Christian Gobé

Christian Gobe (born 13 May 1977 in Cameroon) is a Paralympian from Cameroon who represented his country at the 2016 Summer Paralympics, finishing eighth in the Shot Put - F55 event.

Gobe contracted polio as a child, and took up sport as part of his rehabilitation efforts. He later moved to Switzerland to attend University of Geneva. While there, he became a Swiss national, got married and had three children.

As a para-athlete, Gobe specializes in T54 100m and 200m events, while also competing in T54 400m, F55 shot put, javelin and discus. Gobe first took up the sport in 1998, and continued with it after moving to Switzerland. Initially representing Cameroon, he became a Swiss national and tried to make the team for the 2008 Games. He switched back to Cameroonian nationality to try to make the a team for 2012 Summer Paralympic but passport issues kept him out despite being named to the team. He successfully made and was Cameroon's sole representative at the 2016 Summer Paralympics. Gobe holds the continental record for the F55 shot put, having broken his own record several times in 2015 and 2016.

Outside of athletics, Gobe is also involved in wheelchair basketball. He played for the Switzerland men's national wheelchair basketball team, and for several clubs in Switzerland. As a member of the Swiss team, he won a bronze medal at the 2006 IWBF Men's B European Championships. He also is involved in the sport as a wheelchair basketball coach.

Personal Gobe was born on 13 May 1977. He contracted polio when he was a 4-year-old. Complications related to the illness left him with a physical disability that required use of a wheelchair. He took up sports at the rehabilitation center at Etoug-Ebe in Yaoundé, with his participation largely being recreational and non-competitive. His specialities are the sprint events, the 100m and 200m.

The Cameroonian started competitive athletics in 1998, after originally having been involved in the sport on the recreational level. He went on to claim Cameroon national titles from 1998 to 2000 in the 100m, 200m and 400m events. He participated in the 2008 edition of the Jeux de l'avenir pour personnes handicapées d'Afrique (Japhaf).

Gobe represented Cameroon in May 2016 at the IPC Athletics Grand Prix, Nottwil, Switzerland, where he set an African record in the F55 men's shot put with a throw of 10.49 meters. The year before at the 2015 edition of the event, Gobe finished first in the men's F55 shot put with a best throw of 9.26 meters. Gobe was one of Cameroon's representatives at the 2016 edition of the IPC Athletics Grand Prix Dubai. He came away with gold in the men's F55 shot put after setting an African record with a throw of 10.78 meters. He also set a continental record in the shot put at the 2016 Sharjah International Open. 2003 Swiss National Adaptive Athletics Championships 1 2013 IPC Athletics World Championships Shot Put — F55 9.4 meters 13 2015 All-Africa Games Shot Put — F54-55 1 2015 Fazaa International Athletics Competition Shot Put — F54 9.19 meters 3 Continental 2015 IPC Athletics Grand Prix Nottwil, Switzerland Shot Put — F55 9.26 meters 1 Continental 2016 IPC Athletics Grand Prix Nottwil, Switzerland Shot Put — F55 10.49 meters 1 Continental 2016 Sharjah International Open Shot Put — F55 10.85 meters 1 Continental 2016 Sharjah International Open Discus — F55 27.57 meters 4 Paralympic Games Gobe was on the short list of Swiss para-sports people who could have potentially earned nominations for the athletics team competing at the 2008 Summer Paralympics. National selectors in Switzerland though overlooked him and did not choose him to represent Switzerland at the 2008 Games. Despite being the top ranked sportsperson in his event, he was passed over with two lower ranked athletes chosen instead. With unclear explanations as to why Gobe was overlooked, following the Beijing Games, he contacted the Cameroon National Paralympic Committee about potentially representing Cameroon in international competitions.

Cameroon sent one competitor to the 2016 Summer Paralympics, Christian Gobe. He competed in the men's F55 shot put event where he finished eighth in a twelve-deep field on a best throw of 10.28 meters. Gobe was his country's flag bearer for the Opening Ceremonies.

Ahead of the Rio Games, Gobe spent three years preparing to qualify and participate. The ability to be based in Europe gave him a competitive edge as he had access to better training and equipment than if he had been based in Africa. He was able to train daily, with many sessions being three hours long. Playing for Aigles de Meyrin in 2006, his team won the Swiss Cup. He was a key player in the team's success since he first joined them.