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Paul van Winkel (born 1953)[1] is a Belgian former wheelchair racer and multiple Paralympic gold medallist.
He is Belgium's most successful athlete at the Summer Paralympics, having won seven gold medals in athletics between 1980 and 1988.[2] In his first Paralympics in 1980, he was a gold medallist in the 4 × 100 m relay (category 2–5) and the category 3 slalom. Two further golds followed in 1984, this time in the 400 m 1500 m. He was also the silver medallist in the 100 m and 200 m sprint events, as well as taking a bronze in the category 3 slalom. Van Winkel medalled in all the events he entered in 1988: he was first in the 400 m, 800 m and 5000 m wheelchair races, and was the runner-up in the 200 m and the 1500 m. In his fourth and final Paralympic Games in 1992, he came close to further medals with a fourth place in the 800 m and fifth in the 200 m. He did not make the 400 m final and failed to finish in the 5000 m, making his last appearance one without medals.[3]
He twice medalled in the demonstration wheelchair race at the Olympics, winning the inaugural event in 1984 and coming runner-up four years later.[4][5] He has also competed outside of Olympic competition and took three consecutive victories at Grandma's Marathon in two separate streaks.[6] He encouraged fellow marathon racer Marcelo Ordaz-Cruz to enter the sport, after Ordaz-Cruz became paralysed due to a gunshot wound.[7] Van Winkel now lives in Minnesota.[8]
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