the achiever
rowing away from the paralympic Games
with a silver medal was one more feat that
John maclean added to his incredible list
of awe-inspiring life achievements.
After debuting at the 2007 World Rowing
Championships with a silver in the trunk and
arms only double sculls, McLean and his partner
Kathryn Ross, were runners up again in Beijing. It
was a heart-wrenching loss to the Chinese by a
mere 0.89 seconds.
Pedro Albisser two to three times a day with
eyes on Paralympic gold.
“I always enjoy a new challenge. Rowing has
given me another chance to meet new people
and make friends along the way,” says MacLean.
John Maclean and Kathryn Ross
of Australia rowing at Shunyi
Olympic Rowing-Canoeing Park
in Beijing, China.
The former Australian rugby league player lost
the use of his legs when hit by a truck while on
a bike ride in 1988. He has been pushing new
boundaries for wheelchair users ever since, not
only as an athlete, but as an author, speaker and
director of his own foundation helping kids in
wheelchairs in Australia.
MacLean looks back on Beijing with mixed
feelings. “It was wonderful to meet Kathryn and
hear her story. Together we worked very hard to
get the best out of each other including making
race weight, being as strong as we could, making
every stroke count,” says the 43-year-old. “I was
very disappointed with the result given my goal
was always gold. China did fantastic winning.”
■ L.L.
MacLean has claimed a lot of firsts along the
way: he became the first wheelchair athlete to
complete the Ironman World Championship – a
grueling triathlon in Hawaii covering 3. 8 kilometers
of swimming, 180 kilometers of cycling and
42.2 kilometers of running, earning him distinction
into the Ironman Hall of Fame in 2002. He has
swum the English Channel, done marathon
canoeing, completed the Sydney to Hobart Yacht
race, and the Ultraman triathlon.
John Maclean and Kathryn Ross
of Australia win silver in the Trunk
and Arms Mixed Double Sculls
at the 2008 Paralympic Rowing
Regatta in Beijing, China.
His latest autobiography “Full Circle” is due out
this August to follow his 2005 autobiography
“Sucking the Marrow out of Life.” The new book
will include chronicles of his second trip to the
Paralympics – the first being for wheelchair
racing in 2000. For the 2008 Paralympic
Games, MacLean trained with Ross and Coach
