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242:, but later that year, he was involved in a three-car collision that rendered him paraplegic. In 1984 he obtained his physical education degree on schedule, despite his six-month rehabilitation at
315:. The Sandy Blythe Medal, awarded to the best player of the year in the Australia men's national wheelchair basketball team, is named in his honour. In 2010, he was posthumously inducted into the
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Blythe was also a motivational speaker who formed and worked in several businesses that improved public awareness of people with disabilities. In 2000, he released a memoir,
202:(24 February 1962 – 18 November 2005) was an Australian wheelchair basketball player. He became a paraplegic due to a car accident in 1981, and went on to participate in the
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Paralympics. He was the captain of the team when it won a gold medal at the 1996 Atlanta Games and was co-captain with
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Blythe signing autographs to a fan's item at the
Welcome Home Parade after the 2000 Summer Paralympics
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Edmund, Sam (22 November 2005). "Tributes flow for trailblazer; Tragic death of
Paralympian".
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for several years. He was survived by his partner of eight years, wheelchair basketballer
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601:"Farewell to a champion athlete for whom life had lost its crucial blithe spirit"
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Grant, Freya (6 December 2000). "Blythe shares early lead – name a supercat".
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Blythe in a match against Great
Britain at the 1996 Atlanta Paralympic Games
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On 18 November 2005, Blythe committed suicide; he had had depression and
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on 24 February 1962. He grew up in a farm outside the
Victorian town of
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at four
Paralympic Games, captaining the gold medal-winning team at the
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Sandy Blythe in action during competition at the 2000 Sydney
Paralympics
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of the
Australian Paralympic team at the 2000 Sydney Games. He had an
210:. He committed suicide in 2005 at the age of 43 after a long illness.
386:"Australians at the 1996 Atlanta Paralympics: Wheelchair Basketball"
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Australian
Institute of Sport Athletes with a Disability alumni
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Wheelchair basketball players at the 2000 Summer
Paralympics
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Wheelchair basketball players at the 1996 Summer
Paralympics
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Wheelchair basketball players at the 1992 Summer Paralympics
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Wheelchair basketball players at the 1988 Summer Paralympics
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Australian Institute of Sport : celebrating excellence
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in 1997 for his 1996 gold medal. In 2000, he received an
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Paralympic wheelchair basketball players for Australia
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364:"Blythe, Robert Alexander: Australian Sports Medal"
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Australia men's national wheelchair basketball team
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Australia men's national wheelchair basketball team
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749:Recipients of the Medal of the Order of Australia
238:country squad. In 1981, he began studying at the
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719:Paralympic medalists in wheelchair basketball
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754:Recipients of the Australian Sports Medal
642:"Groenewegen named Sandy Blythe medalist"
416:"Disabled basketball champion dies at 43"
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744:Medalists at the 1996 Summer Paralympics
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714:Paralympic gold medalists for Australia
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230:player as a teenager. He played in the
16:Australian wheelchair basketball player
769:Federation University Australia alumni
240:Ballarat College of Advanced Education
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599:Petrie, Andrea (25 November 2005).
414:Petrie, Andrea (19 November 2005).
674:International Paralympic Committee
486:International Paralympic Committee
317:Australian Basketball Hall of Fame
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553:. Focus Publishing. p. 104.
446:Campbell, Di (20 December 2005).
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309:Medal of the Order of Australia
196:Robert Alexander "Sandy" Blythe
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275:Australian Institute of Sport
774:Suicides in Victoria (state)
390:Australian Sports Commission
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234:and was later part of the
764:Sportspeople from Geelong
578:. Sydney: Pan MacMillan.
228:Australian rules football
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293:chronic fatigue syndrome
277:scholarship in 1998 for
208:1996 Atlanta Paralympics
313:Australian Sports Medal
49:Robert Alexander Blythe
759:People with paraplegia
574:Blythe, Sandy (2000).
452:University of Ballarat
236:St Kilda Football Club
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339:"Blythe, Robert, OAM"
279:wheelchair basketball
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120:wheelchair basketball
97:, Victoria, Australia
78:, Victoria, Australia
646:Basketball Australia
514:Basketball Australia
41:Personal information
536:The Daily Telegraph
396:on 19 January 2000.
249:He was part of the
226:and was a champion
218:Blythe was born in
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549:Nihil, G. (2006).
307:Blythe received a
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392:. Archived from
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366:. It's an Honour
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341:. It's an Honour
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166:Team competition
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664:External links
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510:"Sandy Blythe"
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482:Paralympic.org
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91:(aged 43)
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538:. p. 18.
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650:. Retrieved
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517:. Retrieved
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456:the original
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394:the original
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368:. Retrieved
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271:Priya Cooper
263:1996 Atlanta
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160:1996 Atlanta
106:Medal record
89:(2005-11-18)
23:Sandy Blythe
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699:2005 deaths
689:1962 births
607:. p. 8
422:. p. 7
303:Recognition
267:2000 Sydney
224:Derrinallum
54:Nationality
683:Categories
628:Herald Sun
370:16 January
345:16 January
323:References
255:1988 Seoul
69:1962-02-24
57:Australian
652:16 August
611:16 August
519:16 August
491:16 August
462:16 August
426:16 August
214:Biography
137:Australia
95:Melbourne
232:Teal Cup
672:at the
605:The Age
420:The Age
253:at the
220:Geelong
76:Geelong
67: (
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265:, and
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118:Men's
654:2012
613:2012
580:ISBN
555:ISBN
521:2012
493:2012
464:2012
428:2012
372:2012
347:2012
84:Died
62:Born
200:OAM
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