As the 2024 Paralympics burst into life in Paris, Uphill minds and memories turn to the Trust’s very own Paralympic athlete, Danny Furey. Danny competed in the Seoul games in 1988, and was a supporter of the Trust from the very start.
Though he passed away in 2021 aged 71, he comes to mind regularly as one of those people who, despite their own very serious challenges, are always ready to help out someone else.
Here’s the tale of the Uphill Trust’s very own, very special, Paralympian.
The Uphill Flyer
Danny was born in 1950, in Dundee, with cerebral palsy. Following boarding schooling at Westerlea School in Edinburgh he returned to live in Dundee and began competitive wheelchair racing at the ripe old age of 32 — in the days before special racing chairs (and, by the way, financial support for para-athletes). Even the Paralympic Games were some way in the future.
He trained in Dundee alongside the able-bodied athletes of the Hawkhill Harriers, competing in many national and international events. He contested 100, 200 and 400-metre wheelchair races, setting many unrecognised national records and one world record.
In 1986, he set a joint world record for the 100m in Belgium at the World Cerebral Palsy Games. He lost it the following year to an Irishman but had the satisfaction of beating the same man at the Robin Hood International Games in Nottingham some time later. Danny said the four medals he won in that one day at Nottingham were the ones he was most proud of.
In Training (Photo copyright: DC Thomson & C0 Ltd)
Recognised as one of the finest foot-pushing wheelchair racers of the time, Danny was selected for the Seoul Olympics in 1988. There he set several personal best times but narrowly missed out on a bronze medal by a few seconds.
The Trophy Cabinet (Photo copyright: DC Thomson & Co Ltd)
On his return from Seoul, Danny was made an honorary member of Hawkhill Harriers, Dundee, and presented with a club vest. The presentation was made by fellow Harrier Liz McColgan who had herself won a silver medal in the 10,000metres at Seoul.
Selected for the Barcelona Paralympic Games in 1992, he learned at the last minute that his particular event had been scrapped by the organisers as not enough athletes were going to compete. The team organisers offered him the chance to be a flag bearer but he turned it down because he wanted to compete. Danny always regretted that his supporters and backers were not able to see him race. After a racing career of 10 years, his last competitive run was in 1992, at the age of 42.
As far as we know, the British Record for the 400m wheelchair race for mixed disability athletes which he set in 1992 has never been broken.
Danny had many anecdotes of his time in his sport — in the days when specialised racing wheelchairs were unheard of, sports medicine was in its infancy, and the Paralympic movement had yet to fully blossom.
He said he liked the third lane from the inside on the track as his strength and ability was best on the bends and he liked to keep an eye on the opposition. Another of his secrets was using gun oil, bought in Dundee, to lubricate the spindles of his wheelchair and prevent them over-heating.
In the 1980s and 90s, Danny was a familiar figure in the Wellgate, one of Dundee’s shopping centres. On the shiny, tiled floors his wheelchair could get up quite a speed as he used one leg to propel it backwards. This was probably not an approved training technique but it certainly sharpened the reactions of a lot of Dundee shoppers.
Throughout his racing career, Danny wore tartan trews at competitions. At the Olympics in 1988 they asked him not to wear them…but he did anyway.
Latterly he used an electric wheelchair with a top speed of 5mph and he helped the fundraising of The Uphill Trust by doing a sponsored wheelchair run around Dundee in 2015.
“Give me a breather!”
He followed that by another wheelchair run in 2017 this time accompanied by his wife Liz who was in her own electric wheelchair. Neither were wearing his trademark tartan trews, though.
The Trustees View of Danny and Liz
At both events he was accompanied by Uphill trustees and other supporters who had a really difficult time keeping up. Danny’s style was to go for it irrespective of the surfaces he was on. And irrespective of other traffic, too!
Liz continues to support the Uphill Trust today, for which we are indebted.
The Formidable Fureys
Danny was honoured by our Uphill Junior School community in 2022 after his death with these words from our Director Elius.
“In the African culture when we lose an important person in our lives, it is always a dark moment. We continue to keep a space in our hearts as a nice moment because what he fought for is still here.
“Even though we did not meet physically, our souls have met.
“Tell his wife she is not alone and she will never walk alone. She had a wonderful husband who loved everyone irrespective of colour. His love was amazing. I did not see a man in a wheelchair, I saw a man with a spirit to make children and people in Africa happy.
“He was a life-changer, and a hero, and champion for Uphill.”
Thank you, Danny… a very special gentleman, remembered with love.
The challenges which para-athletes overcome to succeed in their chosen sport is nothing short of inspirational and very awe inspiring.
We wish all Paralympians – but particularly the Team GB ones – success in the Paris Games.
Tags: Danny Furey Paralympian, Paralympics, The Uphill Trust
