Beau Vernon
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
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| Nationality | Australian | ||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||
| Country | Australia | ||||||||||||||
| Sport | Wheelchair basketball | ||||||||||||||
| Disability class | 0.5 (rugby) | ||||||||||||||
| Club | University of Queensland Club | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Beau Vernon (born 5 December 1988) is an Australian wheelchair rugby player. He won a bronze medal with the Steelers at the 2024 Summer Paralympics.[1]
Personal
Vernon is from Phillip Island, Victoria.[2] In June 2012, at the age of 23, his head was hit during a game of Australian football at Leongatha, Victoria and this resulted in him becoming a quadriplegic.[3] He spent seven months Royal Talbot Rehabilitation Hospital in Kew, Melbourne. In 2023, he moved Sunshine Coast in Queensland with his wife Lucy and three – Layla, Joey and Ollie.[2][4] He has completed a business degree at RMIT.
Wheelchair rugby
Prior to his football injury, he was a successful at state level athletics and basketball.[3] He was the youngest player in Gippsland Power’s TAC Cup 2005 premiership team, playing alongside Scott Pendlebury, Dale Thomas and Xavier Ellis.[3] In 2014, he was appointed coach of Leongatha Football Club in the Gippsland League and they went on to win the premiership in his third year of coaching.[3] He has also coached Phillip Island Seniors to two premierships.[2][3]
He was introduced to wheelchair rugby through Australian Paralympian Nazem Erdem, a gold and silver medallist.[2] Vernon is a 0.5 player and is a member of the University of Queensland Rugby Club. He was a member of Steelers that won the 2024 WWR Paralympic Qualification Tournament, Wellington, New Zealand and has been selected for the 2024 Summer Paralympics. [5]
At the 2024 Summer Paralympics, he was a member of the Steelers that won the bronze medal defeating Great Britain 50–48.[6]
References
- ^ "Steelers chasing redemption at Paris Games". Yahoo Sports. 10 July 2024. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
- ^ a b c d "Beau has his eyes on the Paris Olympics". The Phillip Island and San Remo Advertiser. 6 September 2023. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
- ^ a b c d e Zone, The Spinal Cord Injury (11 April 2019). "Beau Vernon became a quadriplegic at 23. He has since coached two country teams to flags | News". Spinal Cord Injury Zone!. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
- ^ "Mind games: From Maxwell's masterpiece to Beau's bravery, it's proof our greatest power is in our head – InQueensland". www.inqld.com.au. 10 November 2023. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
- ^ "Steelers Ready For NZ Detour To Paris | Paralympics Australia". www.paralympic.org.au. 24 January 2024. Retrieved 10 July 2024.
- ^ "Forged In Bronze: Steelers Reach Paralympic Podium After Eight-Year Wait | Paralympics Australia". www.paralympic.org.au. 2 September 2024. Retrieved 3 September 2024.
