Toni Piispanen

Toni Piispanen (born 24 July 1976) is a Finnish Paralympic athlete.

Toni Piispanen

Personal information
Nationality	Finnish
Born	(1976-07-24) 24 July 1976 (age 48)
Sport
Sport	Para-athletics Wheelchair rugby
Disability class	T51
Club	Espoon Tapiot
Coached by	Jari Nordblom Heini Sistonen Teemu Janhunen Marko Hyytiäinen Rauno Saunavaara
Medal record Men's para-athletics Representing  Finland Paralympic Games 2012 London 100 m T51 2020 Tokyo 200 m T51 2020 Tokyo 100 m T51 2024 Paris 200 m T51 2024 Paris 100 m T51 World Championships 2013 Lyon 100 m T51 2019 Dubai 100 m T51 2011 Christchurch 100 m T51 2013 Lyon 200 m T51 2015 Doha 100 m T51 2017 London 100 m T51 2019 Dubai 200 m T51 2023 Paris 200 m T51 2011 Christchurch 200 m T51 2015 Doha 400 m T51 2023 Paris 100 m T51 European Championships 2014 Swansea 100 m T51 2014 Swansea 400 m T51 2021 Bydgoszcz 100 m T51 2016 Grosseto 100 m T51 2018 Berlin 100 m T51 2018 Berlin 200 m T51 2021 Bydgoszcz 200 m T51 2016 Grosseto 400 m T51

Career

He started as an able-bodied karate competitor and became disabled due to an accident that injured his spinal cord at a karate show in 1993. This accident occurred in Lahti in front of hundreds of spectators. After that he played Wheelchair rugby for fifteen years before switching to wheelchair racing in 2008.^[1] He is a world record holder in his classification.^[2] At the 2012 Summer Paralympics he won gold in the men's T-51 class 100-metre wheelchair sprint.^[3]

References

1. "IPC bio". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 9 September 2012.
2. IPC Records
3. Helsingin Sanomat