Chris Daw

Christopher Daw (born February 1, 1970, in North York, Ontario) is a paralympian in wheelchair sports. Internationally, he competed in adaptive track, marathons, wheelchair basketball, volleyball, wheelchair rugby, and curling for Canada.

In 1986, Daw won 6 Gold medals and set 6 world records at the first World Games for disabled youth in Nottingham, United Kingdom. He was a member of the 1984 and 1988 Canadian Paralympic adaptive track teams; a member of the Canadian Wheelchair Basketball team, and member of the Canadian Wheelchair Rugby Team at the 2000 Summer Paralympics before taking up wheelchair curling in 2000 when he then won the first ever Gold Medal in the sport in Torino in 2006.

Curling

File:Chris Daw curling.jpg

Daw delivering a stone

Daw entered curling in 2000, and helped develop and adapt the sport for the Paralympics. He was the skip of the Canadian team at the 2002 World Wheelchair Curling Championship in Sursee, Switzerland, where after six months of training the team won silver.

In 2001 Daw won Gold at the World Wheelchair cup of curing in Scotland, defeating rival Frank Duffy. The next year, he would again be the skip of the Canadian team and the Wheelchair Curling championship, again in Sursee, where the team won bronze.

He would finish his curling career as the skip of the Canadian team, which won the first ever Gold in Wheelchair curling at the 2006 Winter Paralympics.

In 2007, Daw withdrew his name from the Team Canada selection process that could have led to a spot on the 2010 Winter Paralympics. He resurfaced as part of the Wheelchair Curling Team for Newfoundland as Skip in 2008, and relocated to British Columbia in 2009. He was the General manager of the Vancouver Curling Club when it took over the Olympic Curling center (now Hillcrest Center) in 2011.

In 2010, it was announced that Daw was returning to competitive curling, joining Jim Armstrong (curler). As Armstrong's second on a local British Columbia team in provincial play-downs; with hopes of representing Team BC. Team Armstrong was unsuccessful in capturing the 2011 BC Championship title. Armstrong would later move to Ontario.

Daw announced his retirement in December 2010.

Professional career

In 2012, Daw signed on with Ken Strong and became executive director of Ice Twice Rinks Inc. in Oakville, Ontario. Programs at the rink were run by experienced coaches such as Al Iafrate, Eddi Choi, Christina Kessler, and Ryan Munce. Daw left Ice Twice Rinks in 2015, which was sold to Jamie Allison; a former NHL player with the Chicago Blackhawks.

Since 2000 Daw has been a reporter on the sport of wheelchair curling. Daw was a commentator with CBC television during the Paralympic games in 2010, 2014 and 2018. Daw has also worked with CBC on other ventures, including the 2018 Canadian Wheelchair Curling Championships.

During his athletic career, Daw has attended over 125 National Championships, 64 World Championships, 4 Paralympics, and 1 Olympics with an estimated medal total of over 1000+ for Canada including a dozen World Championships, 19 World records, and Paralympic Gold medal performances.

Personal life

In 2006 it was reported that Daw had one child a son; Kyle, with his first wife Mari Brown. In March 2009 Daw married Morgan Perry, a former member of Canada's junior women's softball team. On February 23, 2010, Daw and Perry gave birth to a daughter Arowyn Emma Ellie. Daw and Perry separated in 2015. On September 15, 2021, Daw's daughter Chantelle Daw died at the age of 27.

In April 2010, Daw lost his mother Eleanor Daw. According to Daw, her loss has had a profound change in him which he often referred to the reason behind his retirement from international sport.

In 2010, Daw was inducted into the London Sports Hall of Fame on September 23, 2010

Daw has participated as an athlete in hockey, field, parachuting; rock climbing, badminton and holds high-level black belts in Daitō-ryū Aiki-jūjutsu.

