Margaret Maughan

Margaret Gardner Maughan (20 June 192819 May 2020) was a British competitive archer, dartcher and lawn bowler. She was Britain's first gold medallist at the Paralympic Games, and won four gold and two silver medals at the Games. She lit the cauldron at the Olympic Stadium in London at the opening ceremony of the 2012 Summer Paralympics.

Early life Maughan was from Preston, Lancashire, England, and was one of four children. Her father was a miner. Maughan worked as a domestic science teacher at Bushey Meads School, Bushey, Hertfordshire. The same school as George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley. She also taught archery. After being in hospital in Nyasaland for two months, She competed at the 1960 National Wheelchair Games.

Wheelchair accessibility in transport and housing was not a major consideration at the time, and Maughan would later relate how she and her British teammates were moved onto the plane to Rome with forklift trucks. Once at the Games, Italian army soldiers had to be called in to carry them up and down the stairs to the athletes' residences. At her archery medal ceremony, the medal podium contained ramps to allow the athletes to reach the podiums. Returning home from the Games, Maughan and her wheelchair had to travel in the guard's van on the train back to Preston.

Maughan died on 19 May 2020 at the age of 91 at Watford General Hospital. Speaking after her death was announced, Nick Webborn, chair of the British Paralympic Association, said that "although her passing is extremely sad the fact that she lived until the age of 91 is testament to the work of Sir Ludwig Guttman who transformed the care of people with spinal cord injury, and that through sport people with disabilities can enjoy rich and fulfilling lives".