Richard Burt (skier)
Encyclopedia
Richard Burt is a British former Paralympic skier who won medals at the 1992 Winter Paralympics
and 1994 Winter Paralympics
.
held in Tignes
and Albertville
, France. He competed in the giant slalom
and super-G
events in the B3 classification. Burt competed in the B3 classification for visually impaired athletes. In the super-G Burt won a bronze medal, finishing behind Bruno Oberhammer of Italy and the United States' Brian Santos. In the giant slalom Burt recorded a time less than half a second quicker than Oberhammer to win the silver medal, the gold was again won by Santos.
At the 1994 Winter Paralympics
, held in Lillehammer
, Norway, Burt competed in the downhill
and slalom events as well as the super-G and giant slalom. The gold medals in all four events went to Brian Santos and all four silvers were won by Bruno Oberhammer. Burt won two bronze medals, in the giant slalom and super-G, but failed to finish his other events.
Prior to the 1998 Winter Paralympics
in Nagano, Japan, Burt, and other members of the British team, experienced difficulties in obtaining funding for their training. In 1996 UK Sport
, which replaced the Sports Council of Great Britain, became responsible for distributing National Lottery
grant money. A delay in the arrival of lottery funding meant athletes such as Burt were forced to bridge the gap using their own savings. Eventually Burt received around £6000 of funding only a few months before the start of the Games. Competing in his third and final Paralympics Burt contested four events in Nagano, achieving a best result of fifth place in both the downhill and slalom.
Since his 1994 bronze medals, and the three others won by British athletes in Lillehammer, Britain has failed to win any Paralympic alpine skiing medals. Along with Matthew Stockford
, who has won four Paralympic bronze medals, Burt has won the most Winter Paralympic medals of any British athlete.
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...
.
Paralympics
Burt's first appearance at the Winter Paralympics was 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 competed in the giant slalom
Giant Slalom skiing
Giant slalom is an alpine skiing discipline. It involves skiing between sets of poles spaced at a greater distance to each other than in slalom but less than in super G....
and super-G
Super Giant Slalom skiing
The Super Giant Slalom is an Alpine skiing discipline. It is usually referred to as Super G and is a "speed" event, along with the faster Downhill event; the Giant Slalom and Slalom events are known as the "technical" disciplines.-History:...
events in the B3 classification. Burt competed in the B3 classification for visually impaired athletes. In the super-G Burt won a bronze medal, finishing behind Bruno Oberhammer of Italy and the United States' Brian Santos. In the giant slalom Burt recorded a time less than half a second quicker than Oberhammer to win the silver medal, the gold was again won by Santos.
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...
, held 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, Burt competed 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....
and slalom events as well as the super-G and giant slalom. The gold medals in all four events went to Brian Santos and all four silvers were won by Bruno Oberhammer. Burt won two bronze medals, in the giant slalom and super-G, but failed to finish his other events.
Prior to the 1998 Winter Paralympics
1998 Winter Paralympics
The 1998 Winter Paralympics, the seventh Winter Paralympics, were held alongside the Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan from March 5 to March 14, 1998. They were the first Paralympic Winter Games to be held outside Europe.- Sports :...
in Nagano, Japan, Burt, and other members of the British team, experienced difficulties in obtaining funding for their training. In 1996 UK Sport
UK Sport
UK Sport is the UK Government's organisation for directing the development of sport within the home countries.-History:The Sports Council previously had been formed in 1972, and had the motto Sport for All. There was also the Central Council of Physical Recreation. In July 1994 it was decided to...
, which replaced the Sports Council of Great Britain, became responsible for distributing National Lottery
National Lottery (United Kingdom)
The National Lottery is the state-franchised national lottery in the United Kingdom and the Isle of Man.It is operated by Camelot Group, to whom the licence was granted in 1994, 2001 and again in 2007. The lottery is regulated by the National Lottery Commission, and was established by the then...
grant money. A delay in the arrival of lottery funding meant athletes such as Burt were forced to bridge the gap using their own savings. Eventually Burt received around £6000 of funding only a few months before the start of the Games. Competing in his third and final Paralympics Burt contested four events in Nagano, achieving a best result of fifth place in both the downhill and slalom.
Since his 1994 bronze medals, and the three others won by British athletes in Lillehammer, Britain has failed to win any Paralympic alpine skiing medals. Along with Matthew Stockford
Matthew Stockford
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...
, who has won four Paralympic bronze medals, Burt has won the most Winter Paralympic medals of any British athlete.
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...
- Great Britain at the 1998 Winter Paralympics
- 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...
- Alpine skiing at the 1998 Winter ParalympicsAlpine skiing at the 1998 Winter ParalympicsAlpine skiing at the 1998 Winter Paralympics consisted of 54 events, 35 for men and 19 for women.-Medal table:- Medal summary :The competition events were:*Downhill: men - women*Super-G: men - women*Giant slalom: men - women...