Mickey Bushell

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| name = Mickey Bushell
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| image = Mickey Bushell with Mo Farah.jpg

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| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1990|06|08}}

| birth_place = Shrewsbury, England

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| residence = Telford, Shropshire, England

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| occupation = Personal trainer

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| sport = Track and field

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| disability_class = T53

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| event = 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m

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| team = Great Britain

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| updated = 27 March 2015

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File:Gold post box, Arleston Lane.jpg

Michael David BushellGRO reference: July 1990, Vol. 30, Page 68 MBE (born 8 June 1990) is a Paralympic gold medalist and personal trainer from Telford, Shropshire, England. He has lumbar sacral spinal agenesis congenital paraplegia and competes in T53 category sprint events. He is the British record holder at 100m and 200, and a European record holder at 100m.

Early life

Bushell was born on 8 June 1990 at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital. Bushell surprised everyone when he started crawling around and eventually walking on his hands in a handstand even though the docters said he wouldn't be able to move.{{Cite web|url=http://www.getkidsgoing.com/cgi-bin/newsdesk.cgi?record=21|title=Mickey Bushell's Bio|access-date=20 February 2017}}

Athletic career

Bushell competed in the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing, China winning silver in the men's T53100 metres – T53 event. He also competed in the 200m event, but was knocked out in the first round.

On 19 June 2009, Bushell set a new 100 m T53 world record in Ibach, Switzerland, beating the old record by three one-hundredths of a second.{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/other_sports/disability_sport/8108381.stm|title=Bushell claims 100m world record|date=18 June 2009|access-date=20 February 2017}}

On 3 September, in the London 2012 Paralympics, he won a gold medal for Great Britain in the T53 100m in a time of 14.75 seconds,{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-shropshire-19468413|title = Parents of Paralympian Mickey Bushell hail 'incredible' crowd|work = BBC News|date = 3 September 2012}} just shy of the World Record time of 14.47 seconds.{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/disability-sport/19471635|title=Paralympics 2012: Mickey Bushell wins 100m T53 gold|work=BBC Sport|access-date=20 February 2017}}

He added further silverware to his collection in 2014 at the IPC Athletics European Championships in Swansea, where he claimed gold in the T53 100m. He picked up a silver medal in the 200m in wet and windy conditions, but was just edged out of the medals in the 800m behind his teammate, Moatez Jomni.

After struggling with illness in 2015, Bushell made an encouraging return to action in 2016 by winning the European title in the T53 100m in Grosseto, as well as a 400m bronze.{{Cite web|url=http://rio.paralympics.org.uk/meet-the-team/athlete-profile/mickey-bushell|title=Mickey Bushell|access-date=20 February 2017}} Later that year he competed in the 2016 Paralympic games in Rio defending his 100m, although was only able to manage a disappointing sixth-place finish crossing the line in 15.09s.{{Cite web|url=http://www.sportsmole.co.uk/athletics/team-gb/rio-2016-paralympics/news/bushell-disappointed-with-rio-display_281002.html|title=Mickey Bushell "disappointed" by Paralympic performance|access-date=20 February 2017}}

Bushell is the current British Record holder for the T53 class in the 100m and 200m events, and also the European record holder at 100m.{{Cite web|url=http://www.thepowerof10.info/athletes/profile.aspx?athleteid=85422|title=Mickey Bushell|access-date=20 February 2017}}

Health issues

Bushell has lumbar sacral spinal agenesis congenital paraplegia. In Bushell's case this means he is missing seven vertebrae from the lower part of the spine just above the coccyx. He has no abdominal wall muscle control, his legs and hips have never fully developed and float unsupported at the lower end of his body.{{Cite web|url=http://www.scubaverse.com/immerse-school-of-diving-announce-the-mickey-bushell-diving-scholarship/|title=Immerse School of Diving announce the Mickey Bushell Diving Scholarship|date=15 March 2016|access-date=20 February 2017}}

In 2007, during his preparations for the Paralympic games in Beijing, Bushell began having recurrent kidney infection necessitating a nephrectomy. Despite this potentially career ending condition just three months after the operation he recorded a personal best in the 100m to qualify for the Beijing Paralympics, where he won a silver in the T53.{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/olympics/14345338|title=Kidney operation spurred me on to win medals - Bushell|work=BBC Sport|date=30 July 2011|access-date=20 February 2017}}

Shoulder and elbow injuries in 2013 and 2014 further threatened his career, but despite this he still managed to claim silver at the IPC World Championships in Lyon and two medals at the IPC European Championships in Swansea.

Recurrent urinary tract infections in 2015 culminated in life-threatening septicaemia. At the time this was incorrectly reported by the BBC as a chlamydia infection. He subsequently made a complete recovery, although his training was significantly set back the seven month recuperation period.{{Cite web|url=http://www.britishathletics.org.uk/media/news/2016-news-page/april-2016/04-05-16-bushell/|title=Bushell back from the brink & back to chasing glory|access-date=20 February 2017}}

Awards and honors

After winning gold in London 2012 Bushell was honored with a golden postbox in his home town of Telford.{{Cite web|url=http://www.shropshirestar.com/news/2012/09/05/telford-post-box-going-gold-in-honour-of-mickey-bushell/|title=Telford post box goes gold in honour of Mickey Bushell|date=5 September 2012 |access-date=20 February 2017}}

He was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2013 New Year Honours for services to athletics.{{Cite web|url=https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/60367/supplement/24|title=The London Gazette, Supplement no. 60367, p.24|date=29 December 2012|access-date=20 February 2017}}

Personal life

Bushell lives in Telford where he works as a body language coach.{{Cite web|url=https://www.facebook.com/arenatelford/|title=The Arena|website=Facebook|access-date=20 February 2017}}