Richard Nicholson was honoured at the AIS today for his contribution to the Australian Paralympic Movement with a commemorative Paralympic Pin.
Now officially the 527th Paralympian, Richard was one of 17 who were honoured this afternoon.
Richard, whose representative career spanned 16 years, has Paralympic medals in powerlifting and athletics.
"I have been fortunate to be a part of the Paralympic Community since the mid-1990s and feel privileged to have played my own very small role in the growth and evolution of the Games to where they are today," Richard said.
"I was able to compete against the best athletes in the world, make life-long friends and have many unforgettable, sometimes unexpected life experiences that money just can't buy.
"I just want to thank Paralympics Australia and the team who have worked so hard on this project. It would have been a very difficult task to identify and find all the Paralympians or family members going back to 1960, particularly as many have now passed away."
Richard said he has always been very proud to be called an Australian Paralympian and "to be considered part of the 'Mob'".
"This pin and number mark my place in a long history of great athletes, outstanding performances and exceptional human beings."
The Paralympic Pin project was launched last year.
Under the program, each of the more than 1,100 athletes who have represented Australia at Summer and Winter Paralympic Games will receive a unique sequential number according to the order in which they competed. They will also receive a Pin depicting 'The Journey', an emotive Indigenous artwork which has featured on the Australian Paralympic Team's official attire since the Rio 2016 Games and depicts the connectedness of Australia's Paralympians across time and distance.
After competing at an elite level, Richard turned his attention to working in disability sport.
Richard is a Sports Partnership Manager working directly with National Sporting Organisations to help mitigate integrity threats in their sport.
In case you missed Richard's column earlier this year, he shared his experiences at how disability sport has evolved in Australia through his eyes as both an athlete and working in sports administration. You can read it here.
RICHARD'S SPORTING RECORD
POWERLIFTING
2002 Silver medal Commonwealth Games, 60.0kg division - Manchester, England
2000 Silver medal Paralympics, 60.0kg division - Sydney, Australia
1996 8th place Paralympics, 56.0kg division - Atlanta, USA
ATHLETICS
2012 Bronze 4 x 400m relay London Paralympics
2008 Beijing Paralympic Team member
2004 Silver 4 x 100m relay Athens Paralympics
