Jason Lees
Jason Lees, OAM is a wheelchair rugby player from Victoria and was a member of the Australian Steelers that won the gold medals at the 2012 London and 2016 Rio Paralympics.[1] His partner is Melanie Josephs; they have one child.
 2016 Australian Paralympic Team portrait of Lees | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| National team | Australia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 1 March 1977 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country | Australia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Wheelchair rugby | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Disability class | 1.0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Biography
Lees life changed in June 2000. Lees a mechanic at the time was on a motocross circuit in Laverton, Victoria when his bike ran off the track and the resultant accident led to him breaking his neck.[2] He is paralysed from the chest down but has recovered some mobility, improving to a point where he can 'stand a bit and use my arms a bit.'[2]
In 2002, Lees started playing wheelchair rugby on the social, non-competitive level.
In 2009, he made his debut for the Victoria state team and the Australian Steelers. He competed in the 2010 World Rugby Wheelchair Championships, where his team captured a silver medal.[3]
Lees was a member of the Steelers that won the gold medal at the 2012 London Paralympics. He was a member of the Australian team that won its first world championship gold medal at the 2014 World Wheelchair Rugby Championships at Odense, Denmark.[4]
He was a member of the team that retained its gold medal at the 2016 Rio Paralympics after defeating the United States 59–58 in the final.[5]
At the 2018 IWRF World Championship in Sydney, Australia, he was a member of the Australian team that won the silver medal after being defeated by Japan 61-62 in the gold medal game.[6]
Lees was awarded an Order of Australia Medal in the 2014 Australia Day Honours "for service to sport as a Gold Medallist at the London 2012 Paralympic Games."[7]
References
- "Steelers aim to maintain their reign in Rio". Australian Paralympic Committee News. 25 July 2016. Archived from the original on 29 August 2016. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
- Paxinos, Stathi (11 August 2012). "Set for some hell on wheels". The Age. Retrieved 27 August 2014.
- Australian Athletes with a Disability. "Jason Lees (VIC)". Archived from the original on 3 October 2011.
- "Australia wins first ever IWRF World Championship". Australian Paralympic Committee News. 11 August 2014. Archived from the original on 27 August 2014. Retrieved 27 August 2014.
- Lees, Chris (19 September 2016). "Steelers double up with Paralympics gold". Sunshine Coast Daily. Retrieved 19 September 2016.
- "Results". IWRF Wheelchaair Rugby World Championships website. Archived from the original on 10 August 2018. Retrieved 10 August 2018.
- "Australia Day honours list 2014: in full". Daily Telegraph. 26 January 2014. Retrieved 26 January 2014.