Ben Newton

Ben Newton, (born 14 February 1988) is a wheelchair rugby player and coach. He represented Australia at the 2012 Summer Paralympics where he was a member of the Steelers that won the gold medal. .

Personal life Benaiah Thomas Newton was born on 14 February 1988 in Sydney, New South Wales.

Newton started playing wheelchair rugby in 2004 while he was living in Coffs Harbour after having spent time watching the state representative team compete. Following the 2010 Queensland Wheelchair Rugby State Championships, he was named the competitions most valuable player. That season, he was named to the league's All Star Four. In May 2012, he participated in a test series against Japan in Sydney. He participated in a London Test event, where his team defeated the Great Britain national wheelchair rugby team in the finals after having lost to Great Britain in a pool play earlier in the day. He was selected to represent Australia at the 2012 Summer Paralympics in wheelchair rugby. He was part of the team that won the gold medal. The Australian team went through the five-day tournament undefeated. Newton retired from the national team in 2014.

Coaching career Newtom moved into coaching in 2020 becoming head coach of the Queensland Cyclones. In 2022, Newton graduated from the Australian Sports Commission's Gen 2032 coaching program. n 2024, Newton is Queensland Academy of Sport Wheelchair Rugby Program coach, Queensland State Coach and assists with the Australian National Development team.

Recognition He was awarded an Order of Australia Medal in the 2014 Australia Day Honours "for service to sport as a Gold Medallist at the London 2012 Paralympic Games." In 2024, he was awarded the Queensland Academy of Sport Development Coach of the Cycle.