André Viger

André Viger (September 27 1952 - October 1 2006) was a French Canadian wheelchair marathoner and Paralympian. He took part in five consecutive Summer Paralympics in athletics from 1980 to 1996, winning a total of three gold, three silver and four bronze medals. [cite web |title=Athlete Search Results |publisher=International Paralympic Committee |year=2008 |url=http://www.paralympic.org/release/Main_Sections_Menu/Sports/Results/paralympics_search.html?sport=2&games=all&medal=all&npc=CAN&name=viger&fname=andre&gender=m |accessdate=2008-10-02]

Born in Windsor, Ontario, Viger grew up in Sherbrooke, Quebec. He lost the use of his legs following a traffic accident at age 20. He won the men's wheelchair division of the Boston Marathon in 1984, 1986 and 1987. In 1987, he was made a Knight of the National Order of Quebec. In 1989, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada for being "a source of encouragement for young athletes and a role model for young people everywhere". [http://www.gg.ca/honours/search-recherche/honours-desc.asp?lang=e&TypeID=orc&id=2720] In 2005, he was inducted into the Paralympic Hall of Fame.

After retiring from athletics, he began a career as a businessman and started a wheelchair manufacturing company. He died of cancer on October 1, 2006. [ [http://www.cbc.ca/sports/story/2006/10/02/andre-viger.html CBC news story of his death] ]

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