Matthew Stockford
Encyclopedia
Matthew Stockford is a British former Paralympic skier who won medals at the 1992 Winter Paralympics
and 1994 Winter Paralympics
. Stockford broke his back in a skiing accident in 1985. He competed using a monoski
- a specially fitted chair over a single ski that includes seat belts and other strapping, as well as a suspension device to minimize wear and tear on the skier's body.
held in Tignes
and Albertville
, France. He took part in four alpine skiing events, downhill, giant slalom, super-G and slalom, in the LW10 classification for athletes who race sitting down. He won three bronze medals in the downhill
, super-G and giant slalom events. After Stockford won the bronze in downhill, the British delegation filed a protest claiming that the two American skiers ahead of him should not have been in the LW10 category. The medical committee rejected the protest on the grounds that all classifications had been determined at the start of the competition. In the slalom Stockford finished fourth, missing out on a medal by one position and 10.65 seconds.
At the 1994 Winter Paralympics
in Lillehammer
, Norway, Stockford again competed in downhill, giant slalom, super-G and slalom events in a classification now renamed as LWX. He failed to finish in the downhill slalom or giant slalom but picked up his fourth Paralympic bronze medal in the super-G. Since this bronze, and the four others won by British athletes in Lillehammer, Britain has failed to win any Paralympic alpine skiing medals.
Stockford now runs a successful property business in London. In 2006 Stockford became the manager of British Olympic skier Chemmy Alcott
after meeting her sister-in-law's father at a party. He helped Alcott set up a team of support staff and raise funding from private sources with the aim of winning a medal at the 2010 Winter Olympics
in Vancouver.
1992 Winter Paralympics
The 1992 Winter Paralympics were the fifth Winter Paralympics. They were the first winter Paralympics to be celebrated concurrently with the Olympic Games. They were held in Tignes and Albertville, France, from March 25 to April 1, 1992...
and 1994 Winter Paralympics
1994 Winter Paralympics
The 1994 Winter Paralympics, the sixth Winter Paralympics, were held in Lillehammer, Norway, from 10–19 March 1994. These Games marked the first time the Paralympic Winter Games were held in the same location as the Winter Olympics, a tradition that has continued through an agreement of cooperation...
. Stockford broke his back in a skiing accident in 1985. He competed using a monoski
Monoski
The term monoski may refer to either of two unrelated pieces of ski equipment. It is the device used in the sport of monoskiing.The monoski, invented in the 1960s and popularized in the 1970s and '80s by monoskiers like Mike Doyle, is similar to a snowboard in that both feet are attached to one...
- a specially fitted chair over a single ski that includes seat belts and other strapping, as well as a suspension device to minimize wear and tear on the skier's body.
Skiing career
In his first competitive event after his accident, The 1990 World Disabled Ski Championships, Stockford won a gold medal in the downhill and bronze in the slalom.Paralympics
Stockford first competed at the Winter Paralympics during the 1992 Games1992 Winter Paralympics
The 1992 Winter Paralympics were the fifth Winter Paralympics. They were the first winter Paralympics to be celebrated concurrently with the Olympic Games. They were held in Tignes and Albertville, France, from March 25 to April 1, 1992...
held in Tignes
Tignes
Tignes is a commune in the Tarentaise Valley, Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France.It is also a ski resort near Val d'Isère, that are linked together as the "Espace Killy" region...
and Albertville
Albertville
Albertville is a commune in the Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France.The town is best known for hosting the 1992 Winter Olympics.-Geography:...
, France. He took part in four alpine skiing events, downhill, giant slalom, super-G and slalom, in the LW10 classification for athletes who race sitting down. He won three bronze medals in the downhill
Downhill
Downhill is an alpine skiing discipline. The rules for the Downhill were originally developed by Sir Arnold Lunn for the 1921 British National Ski Championships....
, super-G and giant slalom events. After Stockford won the bronze in downhill, the British delegation filed a protest claiming that the two American skiers ahead of him should not have been in the LW10 category. The medical committee rejected the protest on the grounds that all classifications had been determined at the start of the competition. In the slalom Stockford finished fourth, missing out on a medal by one position and 10.65 seconds.
At the 1994 Winter Paralympics
1994 Winter Paralympics
The 1994 Winter Paralympics, the sixth Winter Paralympics, were held in Lillehammer, Norway, from 10–19 March 1994. These Games marked the first time the Paralympic Winter Games were held in the same location as the Winter Olympics, a tradition that has continued through an agreement of cooperation...
in Lillehammer
Lillehammer
is a town and municipality in Oppland county, Norway, globally known for hosting the 1994 Winter Olympics. It is part of the traditional region of Gudbrandsdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Lillehammer. As of May 2011, the population of the town of Lillehammer was...
, Norway, Stockford again competed in downhill, giant slalom, super-G and slalom events in a classification now renamed as LWX. He failed to finish in the downhill slalom or giant slalom but picked up his fourth Paralympic bronze medal in the super-G. Since this bronze, and the four others won by British athletes in Lillehammer, Britain has failed to win any Paralympic alpine skiing medals.
Stockford now runs a successful property business in London. In 2006 Stockford became the manager of British Olympic skier Chemmy Alcott
Chemmy Alcott
Chimene "Chemmy" Mary Alcott is the current female British number one alpine ski racer, and competes on the World Cup circuit in all five disciplines: downhill, super G, giant slalom, slalom, and combined.Alcott has competed in three Winter Olympic Games and six FIS World Championships...
after meeting her sister-in-law's father at a party. He helped Alcott set up a team of support staff and raise funding from private sources with the aim of winning a medal at the 2010 Winter Olympics
2010 Winter Olympics
The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially the XXI Olympic Winter Games or the 21st Winter Olympics, were a major international multi-sport event held from February 12–28, 2010, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with some events held in the suburbs of Richmond, West Vancouver and the University...
in Vancouver.
See also
- Great Britain at the 1992 Winter ParalympicsGreat Britain at the 1992 Winter ParalympicsGreat Britain competed at the 1992 Winter Paralympics held in Tignes and Albertville, France, the first Winter Paralympics to be celebrated concurrently with the Winter Olympic Games....
- Great Britain at the 1994 Winter ParalympicsGreat Britain at the 1994 Winter ParalympicsGreat Britain competed at the 1994 Winter Paralympics held in Lillehammer, Norway. Twenty-three athletes, all of whom were men, competed for Britain. The team won five medals at the Games, all bronze, and finished 21st in the medal table. Richard Burt won two medals in alpine skiing, as he had done...
- Alpine skiing at the 1992 Winter ParalympicsAlpine skiing at the 1992 Winter ParalympicsAlpine skiing at the 1992 Winter Paralympics consisted of 48 events, 30 for men and 18 for women.-Medal table:- Medal summary :The competition events were:*Downhill: men - women*Super-G: men - women*Giant slalom: men - women...
- Alpine skiing at the 1994 Winter ParalympicsAlpine skiing at the 1994 Winter ParalympicsAlpine skiing at the 1994 Winter Paralympics, in Lillehammer , consisted of 66 events, 46 for men and 20 for women.-Medal table:- Medal summary :The competition events were:*Downhill: men - women*Super-G: men - women...