EA Mobility proudly partner with David Weir

EA Mobility are super excited and proud to be partnering with the amazing David Weir for the 2020 London Marathon.

We certainly feel honored to collaborate with David Weir, an icon not only within the disabled sports industry but also for the fantastic work he does and all he stands for.

Background

Weir, who was born in Wallington, belongs to the London Borough of Sutton. A congenital spinal cord transection prevents him from using his legs.

As a child, he showcased talent as a wheelchair athlete, representing Sutton in wheelchair athletics at the London Youth Games. He won the junior event at the London marathon (the mini wheelchair race) seven times.

Moreover, at school, Weir’s frustration with the lack of sporting activities for wheelchair users drove him to persist for years. This persistence led to the development of a skill for wheelchair racing that would define his career and lead to multiple Paralympic successes.

Achievement Awards

BBC London recognized Weir twice. In 2005, the BBC named Weir the Disabled Athlete of the Year in London. In December 2008, the BBC presented Weir with the Disabled Athlete award in London from a shortlist of three nominees.

Weir has also won the British Wheelchair Sports Award two times. In 2005, he received the Individual Male Achievement Award. Additionally, in November 2006, Weir and tennis player Peter Norfolk shared the Individual Male Athlete Award.

Thereafter, 2006 was a year of award nominations for Weir, the year he took four medals in the IPC Athletics World Championships and won his second London Marathon. The Sports Journalists’ Association awarded him the title of disabled sports personality of the year.

In October 2006, the British Athletic Writers Association awarded Weir the Best Performance Award for his performances in Assen at the IPC World Championships. Additionally, in the same year, Weir received a nomination for BBC Sports Personality of the Year, making him only the second disabled athlete to be nominated. However, the panel controversially omitted him from the eventual short-list for the honor.

What’s more, British Paralympic Association chairman Mike Brace said after Weir’s omission:

“For none of our top disabled athletes to be recognised in the shortlist is disappointing. I think this shows how far disability sport has got to go to be accepted by the general public.”

David Weir’s Youth Games Legacy

As an adult, Weir continues his affiliation with the Balfour Beatty London Youth Games. In 2010, they inducted him into the London Youth Games Hall of Fame. Subsequently, he became one of the patrons for the 2012 event alongside weightlifter Zoe Smith. The duo took part in an Olympic v Paralympic competition filmed for the London Youth Games’ website, going head-to-head in archery, basketball, boccia and table tennis.

Furthermore, In 2012, they nominated Weir for the Laureus World Sportsperson with a Disability of the Year Award for his athletic achievements in 2011, although he lost out to runner Oscar Pistorius.

CBE

In the 2013 New Year Honours, they appointed Weir Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for services to athletics.

OBE

In the 2009 New Year Honours, they appointed Weir a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for his services to disabled sport.

Other Honours

Furthermore, in 2009, they made Weir an honorary freeman of Sutton, marking the first time in 30 years that someone has been awarded this honor. Receiving the honor, Weir says:

“It’s a great honour to be given the Freedom of the Borough of Sutton and I feel really privileged. The council actually helped me get started in the sport as the Mayor gave me a grant for about £800 when I was eight years old to buy my first racing wheelchair.”