John Brewer
Personal information
Born(1950-06-06)June 6, 1950
San Francisco, California, U.S.
DiedFebruary 18, 2022(2022-02-18) (aged 71)
Sport
Country United States
SportPara-athletics
Medal record
Representing  United States
Paralympic Games
Para-athletics
Silver medal – second place1988 SeoulMen's 800 m 1C
Silver medal – second place1988 SeoulMen's 1500 m 1C
Gold medal – first place1988 SeoulMen's marathon 1C

John Brewer (June 6, 1950 – February 18, 2022) was an American paralympic athlete.[1] He participated at the 1988 and 2000 Summer Paralympics.[2]

Biography

Brewer was born in San Francisco, California, the son of Raymond Glen and Joan Brewer.[3] He and his family moved to West Los Angeles where he attended and graduated from University High School.[3] Brewer attended Santa Monica College, leaving to serve as a Mormon missionary from 1969 to 1971 before returning to complete his studies there.[3]

Brewer had intended to attend Brigham Young University–Hawaii to obtain a degree.[3] However, in December 1973 he was involved in a traffic collision which resulted in him being paralyzed from the chest down.[3][4] He was in hospital in California for almost a year, then moved to Utah to be with his family and receive further treatment at the University of Utah Hospital.[3] Brewer attended the University of Utah, where he earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree.[3] He worked as an art teacher in secondary schools for almost 40 years.[3]

While at the University of Utah Brewer became involved in wheelchair sports.[3] In 1976 he became the first person to finish a marathon in a wheelchair in the Western United States in 1976.[3]

Brewer competed in athletics at the 1988 Summer Paralympics.[2][5] He was awarded silver medals in the men's 800m 1C and men's 1500m 1C events, before winning gold in the 1C men’s marathon[6] He also competed in the marathon at the 2000 Summer Paralympics, but finished outside the medal positions.[2]

Brewer died in February 2022 of a cardiac arrest at his home, at the age of 71.[3]

References

  1. ↑ "On a roll: Utahn lives life full speed ahead in his wheelchair". Deseret News. October 18, 2000. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 "John Brewer". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "John Brewer Obituary (1950-2022)". Deseret News. February 22, 2022. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
  4. ↑ Hobbs, Nancy (August 7, 1988). "Korea beckons Utah athlete". The Salt Lake Tribune. Salt Lake City, Utah. p. 110. Retrieved August 14, 2022 – via Newspapers.com. Closed access icon
  5. ↑ "Brewer A Paralympic Favorite Looking Past Gold For World Record In Seoul Marathon". Deseret News. October 12, 1988. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
  6. ↑ "Seoul 1988 Paralympic Games Results". International Paralympic Committee. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.