Selected results

File:Olympic Rings.svg Olympic Games
Finish	Event	Year	Place	Position	Team
Alternate	Wheelchair Adaptive Track	1984	Los Angeles	Alternate
File:IPC logo (2004).svg Paralympic Games
Finish	Event	Year	Place	Position	Team
Gold	Wheelchair Curling	2006	Torino	Skip
4th	Wheelchair Rugby	2000	Sydney	Player #10
Bronze	Wheelchair Adaptive Track	1988	Seoul	Participant
Gold	Wheelchair Adaptive Track	1984	Stoke Mandeville	Participant (4 × 100 m)
File:IPC logo (2004).svg Para PanAM Games
Finish	Event	Year	Place	Position	Team
Bronze	Sit-Volleyball	2007	Rio	Player
File:Curling pictogram.svg World Wheelchair Curling Championship
Finish	Event	Year	Place	Position	Team
Silver	Wheelchair curling	2002	Sursee	Skip
Gold	Wheelchair curling	2003	Scotland	Skip
Bronze	Wheelchair curling	2004	Sursee	Skip
6.	Wheelchair curling	2005	Glasgow	Skip
4.	Wheelchair curling	2007	Sollefteå	Skip
File:Curling pictogram.svg Canadian Wheelchair Curling Championship
Finish	Event	Year	Place	Position	Team
Gold	Wheelchair curling	2003	Ontario Toronto	Skip
Gold	Wheelchair curling	2005	British Columbia Richmond	Skip
Gold	Wheelchair curling	2006	British Columbia Richmond	Skip
6th	Wheelchair curling	2009	Nova Scotia Halifax	Skip	Newfoundland and Labrador
File:Curling pictogram.svg Provincial Wheelchair Curling Championship
Finish	Event	Year	Place	Position	Team
Bronze	Wheelchair curling	2011	British Columbia Kimberley	2nd	Armstrong
File:IPC logo (2004).svg First World Games for Disabled Youth (Nottingham, England)
Finish	Event	Year	Place	Result	Team
Gold	Wheelchair Adaptive Track	1986	Nottingham	World Record
Gold	Wheelchair Adaptive Track	1986	Nottingham	World Record
Gold	Wheelchair Adaptive Track	1986	Nottingham	World Record
Gold	Wheelchair Adaptive Track	1986	Nottingham	World Record
Gold	Wheelchair Adaptive Track	1986	Nottingham	World Record
Gold	Wheelchair Adaptive Track	1986	Nottingham	World Record
File:Curling pictogram.svg Awards and Recognition
Award	Awarded by;	Description	Place	Year	Country
Rick Hansan Relay	Town of Strathroy	Medal Bearer	Ontario Strathroy, Ontario	2011
Hall of Fame	City of London	London Sports Hall of Fame	Ontario London, Ontario	2010
King Clancy Award	King Clancy Foundation	Outstanding Performance	Ontario	2007
High Performance Coach of the Year	Province of Ontario	Coach of the Year, Wheelchair Athletics	Ontario	2007
International Achievement Award	Government of Canada	Achievement Award		2006
World Achievement Award	Government of Canada	Achievement Award		2006
National Achievement Award	Government of Canada	Achievement Award		2006
Provincial Achievement Award	Province of Ontario	Achievement Award	Ontario	2006
Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal	Government of Canada	Achievement Award		2002
International Achievement Award	Government of Canada	Achievement Award		2000
World Achievement Award	Government of Canada	Achievement Award		2000
Celebration 88 Medal	Government of Canada	Achievement Award		1988
International Achievement Award	Government of Canada	Achievement Award		1988
JFO Recognition	Multi Governments	Awards		1991
World Award	Government of Canada	Achievement Award		1988
National Achievement Award	Government of Canada	Achievement Award		1988
Provincial Achievement Award	Province of Ontario	Achievement Award	Ontario	1988

Filmography

Television

Year 2005 - 2022	Title	Role	Notes
2007–2022	CBC Television - Olympic/Paralympic Games	ON Air talent/Analyst/ Voice over artist	Credited

Live streaming

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2007–2022	Canadian Curling Association - National Championships	Producer/Commentator	Credited

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2005	Murderball	Athlete	Uncredited

External links

• Personal Website
• London Sports Hall of Fame Tribute Video