. He holds British records in the F35 Shot Put and the C1 Kilometre Time Trial in cycling. Sam has competed in multiple Paralympic Games.
Ruddock with Jim Edwards during the F35 Shot Put Final at the 2014 IPC Athletics European Championships.
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Samuel Ruddock | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nickname(s) | Sam | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nationality | British | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 19 February 1990 Rugby, Warwickshire |
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| Education | International Relations (Bachelor of Arts) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alma mater | Loughborough University | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country |  United Kingdom |
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| Sport | Cycling | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Disability | Cerebral palsy | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Disability class | C1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Event(s) | Track time trial | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | Loughborough Students CC | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Achievements and titles | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World finals | 2015 IPC Athletics World Championships 2013 IPC Athletics World Championships | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Regional finals | 2016 IPC Athletics European Championships 2014 IPC Athletics European Championships | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Paralympic finals | Rio 2016 London 2012 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Highest world ranking | UCI World Rankings C1 – 4th (2020–2021) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal best(s) | 1:16.671 (Kilometre TT) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Contents
Early Life and School
Sam Ruddock was born on 19 February 1990 in Rugby, Warwickshire. He was born early and later diagnosed with cerebral palsy. This condition affects how his muscles work.
He went to Bishop Wulstan School for his GCSEs. Sam really enjoyed learning about languages, history, and how countries work together. He found it hard to play football, a popular sport, because his legs didn't move easily. However, he loved basketball. He was inspired by sports movies like Space Jam and Coach Carter to get involved in physical education.
In 2006, Sam earned a special scholarship to attend Rugby School. There, he continued his studies in English, History, and Economics.
Discovering Sports at University
After finishing school, Sam went to Loughborough University. He studied International Relations, which is about how different countries interact. While at university, he became very involved in campus life.
He started playing American football for the Loughborough Aces. He was the only player with a physical disability in the British University League. He played as a linebacker.
In 2011, during his last year of university, an athletics coach noticed Sam. The coach, Joe McDonnell, saw Sam's speed and strength. He offered to train Sam in disability sprinting. Sam quickly joined the talent program for British Athletics. Within a few months, he was chosen to represent Great Britain. He made his international debut for the Paralympic Athletics team in London in 2012.
From Athletics to Cycling
After graduating with top honours, Sam continued his sports career. He also worked as an Athlete Mentor for the Youth Sport Trust. In this role, he visited secondary schools. He encouraged students to use lessons from sport to improve their schoolwork.
In 2013, Sam decided to try field events to increase his chances of winning medals. He started focusing on the shot put. He was chosen to represent Great Britain in shot put at the 2014 IPC Athletics European Championships in Swansea.
Sam achieved a new personal best at the 2015 World Championships. He then won a silver medal at the 2016 European Championships. These achievements led to his selection for the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games. He finished 6th in the shot put final there.
In 2019, Sam made a big change. He joined the British Cycling Foundation Programme. He is now training for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games in track cycling. He is a big fan of the National Football League and WWE.
Sam's Achievements
Sam Ruddock has achieved many great things in his sports career. He holds British records in both shot put and track cycling.
- He is the British Record holder for the F35 Shot Put.
- He is also the British Record holder for the C1 Kilometre Time Trial in cycling.
He has won several medals:
- Silver Medal: At the 2016 European Championships in Grosseto for Shot Put – F35.
- Gold Medal: At the 2022 UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines for 1 km time trial C1.
- Gold Medal: At the 2023 UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships in Glasgow for 1 km time trial C1.
- Bronze Medal: At the 2023 UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships in Glasgow for Omnium C1.
