Simon Jackson (judoka)

Simon Jackson MBE (born 28 May 1972) is a visually impaired judoka and cyclist from Britain. He has competed in five Paralympic Games winning gold medals in three consecutive Games.[1] Jackson is the only British person to win a Paralympic judo gold medal[4] and the most successful judo competitor from the country. In addition to his Paralympic success he also won three world titles and 16 European gold medals. He switched to tandem cycling and won two events in 2009.[5]

Simon Jackson
MBE
Personal information
Born (1972-05-28) 28 May 1972
Sport
Country United Kingdom
SportParalympic Judo
Medal record
Paralympic Games[1]
Gold medal – first place 1988 Seoul Men's Up To 60 kg
Gold medal – first place 1992 Barcelona Men's Up To 71 kg
Gold medal – first place 1996 Atlanta Men's Up To 78 kg
Bronze medal – third place 2000 Sydney Men's Up To 81 kg
Paralympic World Cup[2][3]
Gold medal – first place 2009 Tandem Sprint
Gold medal – first place 2009 Tandem Kilometre Time Trial
Silver medal – second place 2008 Tandem Sprint
Silver medal – second place 2008 Tandem Kilometre Time Trial

Sporting career

Jackson won gold medals at the 1988, 1992, and 1996 Summer Paralympics and bronze at the 2000 Games in his judo weight class.[5] His loss to Cuban Isao Rafael Cruz Alonso ended a winning streak that had lasted 162 bouts. At the 2004 Games he lost in the first round against Sergiy Sydorenko, staging a sit-down protest against the referee's decision to award Sydorenko a match-winning yuko. Jackson claims that he was off the mat and that the points should not have been awarded. After the match the referee watched a video recording of the incident and confirmed the decision.[6] Jackson remains Britain's most successful judo competitor.[5]

In 2008 Jackson was forced to retire from judo competition after suffering a back injury. He began to focus on tandem cycling and partnered Barney Storey. He just missed out on selection for the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing but the pair went on to win gold at two events at the 2009 BT Paralympic World Cup.[5][7]

Jackson was a member of the Channel 4 commentary team for the London 2012 Paralympic Games, covering judo alongside Neil Adams.[8] Based on his experiences of disability sport he is also a motivational speaker.[5]

Personal life

Jackson was born on 28 May 1972. He was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to judo for disabled people in the 1997 New Year Honours.[9][5]

References
  1. "Athlete Search Results (Simon Jackson)". British Paralympic Association. Retrieved 7 August 2013.
  2. "Simon Jackson, 2009 cycling results". British Cycling. Retrieved 7 August 2013.
  3. "Simon Jackson, 2008 cycling results". British Cycling. Retrieved 7 August 2013.
  4. "Athlete Search Results (all British judo competitors)". British Paralympic Association. Retrieved 7 August 2013.
  5. "Simon Jackson". British Paralympic Association. Retrieved 7 August 2013.
  6. Elizabeth Hudson (25 May 2009). "Judo blow for Jackson". BBC News. Retrieved 7 August 2013.
  7. Elizabeth Hudson (25 May 2009). "Jackson gets taste for cycling gold". BBC News. Retrieved 7 August 2013.
  8. "Unprecedented Rolling Coverage for London 2012". International Paralympic Committee (IPC). 28 May 2012. Retrieved 7 August 2013.
  9. "New Year Honours List 1997". The London Gazette. Retrieved 27 June 2021.
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