Max Baldwin

Max Baldwin (born 4 January 1928) is an Australian canoeist who competed in the 1950s. He finished ninth in the K-1 10000 m event at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne.[1]

Baldwin lost the use of his left leg due to polio at age one,[2] and walks with crutches. Baldwin's first sport was gymnastics; despite his leg impairment, he won a NSW state championship title.[2][3] After Baldwin started canoeing, he won several Australian titles.[4] He was the first Australian athlete with a disability to compete in the Olympic Games.[3] Baldwin was made a life member of Gymnastics NSW in 1990[5] and awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in 2014, for services to sport.[3]

  1. ^ "Max Baldwin". Olympedia. Retrieved 7 May 2022.
  2. ^ a b Les Ryan. "Where There Is a Will There's a Way" (PDF). Network News. Polio NSW. p. 9.
  3. ^ a b c "Queen's Birthday Honours include one legged Olympian". The Daily Telegraph.
  4. ^ "Polio Victim Favorite". The Sydney Morning Herald. 4 April 1953.
  5. ^ "Gymnastics NSW – Our Life Members". Archived from the original on 28 February 2015. Retrieved 8 September 2015.