Earle Connor
Encyclopedia
Earle Connor is a Canadian
Paralympic
amputee sprinter
. Connor holds several athletics world records in the class of T42, or above-knee, amputee.
to Dave and Diane Connor. Because he was born without a left fibula, his left leg was amputated above-the-knee when he was 3 months old. At the age of 9 months Earle was fitted with his first prosthetic leg.
Growing up in rural Saskatchewan
, Connor played all available sports, excelling at hockey, tennis and baseball, and graduated from Rosthern Junior College
. Connor was the first amputee ever drafted into the Canadian Junior Hockey system as a goaltender for the Lethbridge Hurricanes
of the WHL.
to become an amputee sprinter with the goal of competing at the 2000 Summer Paralympics. At the 2000 Paralympics in Sydney, he took gold in the 100-metre final, but finished second in the 200 metres when a misstep on the first corner cost him a few seconds.
Connor missed the 2004 Summer Paralympics and was banned from competition for two years after testing positive for trace amounts of testosterone
and nandrolone
in August 2004. The testosterone was believed to be from a medically-prescribed patch he had been using after having one testes surgically removed
due to cancer-related concerns in 2001.
He returned to the Paralympics in 2008, winning gold in the men's T42 100 m sprint and setting a new Paralympic record time of 12.32 seconds.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
Paralympic
Paralympic Games
The Paralympic Games are a major international multi-sport event where athletes with a physical disability compete; this includes athletes with mobility disabilities, amputations, blindness, and Cerebral Palsy. There are Winter and Summer Paralympic Games, which are held immediately following their...
amputee sprinter
Sprint (race)
Sprints are short running events in athletics and track and field. Races over short distances are among the oldest running competitions. The first 13 editions of the Ancient Olympic Games featured only one event—the stadion race, which was a race from one end of the stadium to the other...
. Connor holds several athletics world records in the class of T42, or above-knee, amputee.
Early life
Earle Connor was born July 30, 1976 in Castlegar, British ColumbiaCastlegar, British Columbia
Castlegar is the second largest city in the West Kootenay region of British Columbia, Canada. It is located within the Selkirk Mountains at the confluence of the Kootenay and Columbia Rivers. It is a regional trade and transportation centre, with a local economy fueled by forestry, mining and tourism...
to Dave and Diane Connor. Because he was born without a left fibula, his left leg was amputated above-the-knee when he was 3 months old. At the age of 9 months Earle was fitted with his first prosthetic leg.
Growing up in rural Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
, Connor played all available sports, excelling at hockey, tennis and baseball, and graduated from Rosthern Junior College
Rosthern Junior College
Rosthern Junior College, an independent high school, has been a landmark institution in the town of Rosthern, Saskatchewan, Canada since 1905. Opening in that year as the German-English Academy, it was founded by Mennonite settlers in response to a need for trained teachers to work in the schools...
. Connor was the first amputee ever drafted into the Canadian Junior Hockey system as a goaltender for the Lethbridge Hurricanes
Lethbridge Hurricanes
The Lethbridge Hurricanes are a junior ice hockey team in the Eastern Conference of the Western Hockey League in Lethbridge, Alberta. They play their home games at the ENMAX Centre.-History:...
of the WHL.
Paralympic career
Connor was inspired by watching television coverage of the 1996 Summer Paralympics1996 Summer Paralympics
The 1996 Paralympic Games in Atlanta, USA were held from 16 August to 25 August. It was the first Paralympics to get mass media sponsorship, and had a budget of USD $81 million....
to become an amputee sprinter with the goal of competing at the 2000 Summer Paralympics. At the 2000 Paralympics in Sydney, he took gold in the 100-metre final, but finished second in the 200 metres when a misstep on the first corner cost him a few seconds.
Connor missed the 2004 Summer Paralympics and was banned from competition for two years after testing positive for trace amounts of testosterone
Testosterone
Testosterone is a steroid hormone from the androgen group and is found in mammals, reptiles, birds, and other vertebrates. In mammals, testosterone is primarily secreted in the testes of males and the ovaries of females, although small amounts are also secreted by the adrenal glands...
and nandrolone
Nandrolone
Nandrolone is an anabolic steroid that may be present naturally in the human body, albeit in minute quantities of less than 0.4 ng/ml. Nandrolone is most commonly sold commercially as its decanoate ester and less commonly as a phenylpropionate ester...
in August 2004. The testosterone was believed to be from a medically-prescribed patch he had been using after having one testes surgically removed
Inguinal orchiectomy
Inguinal orchiectomy is a surgical procedure to remove a testicle and the full spermatic cord through an incision in the abdomen. Orchiectomy is one form of castration. The procedure is generally performed by a urologist. Often it is performed as same-day surgery, with the patient returning home...
due to cancer-related concerns in 2001.
He returned to the Paralympics in 2008, winning gold in the men's T42 100 m sprint and setting a new Paralympic record time of 12.32 seconds.
Awards
- 1997: Canadian Disabled Athlete of the Year (also won in 1998 and 1999)
- 2000: inductee, Calgary's Sports Hall of Fame
- 2004: Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability, Laureus World Sports AwardsLaureus World Sports AwardsThe Laureus World Sports Awards are awarded annually to sportspeople who have been outstanding during the previous year. The Laureus World Sports Awards were established in 1999 by Founding Patrons Daimler and Richemont and is supported by its Global Partners Mercedes-Benz, IWC Schaffhausen and...