Hamish MacDonald

Hamish Anderson MacDonald, OAM (born 19 August 1974) is an Australian Paralympic athlete. He was born in Melbourne and lives in Canberra. He has cerebral palsy. MacDonald did not walk without callipers until he was eight.

MacDonald has stated that several teachers have played a pivotal role in his interest in sport. In primary school, his physical education teacher Gary Cole, an Australia international soccer player gave support and enthusiasm. In 1986, his family moved to Alice Springs and physical education teachers Shane Claridge and Michelle Parker, at Alice Springs High School, provided encouragement. He held this scholarship until 2009 and during this period was coached by Chris Nunn, Scott Goodman and Alison O'Riordan. After six months at the Australian Institute of Sport, he was strongly encouraged to switch to throwing events due to rapidly increasing standards in Paralympic sprinting and his powerlifting background. He had unsuccessfully tried throwing events in Little Athletics because of difficulties staying in the throwing circle due to poor balance. His functional classification allowed him to throw from a chair and he subsequently in a world record. He was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia for this achievement.

At the 2004 Athens Games, he won a silver medal in the men's shot put F32–33 event. In 2002, he won gold in the men's shot put F34 in a world record (10.69m) and competed in men's discus F33–34. In 2006, he won gold in the men's shot put F34 event and competed in the men's discus F33–34 event. In 2011, he finished 6th in men's shot put F34.

At the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games, he won a bronze medal in the men's shot put F32/34/52. He has also held a Northern Territory Institute of Sport scholarship.

He retired as an athlete in January 2013. Jason Hellwig, CEO of the Australian Paralympic Committee made the following comment on his retirement – "I've known Hamish a long time through my involvement with athletics and have seen him develop as an athlete and a person. It's been great to watch a kid from Alice Springs rise to the heights of international sport and then contribute in such a meaningful way." MacDonald indicated that he would most likely remain involved in Paralympic sport as a coach. He was selected as a throws coach for the Australian team competing at the 2015 IPC Athletics World Championships.

Advocacy MacDonald is an advocate for disabled sport, and travels the world to do this. He has visited the South Pacific and Caribbean to help create local disabled sport programs. He was 1996 Northern Territory Sportsman of the Year. He was named Male Disability Athlete of the Year by the Australian Paralympic Committee in 2003. He was the first athlete with a disability to win this award. He was the co-captain of the Australian teams at the 1998 IPC Athletics World Championships and the 2000 Sydney Paralympic Games. Australian Paralympic Committee board member 2001–2002

MacDonald, alongside Branka Pupovac, Karni Liddell and Charmaine Dalli, was one of eighteen Australian Paralympians photographed by Emma Hack for a nude calendar. His chest was shaved for the photograph and he appears nude from the waist up.

In 2000, MacDonald and fellow Paralympian Julianne Adams addressed the New South Wales Legislative Assembly, thanking the people of New South Wales for their support of the Sydney Paralympics.