Peter Genyn

Peter Genyn (born 24 December 1976) is a Paralympian sportsman from Belgium. Initially Genyn competed as a wheelchair rugby player before switching to track and field athletics in 2014 where he competes in category T51 sprint events. In 2016 he became the world record holder in the T51 men's 400 metres sprint.

Personal history Genyn was born in Brasschaat, Belgium in 1976. In 1990 he jumped into a shallow pond, breaking his neck which resulted in tetraplegia. He has a degree in computer science. Genyn's wheelchair rugby career came to an end in November 2013 after he broke his leg. In the build up to the Rio Paralympics, Genyn entered the 2016 European Championships in Grosseto. He won gold in both the 100 and 400 metres sprints setting a new world record time of 1:18.09 in the 400m event.

During the 2016 Summer Paralympics, Genyn managed to win the gold medal both in the 100m as well as in the 400m T51 event. One year later he successfully defended his titles at the 100 and 400 metres events at the 2017 World Championships in London. Two years later, he won gold and silver at the 200 and 100 m events respectively.

At the 2020 Summer Paralympics in Tokyo, Japan, Genyn took silver in the 200 meter T-51, coming second by half a second, and took gold in the 100 meter T-51, setting a new Paralympic record for the race. Hours before the 100 meter race, his chair was found in disrepair in what was believed an act of sabotage, but was roughly fixed using duct tape. Roger Habsch, another Belgian athlete for the same race, also found his chair damaged. He was Belgium's flag bearer at the closing ceremony.

Awards Belgian Paralympic Athlete of the Year (2017 & 2018)