Andrew Edmondson

A future sports star in the making, Andrew Edmondson was a ambitious and outgoing young kid with big dreams. Andrew’s life changed dramatically at just 13 years old when he had a freak accident diving into a sandbar while swimming at Coogee Beach in Sydney, breaking his C5/6 vertebra in his Neck. After being rushed to hospital scans soon confirmed what doctors feared and Andrew was told he will likely spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair.

Struggled to come to terms with his disability, returning to normal life and trying to understand what his future looked like. A turning point was when Andrew was introduced to wheelchair sport during rehabilitation. Instantly being drawn to sport, something he loved as a kid gave Andrew the motivation to get back into normal life and strive towards a rewarding future. Even better, after watching a game of wheelchair rugby, Andrew realised that his dream of representing Australia in rugby was in reach and that his accident could be the start of something even bigger for him.

After spending the following years returning to complete his schooling. Andrew played rugby as a hobby on the side and slowly rose through the ranks of his sport, first as a member of the NSW state squad. In the years post school Andrew completed a Sports Business Degree and worked in various industries building a corporate career as well as a respected public speaker.

Achieving his lifelong goal of representing Australia in rugby, was never far from Andrew’s mind and in 2014 he began shifting his focus from the corporate world to becoming a full time athlete.

Edmo’ made his international debut in 2014 in a friendly series against the USA, and his Paralympic debut two years later at RIO Paralympics 2016, where the Steelers became the first team in wheelchair rugby history to win consecutive Paralympic gold medals and a World Championship title in a four-year period, defeating the USA 59-58 in a double-overtime thriller.

Since then, Andrew has gone on to compete for the Steelers over 200 times and is now the most caped Mid-Point player in steelers history. Having also won 2 Paralympic Medals and 2 World Championship Medals, highly contributing to the Steelers years of dominance at the top of the sport.

In April 2017 Andrew received an Order of Australia Medal for winning a gold medal at the 2016 Rio Paralympic Games as recognition for his service to sport and Australia.

Off the court Andrew is a big sports fan and regularly enjoys watching and going to live sports events from Rugby Union to UFC. Off the court he enjoys an adventurous life with his family fishing, travelling, and is always looking to live a healthy active life. His greatest achievement is his 2 young sons and amazing family he has built.

Recently in addition to continuing his rugby career Andrew has undertaken a role as the Director of The Sargood Foundation a Charity that helps and supports people with Spinal Cord Injuries. Something Andrew aspired to do every day which is inspire people living with a SCI to realise their full potential through building resilience and empowering participation in life.