Christopher Daw (born February 1, 1970, in North York, Ontario) is a paralympian in wheelchair sports. Internationally, he competed in adaptive track, marathons, wheelchair basketball, volleyball, wheelchair rugby, and curling for Canada.[1]

Christopher Daw
Personal information
Born(1970-02-01)February 1, 1970
North York, Ontario
Home townStrathroy, Ontario
EducationStrathroy District Collegiate Institute
Alma materUniversity of Tennessee
Occupation(s)Motivational Speaker, Department of National Defense
Height5 ft 9 in (175 cm)
Websitechrisdaw.ca
Sport
Country Canada
Medal record
Representing  Canada
Wheelchair curling
Paralympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2006 Turin
World Wheelchair Curling Championship
Silver medal – second place 2002 Sursee
Gold medal – first place 2003 Scotland
Bronze medal – third place 2004 Sursee
Canadian Wheelchair Curling Championship
Gold medal – first place 2004 London
Gold medal – first place 2005 Richmond
Gold medal – first place 2006 Richmond
Sit-volleyball
Para PanAM Games
Bronze medal – third place 2007 Brazil

In 1986, Daw won 6 Gold medals and set 6 world records at the first World Games for disabled youth in Nottingham, United Kingdom. He was a member of the 1984 and 1988 Canadian Paralympic adaptive track teams; a member of the Canadian Wheelchair Basketball team, and member of the Canadian Wheelchair Rugby Team at the 2000 Summer Paralympics before taking up wheelchair curling in 2000 when he then won the first ever Gold Medal in the sport in Torino in 2006.

Curling edit

 
Daw delivering a stone

Daw entered curling in 2000, and helped develop and adapt the sport for the Paralympics. He was the skip of the Canadian team at the 2002 World Wheelchair Curling Championship in Sursee, Switzerland, where after six months of training the team won silver.[2]

In 2001 Daw won Gold at the World Wheelchair cup of curing in Sctoland, defeating rival Frank Duffy. The next year, he would again be the skip of the Canadian team and the Wheelchair Curling championship, again in Sursee, where the team won bronze.[2]

He would finish his curling career as the skip of the Canadian team, which won the first ever Gold in Wheelchair curling at the 2006 Winter Paralympics.

In 2007, Daw withdrew his name from the Team Canada selection process that could have led to a spot on the 2010 Winter Paralympics. He resurfaced as part of the Wheelchair Curling Team for Newfoundland as Skip in 2008, and relocated to British Columbia in 2009. He was the General manager of the Vancouver Curling Club when it took over the Olympic Curling center (now Hillcrest Center) in 2011.

In 2010, it was announced that Daw was returning to competitive curling, joining Jim Armstrong (curler). As Armstrong's second on a local British Columbia team in provincial play-downs; with hopes of representing Team BC. Team Armstrong was unsuccessful in capturing the 2011 BC Championship title. Armstrong would later move to Ontario.

Daw announced his retirement in December 2010.[3][4]

Professional career edit

In 2012, Daw signed on with Ken Strong and became executive director of Ice Twice Rinks Inc.[5] in Oakville, Ontario. Programs at the rink were run by experienced coaches such as Al Iafrate, Eddi Choi, Christina Kessler, and Ryan Munce. Daw left Ice Twice Rinks in 2015, which was sold to Jamie Allison; a former NHL player with the Chicago Blackhawks.[6]

Since 2000 Daw has been a reporter on the sport of wheelchair curling. Daw was a commentator with CBC television during the Paralympic games in 2010, 2014 and 2018. Daw has also worked with CBC on other ventures, including the 2018 Canadian Wheelchair Curling Championships.[citation needed]

During his athletic career, Daw has attended over 125 National Championships, 64 World Championships, 4 Paralympics, and 1 Olympics with an estimated medal total of over 1000+ for Canada including a dozen World Championships, 19 World records, and Paralympic Gold medal performances.[citation needed]

