“Modern day gladiators changing lives one hit at a time”
From a 19-year-old teenager fighting against acute promyelocytic leukaemia to leading the Steelers to Paralympic and international victory as their Captain, Paralympian Chris Bond is no stranger to overcoming adversity while striving for athletic excellence.
“After everything I’ve been through, being captain of the Australian team and leading them to a World Championship victory was pretty special.” – Chris Bond, Australian Paralympian.
Making his Paralympic debut with Aussie Wheelchair Rugby team the Steelers in the London 2012 Paralympics, Bond led his team to success, scoring Australia’s first gold in the sport of Wheelchair rugby. Bond and his team went on to have a six-year streak of athletic excellence, snapping up gold across the Paralympic and international world stage.
2014 saw Bond and the Steelers secure Australia’s first international gold at the International Wheelchair Rugby Federation World Championship in Odense, Denmark. Fast-forward two years later to the next Paralympic games in Rio 2016, Bond led his team to an impressive consecutive win, going for gold in a fast-paced 59-58 double overtime clinch against USA.
Breaking their impressive run of success on home turf at the 2018 International Wheelchair Rugby Federation World Championship in Sydney, NSW, the Steelers narrowly missed out on victory, outmatched by a single point with a 61-62 loss to Japan. Similarly in the Tokyo 2022 Paralympics Bond and his team would lose out on bronze to Japan, placing fourth in a decisive 52-60 match.
Looking forward to the Paris 2024 Paralympics, Bond has his goals in mind: To represent Australia with pride, contribute to the Steelers’ success, and hear the Australian anthem at the Paris 2024 medal ceremony.
“We’re high performance athletes and high performance sport is cut-throat. We’ve got a goal in mind and that’s to win a gold medal.”
Harvey Norman proudly supports Chris Bond as he prepares for greatness in Paris 2024.
Stay in touch with his exciting journey as it unfolds on Facebook, Instagram and X.