Rodney Nugent

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| name = Rodney Nugent

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| fullname = Rodney Francis Nugent

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| nationality = {{AUS}}

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| birth_date =26 November 1967

| birth_place = Lismore, New South Wales

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{{MedalCompetition | World Championships and Games for the Disabled}}

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Rodney Francis Nugent, OAM{{cite web|url=https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/886381|title=Nugent, Rodney Francis|publisher=It's an Honour|accessdate=8 January 2012}} (born 26 November 1967) is an Australian Paralympic athlete.

Personal

Nugent was born on 26 November 1967 in the northern New South Wales city of Lismore. At the age of 15, he lost the lower portion of his right arm in an industrial accident with a mincing machine . Before the accident, Nugent enjoyed sport and played soccer and cricket. The accident did not stop his love of sport and he turned his focus to athletics and coaching.{{cite journal|title=They'll reign in Spain|journal=Sports Chat|date=Sep 1992|issue=70|pages=7}}

He is married and has three sons.{{cite news|last=Thompson|first=Phil|title=Port's baton delight|url=http://www.portnews.com.au/news/local/news/general/ports-baton-delight/317462.aspx|accessdate=3 February 2012|newspaper=Port Macquarie News|date=30 January 2006}}

Career

At the 1988 Seoul Paralympics, Nugent entered seven events and won four gold (long jump, triple jump, 4x 100 m Relay, and 4 x 400 m Relay) and three bronze medals (100 m, 200 m and high jump).{{cite web|url=http://www.paralympic.org/Sport/Results/search.html?sport=all&games=all&medal=all&npc=all&name=Nugent&fname=Rodney&gender=all|title=Athlete Search Results|publisher=International Paralympic Committee|accessdate=3 February 2012}} He broke three world records. {{citation needed|date=February 2012}}

File:Xx1088 - Rodney Nugent in action Seoul Paralympics - 3b - Scan.jpg

At the World Championships and Games for the Disabled in Assen, Netherlands he won gold medals in the men's triple jump 9F and men's 4x100 m relay 3T, silver medals in the men's 100 m 6T and men's high jump 9F and bronze medal in men's long jump 9F.{{cite book|title=World Championships and Games for the Disabled - Athletics Results|year=1990|publisher=Organising Committee|location=Netherlands}}

In 1992, he accepted a scholarship in the newly established Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) Athletes with a Disabilities program and was coached by Chris Nunn.{{cite web|title=Australian Institute of Sport Honour Roll at the Paralympics|url=http://www.ausport.gov.au/ais/history/achievements/paralympics|accessdate=3 February 2012|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120223114749/http://www.ausport.gov.au/ais/history/achievements/paralympics|archivedate=23 February 2012|df=dmy-all}} In joining the AIS program, Nugent commented "It’s very hard for athletes to finance their own training – I did it for years and it was tough. Getting this scholarship with the AIS has made all the difference. The facilities are good and the training program is excellent".

Nugent won a gold medal at the 1992 Barcelona Games in the Men's 4x100 m Relay TS2,4 event, a world record. He also competed in the 100 m, 200 m, long jump and triple jump. He left the AIS program after the 1992 Barcelona Paralympics. {{citation needed|date=February 2012}}

In two Paralympics, Nugent won five gold and three bronze medals.

In an interview in 2011, Nugent commented that sport allowed him to achieve the goals he had as an able bodied athlete and played a significant role in his rehabilitation. {{citation needed|date=February 2012}}

Nugent is currently with Mid North Coast Special Olympics as public relations officer and coaching Special Olympic athletes Bennett Powell and Josh Southgate in Port Macquarie.{{cite web|title=Medals to mentor|url=http://open.abc.net.au/posts/medals-to-mentor-72ux3gc|publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation|date=8 November 2011|accessdate=3 February 2012}} He is the Australian special olympics head athletics coach and has also filled this role at the state level for New South Wales.{{cite web|url=http://www.specialolympics.com.au/teamaustralia/team|title=Team Australia|publisher=Special Olympics Australia|accessdate=8 January 2015}}{{cite web|url=http://www.specialolympics.com.au/nationalgames2014/nsw|title=2014 National Games | Team New South Wales|publisher=Special Olympics Australia|accessdate=8 January 2015}}

Awards

Daily Examiner Sports Star of the Year Award - 1986, 1987 & 1988
Medal of the Order of Australia (1993) for his 1992 gold medal
Clarence Valley Council Sporting Wall of Fame induction in 2002.{{cite web|title=Rodney Nugent|url=http://www.clarence.nsw.gov.au/cp_content/resources/NUGENT_Rodney.pdf|work=Clarence Valley Council Sporting Wall of Fame|accessdate=3 February 2012|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120326154546/http://www.clarence.nsw.gov.au/cp_content/resources/NUGENT_Rodney.pdf|archivedate=26 March 2012|df=dmy-all}}