Personal life edit

In 2006 it was reported that Daw had one child a son; Kyle, with his first wife Mari Brown.[7] In March 2009 Daw married Morgan Perry, a former member of Canada's junior women's softball team. On February 23, 2010, Daw and Perry gave birth to a daughter Arowyn Emma Ellie. Daw and Perry separated in 2015. On September 15, 2021, Daw's daughter Chantelle Daw died at the age of 27.[8]

In April 2010, Daw lost his mother Eleanor Daw. According to Daw, her loss has had a profound change in him which he often referred to the reason behind his retirement from international sport.[9]

In 2010, Daw was inducted into the London Sports Hall of Fame on September 23, 2010[10]

Daw has participated as an athlete in hockey, field, parachuting; rock climbing, badminton and holds high-level black belts in Daitō-ryū Aiki-jūjutsu.[11]

Selected results edit

  Olympic Games
Finish Event Year Place Position Team
Alternate Wheelchair Adaptive Track 1984   United States Los Angeles Alternate   Canada
  Paralympic Games
Finish Event Year Place Position Team
Gold Wheelchair Curling[12] 2006   Italy Torino Skip   Canada
4th Wheelchair Rugby[12] 2000   Australia Sydney Player #10   Canada
Bronze Wheelchair Adaptive Track[12] 1988   South Korea Seoul Participant   Canada
Gold Wheelchair Adaptive Track[12] 1984   United Kingdom Stoke Mandeville Participant (4 × 100 m)   Canada
  Para PanAM Games
Finish Event Year Place Position Team
Bronze Sit-Volleyball 2007   Brazil Rio Player   Canada
  World Wheelchair Curling Championship
Finish Event Year Place Position Team
Silver Wheelchair curling[13] 2002   Switzerland Sursee Skip   Canada
Gold Wheelchair curling[13] 2003   Scotland Scotland Skip   Canada
Bronze Wheelchair curling[13] 2004   Switzerland Sursee Skip   Canada
6. Wheelchair curling[13] 2005   Scotland Glasgow Skip   Canada
4. Wheelchair curling 2007   Sweden Sollefteå Skip   Canada
  Canadian Wheelchair Curling Championship
Finish Event Year Place Position Team
Gold Wheelchair curling[14] 2003   Ontario Toronto Skip   Canada
Gold Wheelchair curling[14] 2005   British Columbia Richmond Skip   Canada
Gold Wheelchair curling[14] 2006   British Columbia Richmond Skip   Canada
6th[15] Wheelchair curling 2009   Nova Scotia Halifax Skip   Newfoundland and Labrador
  Provincial Wheelchair Curling Championship
Finish Event Year Place Position Team
Bronze Wheelchair curling[14] 2011   British Columbia Kimberley 2nd Armstrong
  First World Games for Disabled Youth (Nottingham, England)
Finish Event Year Place Result Team
Gold Wheelchair Adaptive Track [12] 1986   United Kingdom Nottingham World Record   Canada
Gold Wheelchair Adaptive Track [12] 1986   United Kingdom Nottingham World Record   Canada
Gold Wheelchair Adaptive Track [12] 1986   United Kingdom Nottingham World Record   Canada
Gold Wheelchair Adaptive Track [12] 1986   United Kingdom Nottingham World Record   Canada
Gold Wheelchair Adaptive Track [12] 1986   United Kingdom Nottingham World Record   Canada
Gold Wheelchair Adaptive Track [12] 1986   United Kingdom Nottingham World Record   Canada
  Awards and Recognition
Award Awarded by; Description Place Year Country
Rick Hansan Relay[16] Town of Strathroy Medal Bearer   Ontario Strathroy, Ontario 2011   Canada
Hall of Fame[17] City of London London Sports Hall of Fame   Ontario London, Ontario 2010   Canada
King Clancy Award[18] King Clancy Foundation Outstanding Performance   Ontario 2007   Canada
High Performance Coach of the Year Province of Ontario Coach of the Year, Wheelchair Athletics   Ontario 2007   Canada
International Achievement Award Government of Canada Achievement Award   Canada 2006   Canada
World Achievement Award Government of Canada Achievement Award   Canada 2006   Canada
National Achievement Award Government of Canada Achievement Award   Canada 2006   Canada
Provincial Achievement Award Province of Ontario Achievement Award   Ontario 2006   Canada
Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal Government of Canada Achievement Award   Canada 2002   Canada
International Achievement Award Government of Canada Achievement Award   Canada 2000   Canada
World Achievement Award Government of Canada Achievement Award   Canada 2000   Canada
Celebration 88 Medal Government of Canada Achievement Award   Canada 1988   Canada
International Achievement Award Government of Canada Achievement Award   Canada 1988   Canada
JFO Recognition Multi Governments Awards   United Kingdom  United States 1991   United Kingdom  United States
World Award Government of Canada Achievement Award   Canada 1988   Canada
National Achievement Award Government of Canada Achievement Award   Canada 1988   Canada
Provincial Achievement Award Province of Ontario Achievement Award   Ontario 1988   Canada

