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Matt Lewis (wheelchair rugby)
Matt Franklin Lewis OAM (born 8 January 1987) is an Australian wheelchair rugby player. He won a gold medal at the 2016 Rio Paralympics as a member of the Australian Steelers.[1][2] PersonalLewis was born on 8 January 1987.[3] In 2011, at the age of 24, he was severely injured when making a home made bomb using a gas cylinder.[3][4] The bomb making operation went badly wrong and left him in an induced coma for just over a month. He lost most of his fingers and both his legs had to be amputated above the knees.[3][5] In addition, his hearing is impaired and he has many scars on his body.[6] In 2016, he was completing an electrical apprenticeship.[3] He assists programs that educate young people about the dangers of risk taking.[5] Wheelchair rugbyLewis was introduced to wheelchair rugby by Victorian coach Bryce Alman.[3] In 2013/14, he played for Seattle Storm in the USA national league for five months and won a number of MVP awards.[3][7] In 2014, he was selected to play for the national team the Australian Steelers.[3] In 2016, he was the MVP at the Wheelchair Rugby National Series.[8] He was a member of the team that retained its gold medal at the 2016 Rio Paralympics after defeating the United States 59–58 in the final.[9] He was awarded the Order of Australia Medal in 2017.[10] References
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