Heinz Frei

{{short description|Swiss Paralympic wheelchair athlete}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2021}}

{{Infobox sportsperson

| headercolor = yellow

| name = Heinz Frei

| image = Flickr - CarolineG2011 - Great guns at the T54 London Paralympic marathon.jpg

| image_size =

| caption = Frei at the 2012 London Paralympics

| birth_name =

| fullname =

| nickname =

| nationality = Swiss

| residence =

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1958|1|28|df=y}}

| birth_place =

| height =

| weight =

| website =

| country = {{SUI}}

| sport = Athletics, cross-country skiing, and track and road cycling

| event =

| club =

|disability_class = H3

| turnedpro =

| coach =

| worlds =

| regionals =

| nationals =

| olympics =

| paralympics =

| highestranking =

| pb =

| show-medals = no

| medaltemplates = {{MedalSport|Men's Athletics}}

{{Medal|Competition|Paralympic Games}}

{{MedalGold|1984 Stoke Mandeville/New York|1500m}}

{{MedalGold|1984 Stoke Mandeville/New York|5000m}}

{{MedalGold|1984 Stoke Mandeville/New York|Marathon}}

{{MedalGold|1988 Seoul|1500m}}

{{MedalGold|1988 Seoul|10000m}}

{{MedalGold|1992 Barcelona|800m}}

{{MedalGold|1992 Barcelona|5000m}}

{{MedalGold|1992 Barcelona|Marathon}}

{{MedalGold|1996 Atlanta|1500m}}

{{MedalGold|1996 Atlanta|10000m}}

{{MedalGold|2000 Sydney|800m}}

{{MedalSilver|1984 Stoke Mandeville/New York|800m}}

{{MedalSilver|1988 Seoul|800m}}

{{MedalSilver|1988 Seoul|5000m}}

{{MedalSilver|1992 Barcelona|10000m}}

{{MedalSilver|1996 Atlanta|800m}}

{{MedalSilver|1996 Atlanta|4×400m relay}}

{{MedalBronze|1984 Stoke Mandeville/New York|400m}}

{{MedalBronze|1992 Barcelona|4×100m relay}}

{{MedalBronze|1996 Atlanta|Marathon}}

{{MedalBronze|2000 Sydney|10000m}}

{{MedalBronze|2000 Sydney|Marathon}}

{{MedalSport|Men's Road cycling}}

{{Medal|Competition|Paralympic Games}}

{{MedalGold|2008 Beijing|Time trial}}

{{MedalGold|2008 Beijing|Road race}}

{{MedalGold|2012 London|Time trial}}

{{MedalBronze|2012 London|Team relay}}

{{MedalSport|Men's Cross-country skiing}}

{{Medal|Competition|Winter Paralympic Games}}

{{MedalGold|1988 Innsbruck|5km short distance}}

{{MedalSilver|1988 Innsbruck|3x2.5 km relay}}

{{MedalBronze|1984 Innsbruck|10km middle distance}}

{{MedalBronze|1984 Innsbruck|3×2.5km relay}}

{{MedalBronze|1988 Innsbruck|10km long distance}}

{{MedalBronze|1992 Albertville/Tignes|3×2.5km relay}}

{{MedalBronze|1998 Nagano|10km sitski}}

{{MedalBronze|1998 Nagano|15km sitski}}

}}

Heinz Frei (born 28 January 1958){{cite web|title=Athlete Biography: Frei, Heinz |publisher=The Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad |year=2008 |url=http://results.beijing2008.cn/WRMP/ENG/BIO/Athlete/0/1207960.shtml |access-date=2009-05-19 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080921044925/http://results.beijing2008.cn/WRMP/ENG/BIO/Athlete/0/1207960.shtml |archive-date=2008-09-21 }} is a Swiss wheelchair athlete. Frei has had a long career of racing, winning the London Marathon wheelchair race three times, and earning five medals at the 2003 European games at the age of 45.{{cite web | last = Schiendorfer | first = Andreas | title = Switzerland's Top Wheelchair Athletes | publisher = Credit Suisse | date = 2003-08-25 | url = http://emagazine.credit-suisse.com/app/article/index.cfm?aoid=35565&fuseaction=OpenArticle&lang=en | access-date = 2009-05-15 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110708203630/https://emagazine.credit-suisse.com/app/article/index.cfm?aoid=35565&fuseaction=OpenArticle&lang=en | archive-date = 2011-07-08 | url-status = dead }} He has earned 15 gold medals at the summer and winter Paralympics and is a current world record holder in the marathon wheelchair race.{{cite web | title = Heinz Frei at Weltklasse Zurich | publisher = Weltklasse Zurich | date = 2009-05-04 | url = http://www.weltklassezuerich.ch/en/news/newsbits-english/Heinz-Frei-at-Weltklasse-Zerich.html | access-date = 2009-05-15 | archive-date = 9 August 2011 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110809200402/http://www.weltklassezuerich.ch/en/news/newsbits-english/Heinz-Frei-at-Weltklasse-Zerich.html | url-status = dead }} He competed in athletics at every Summer Paralympic Games from 1984 to 2008, and at the 2008, 2012 and 2016 Summer Olympics he competed in cycling, using a handcycle. At the Winter Paralympics, he competed in cross-country sit-skiing between 1984 and 2006 and in the biathlon in 1994.{{cite web |url=https://www.paralympic.org/heinz-frei |title=Heinz Frei |website=Paralympic.org |publisher=International Paralympic Committee |access-date= }}

Frei planned to retire from track competition at an event on 28 August 2009, though he will continue competing in road races.