André Viger
 Viger after his victory in the men's wheelchair division of the 1984 Boston Marathon | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 27, 1952 Windsor, Ontario, Canada |
| Died | October 1, 2006 (aged 54) |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Paralympic athletics |
André Viger, OC CQ (September 27, 1952 – October 1, 2006) was a French Canadian wheelchair marathoner and Paralympian. He took part in five consecutive Summer Paralympic Games in athletics from 1980 to 1996, winning a total of three gold, three silver and four bronze medals.
Biography[]
Born in Windsor, Ontario, Viger grew up in Sherbrooke, Quebec. He lost the use of his legs following a traffic accident at age 20. He won the men's wheelchair division of the Boston Marathon in 1984, 1986 and 1987. In 1987, he was made a Knight of the National Order of Quebec. In 1989, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada for being "a source of encouragement for young athletes and a role model for young people everywhere".[1] In 1993, he was inducted into the Terry Fox Hall of Fame, and in 2005, the Paralympic Hall of Fame.
After retiring from athletics, he began a career as a businessman and started a wheelchair manufacturing company. He died of cancer on October 1, 2006.[2]
In 2013, Viger was inducted into Canada's Sports Hall of Fame.[3]
References[]
- ^ Order of Canada citation
- ^ CBC news story of his death
- ^ Class of 2013 Inductees Archived 2013-04-22 at the Wayback Machine
External links[]
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- 1952 births
- 2006 deaths
- Deaths from cancer in Quebec
- Franco-Ontarian people
- Knights of the National Order of Quebec
- Officers of the Order of Canada
- Paralympic track and field athletes of Canada
- Canadian Disability Hall of Fame
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1980 Summer Paralympics
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1984 Summer Paralympics
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1988 Summer Paralympics
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1992 Summer Paralympics
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1996 Summer Paralympics
- Paralympic gold medalists for Canada
- Paralympic silver medalists for Canada
- Paralympic bronze medalists for Canada
- Sportspeople from Sherbrooke
- Sportspeople from Windsor, Ontario
- Wheelchair racers at the 1984 Summer Olympics
- Wheelchair racers at the 1988 Summer Olympics
- Medalists at the 1980 Summer Paralympics
- Medalists at the 1984 Summer Paralympics
- Medalists at the 1988 Summer Paralympics
- Medalists at the 1992 Summer Paralympics
- Canadian male wheelchair racers
- People with paraplegia
- Paralympic medalists in athletics (track and field)
- Canadian track and field athletics biography stubs
- Canadian Paralympic medalist stubs
- People from Quebec stubs