Rhodesia at the
1972 Summer Paralympics
Flag of Rhodesia
IPC codeRHO
in Heidelberg
Competitors13 in 2 sports
Medals
Ranked 17th
Gold
3
Silver
5
Bronze
4
Total
12
Summer Paralympics appearances (overview)

Rhodesia competed at the 1972 Summer Paralympics in Heidelberg, West Germany. It was the last time the nation competed at the Paralympic Games before returning as Zimbabwe at the 1980 Summer Paralympics. The delegation consisted of 13 competitors in the sports of track and field athletics and swimming. Three athletes (Avril Davis, Sandra James, and Leslie Manson-Bishop) competed in both sports.[1]

Rhodesia had also been invited to take part in the 1972 Summer Olympics, but the invitation was withdrawn by the International Olympic Committee four days before the opening ceremony, in response to African countries' protests against the Rhodesian regime. As the Paralympics that year were held before the Olympics, Rhodesia was able to take part in the Paralympic Games.[2][3]

Medalists

Medal Name Sport Event
 Gold Sandra James Athletics Women's javelin throw 1A
 Gold Sandra James Swimming Women's 25 m freestyle 1A
 Gold Andrew James Scott Swimming Men's 3×25 m individual medley 4
 Silver Sandra James Athletics Women's shot put 1A
 Silver Sandra James Swimming Women's 25 m breaststroke 1A
 Silver Eileen Robertson Swimming Women's 25 m breaststroke 1B
 Silver Eileen Robertson Swimming Women's 25 m freestyle 1B
 Silver Andrew James Scott Swimming Men's 50 m backstroke 4
 Bronze Sandra James Athletics Women's discus throw 1A
 Bronze Kevin English Swimming Men's 100 m backstroke 5
 Bronze David Holland Swimming Men's 25 m freestyle 1B
 Bronze Andrew James Scott Swimming Men's 50 m breaststroke 4

Athletics

Main article: Athletics at the 1972 Summer Paralympics
Athlete Event Result Rank
Avril Davis Women's discus throw 5 13.83 7
Avril Davis Women's javelin throw 5 10.72 8
Avril Davis Women's shot put 5 5.15 8
Sandra James Women's discus throw 1A 6.00
Sandra James Women's javelin throw 1A 5.22
Sandra James Women's shot put 1A 1.96
Leslie Manson-Bishop Men's discus throw 4 22.95 10
Leslie Manson-Bishop Men's javelin throw 4 20.08 6
Leslie Manson-Bishop Men's shot put 4 7.00 11
Leslie Manson-Bishop Men's pentathlon 4 3285 12
Keith Pienaar Men's discus throw 5 19.29 15
Keith Pienaar Men's javelin throw 5 15.36 22
Keith Pienaar Men's shot put 5 6.96 16
Keith Pienaar Men's pentathlon 5 2019 8

Swimming

Main article: Swimming at the 1972 Summer Paralympics
Men
Athlete Event Heats Final
Result Rank Result Rank
Kevin English 100 m backstroke 5 1:30.372 3 Q 1:27.476
Kevin English 100 m freestyle 5 1:33.125 11 did not advance
Kevin English 3x50 m individual medley 5 2:50.735 8 did not advance
Derek Gray 100 m breaststroke 5 2:08.286 6 Q 2:00.708 5
Derek Gray 100 m freestyle 5 1:29.847 9 did not advance
Derek Gray 3x50 m individual medley 5 2:00.042 12 did not advance
David Holland 25 m backstroke 1B 35.8 7 Q 36.1 6
David Holland 25 m freestyle 1B N/A 31.3
Leslie Manson-Bishop 50 m backstroke 4 51.485 13 did not advance
Leslie Manson-Bishop 50 m breaststroke 4 56.613 10 did not advance
Andrew James Scott 50 m backstroke 4 42.798 3 Q 42.307
Andrew James Scott 50 m breaststroke 4 49.745 2 Q 50.304
Andrew James Scott 3x25 m individual medley 4 1:12.3 2 Q 1:10.6
Unknown 3x100 m medley relay 5–6 N/A 5:01.982 6
Women
Athlete Event Heats Final
Result Rank Result Rank
Avril Davis 100 m backstroke 5 2:30.251 11 did not advance
Avril Davis 100 m freestyle 5 2:09.517 9 did not advance
Stephanie Gillies 25 m backstroke 2 39.6 9 did not advance
Stephanie Gillies 25 m breaststroke 2 37.6 7 Q 36.8 7
Stephanie Gillies 25 m freestyle 2 37.7 8 Q 36.3 6
Sandra James 25 m backstroke 1A N/A 1:47.3 6
Sandra James 25 m breaststroke 1A N/A 1:13.3
Sandra James 25 m freestyle 1A N/A 1:10.0 WR
Willemina Kruger 100 m breaststroke 6 2:34.618 6 Q 2:35.405 6
Willemina Kruger 100 m freestyle 6 1:49.463 7 Q 1:47.612 7
Lizette Nel 25 m backstroke 2 48.1 17 did not advance
Lizette Nel 25 m breaststroke 2 56.3 14 did not advance
Lizette Nel 25 m freestyle 2 48.9 10 did not advance
Eileen Robertson 25 m backstroke 1B 45.0 6 did not advance
Eileen Robertson 25 m breaststroke 1B N/A 52.9
Eileen Robertson 25 m freestyle 1B N/A 52.7
Elizabeth Weppener 100 m backstroke 5 2:03.550 8 did not advance
Elizabeth Weppener 100 m freestyle 5 2:05.817 8 Q 1:59.808 8
Elizabeth Weppener 3x25 m individual medley 4 1:33.4 4 Q 1:48.8 6

References

  1. ^ Rhodesia at the Paralympics on paralympic.org
  2. ^ "1972: Rhodesia out of Olympics", BBC
  3. ^ "Rhodesia expelled", Montreal Gazette, 23 August 1972
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