Fabian Blattman

Fabian John Blattman, OAM (born 28 December 1958) is an Australian Paralympic athlete. He became disabled after a motorbike accident. He started playing disabled bowls, before switching to athletics. As a Paralympic athletics competitor, he has set several world records and won two Paralympic gold medals.

Personal Blattman was born on 28 December 1958 in the New South Wales town of Narrandera. A 1978 motorcycle accident left him a quadriplegic. Following the accident, he spent eighteen months in rehabilitation at the Mt Wilga Rehabilitation Centre in Hornsby, New South Wales. After rehabilitation, Blattman moved into his parents' home in Springwood, New South Wales. The house was retrofitted with a lift to enable him to reach his third floor bedroom. Blattman moved out of his parents' home, and independently travels around the world. He competed in the Stoke Mandeville Games in 1989 and 1990. He won a silver medal in the 4×100 m event and a bronze medal in the 4×400 m event at the 1992 Summer Paralympics. At the 1996 Atlanta Games, he won a gold medal in the 1500 m event, for which he received a Medal of the Order of Australia, At the 2000 Sydney Games, he won a gold medal in the men's 400 m T51 event, a silver medal in the men's 1500 m T51 event, and a bronze medal in the men's 800 m T51 event. In 2002, Blattman came in first in the T51 Quads event at the Arrive Alive Summer Down Under Wheelchair Track and Road Racing Series 10k event, with a time of 37.52. He competed at the 2010 Optus Grand Prix in Canberra in the Men & Women 5,000 metres wheelchair event, but he did not finish.

He won the Oz Day 10K Wheelchair Road Race T51 event nine times, firstly in 1992 and then in each year from 1995 to 2002.

Blattman has held several world records in athletics. 1991: 1500 m 1998: 05:01.49 in the 1500 m and 16:51.81 in the 5000 m at the Summer Down Under international wheelchair track meeting at Sydney International Athletic Centre on 28 January 1999: 16:46.95 in the 5000 m at the Summer Down Under international wheelchair track meeting at Sydney International Athletic Centre on 29 January

He had an Australian Institute of Sport scholarship from 1994 to 2000 in Athletics. His coach was Andrew Dawes, who has worked with Paralympic gold medalists Louise Sauvage and Greg Smith.