Filmography edit

Television edit

Year 2005 - 2022 Title Role Notes
2007–2022 CBC Television - Olympic/Paralympic Games ON Air talent/Analyst/ Voice over artist Credited

Live streaming edit

Year Title Role Notes
2007–2022 Canadian Curling Association - National Championships Producer/Commentator Credited

Film edit

Year Title Role Notes
2005 Murderball Athlete Uncredited

References edit

  1. ^ Vancouver 2010 "Paralympic Perspectives" Archived February 3, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ a b "2007 Canadian Wheelchair Curling Championships" (PDF). wheelchaircurling.com. Archived (PDF) from the original on 18 July 2011. Retrieved 29 November 2010.
  3. ^ "Times Online". Archived from the original on 2011-06-04. Retrieved 2010-02-06.
  4. ^ "Home". wheelchaircurlingblog.blogspot.com. Archived from the original on 2012-03-11. Retrieved 2012-01-21.
  5. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-01-04. Retrieved 2022-06-29.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  6. ^ https://www.facebook.com/pages/Oakville-Hockey-Academy/1454361964884901 Archived 2023-03-26 at the Wayback Machine [user-generated source]
  7. ^ "Team Canada – Wheelchair curling". Archived from the original on 2011-07-18. Retrieved 2011-01-19.
  8. ^ "Obituary of Chantelle Daw". Strathroy Funeral Home. Archived from the original on 2022-09-16. Retrieved 2022-09-15.
  9. ^ "The Demons of winning GOLD! - A goodbye!". 17 December 2016. Archived from the original on 2023-03-26. Retrieved 2011-11-07.
  10. ^ "Chris Daw". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2016-05-07. Retrieved 2016-11-29.
  11. ^ "Home". chrisdaw.ca. Archived from the original on 2017-06-10. Retrieved 2017-02-13.
  12. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Chris Daw". Paralympic.org. International Paralympic Committee. Archived from the original on 2021-11-30.
  13. ^ a b c d "Home". worldcurling.org. Archived from the original on 2011-03-03. Retrieved 2006-03-16.
  14. ^ a b c d "Home". wheelchaircurling.com. Archived from the original on 2017-09-12. Retrieved 2022-08-08.
  15. ^ "G:\CURLING\NLCA\News\index_main.HTML". Archived from the original on 2011-07-19. Retrieved 2010-12-31.
  16. ^ http://www.rickhansenrelay.com/en/gallery-viewer.aspx?gallery=3534&photo=2 [dead link]
  17. ^ "London Sports Council". Archived from the original on 2011-07-06. Retrieved 2010-12-31.
  18. ^ "Canadian Foundation for Physically Disabled Persons". Archived from the original on 2012-10-10. Retrieved 2010-12-31.

External links edit