John McFall (athlete)

This article is about the British athlete and astronaut. For other persons with the same name, see John McFall (disambiguation).

John McFall
McFall in 2022
Personal information
Born (1981-04-25) 25 April 1981 (age 43)
Frimley, Surrey, England, UK
Sport
Country Wales
 Great Britain
Turned pro2005
Achievements and titles
Paralympic finals2008 Summer Paralympics: 100 m – Bronze
World finals100 m (T42): gold – 2007 IWAS World Wheelchair and Amputee Games; silver – 2007 Visa Paralympic World Cup; silver – 2006 IPC World C'ships
200 m (T42): gold – 2007 IWAS World Wheelchair and Amputee Games; gold – 2007 Visa Paralympic World Cup; bronze – 2006 IPC World C'ships; bronze – 2005 IPC Open European C'ships
Highest world ranking100 m: 2nd (2007)[1]
200 m: 1st (2007)[2]
Personal best(s)60 m: 8.55 s (2005)[3]

100 m: 12.70 s (2007)[4]

200 m: 26.02 s (2006)[4]
Updated on 14 September 2008

John McFall (born 25 April 1981) is a British Paralympic sprinter, surgeon, and ESA Project astronaut. In November 2022, he was selected by the European Space Agency to become the first "parastronaut". ESA will do a feasibility study on him flying to space and what needs to be adapted for disabled people.[5]

In 2000, when he was 19 years old, his right leg was amputated above the knee following a serious motorcycle accident. He took up running again after being fitted with a prosthesis, and participated in his first race in 2004. The following year, he was selected to represent Great Britain at the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) European Championships, and took the bronze medal in the 200 metres (sport class T42).

In the 100-metre sprint, McFall subsequently won silver medals at the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) World Championships in 2006 and the Visa Paralympic World Cup in 2007. On 6 July 2007, he was placed third at the Meeting Gaz de France in Paris, part of the ÅF Golden League; and achieved his personal best time (as at 30 May 2008) in the 100 metres of 12.70 seconds by winning silver at the Bayer International Track and Field Competition in Leverkusen on 10 August of that year. In his other main event, the 200 metres, he achieved a bronze in the 2006 IPC World Championships, and a gold at the 2007 Visa Paralympic World Cup with a competition record time of 26.84 seconds. In September 2007, McFall was champion in both the 100 metres and 200 metres at the International Wheelchair and Amputee Sports Federation (IWAS) World Wheelchair and Amputee Games. He was ranked first in the world in 2007 for the 200 metres, and second for the 100 metres.

McFall, who has been called one of the fastest men in the world over 100 metres and 200 metres in the class of above-the-knee amputees, competed for Great Britain in the 100 metres (T42) at the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing, winning the bronze in a time of 13.08 seconds.

In 2014, McFall graduated with a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery from the Cardiff University School of Medicine. In 2016, he became a member of the Royal College of Surgeons. Between 2016 and 2018, he completed Core Surgical Training covering General Surgery, Urology and Trauma and Orthopaedics in the Wessex Deanery of Health Education England. He is currently a Trauma and Orthopaedic Specialist Registrar.[5]

On 23 November 2022, John McFall was selected to be the first ESA parastronaut.[6]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference IWASF 100m 2007 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference IWASF 200m 2007 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Sparkassen was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference UK Athletics was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference ESA biography was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ "Pride of Britain! Paralympic star John McFall to become first disabled astronaut in space". express.co.uk. 23 November 2022. Retrieved 23 November 2022.