Former paralympian athlete and current paralympic coach, Roly Crichton, has been awarded the Paralympics New Zealand Order of Merit, as voted on unanimously by the Paralympics New Zealand (PNZ) members at their annual general meeting held in Auckland on September 30th.
As an athlete himself, Crichton competed at the 1984 and 1988 Paralympic Games, where he earned multiple medals at each competition. In Mandeville (1984), Crichton won gold in the Class 2 men’s freestyle, silver in the Class 2 men’s 200m and 25m freestyle events, and bronze in the men’s 100 IM. In Seoul (1988), Crichton added a silver in the Class 2 men’s freestyle and bronze in the Class 2 men’s 50m freestyle to his medal collection.
In his role as coach, Crichton has helped boost the success of his most notable athlete, Sophie Pascoe, a 10-time Paralympic medalist who earned three golds and one silver in Beijing (2008), plus three gold and one silver in London (2012). In addition to coaching the sport of swimming, Crichton also coached the Canterbury Wheelchair Basketball team in 2005.
Crichton made news in 2014 when he was appointed full-time Performance Coach with the PNZ Para-Swimming program.
The Order of Merit recognition is bestowed upon any person whom PNZ has determined to give outstanding service to the organization and overall Paralympic Sport. Crichton’s nomination came from Parafed Canterbury.
