Hall of Famer
Andre Viger
Inducted in 2013
Member Details
Career Highlights
Paralympic Games in Stoke Mandeville: Gold medal, marathon; Silver medal, 4x400m relay; Bronze medal, 1500m middle distance
Bronze medal, the first Canadian medal to be won in a Paralympic demonstration event at the Olympic Games
Men’s wheelchair division champion, Boston Marathon
Paralympic Games in Seoul: Gold medal, marathon; Silver medal, 10,000m long distance; Bronze medal, 800m middle distance; Bronze medal, 5000m long distance
Paralympic Games in Barcelona: Gold medal, 10,000m long distance; Silver medal, 4x100m relay; Silver medal, 4x400m relay
Story
A five-time Paralympian winning three gold, four silver, and three bronze medals, a world record holder in the 1,500 metre, 5,000 metre, 10,000 metre and marathon events, a winner of almost every prestigious marathon in the world, André Vigér was one of the best wheelchair racers of our time. Not many athletes can come out of retirement and find the same level of success as if they had never left the first time.
Throughout his career, Andre demonstrated a great level of determination and resiliency. After a premature retirement in 1991, these attributes help solidify his legacy as one of the best Paralympians to ever represent Canada when he won the gold medal in the 10,000 metre event at the 1992 Barcelona Paralympic Games. After his racing career, André showed the same determination and resiliency when battling cancer. Sadly, he lost that battle on October 1, 2006.