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Robert Matthews MBE (born 26 May 1961) is an athlete who competes in blind middle and long distance events. He is a former British Paralympian who won eight gold medals across seven Paralympic Games. He retired in 2004 but is due to return at the 2012 Summer Paralympics as a cyclist representing New Zealand. He has been referred to as an "iconic athlete" of the Paralympic Games. ==Personal life== Matthews was born in Kent. He was born with the degenerative eye condition retinitis pigmentosa which he inherited from his father. He started to have significant difficulties with his vision when he was 11,〔 losing most of his sight by age 18. From age 13 he attended a school for the partially sighted and went on to study at a college for the blind.〔 In 1993 Matthews moved to Leamington to work for The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association.〔 Matthew's first wife Kath died suddenly in November 2003.〔 Kath was 38 when a blockage in the brain interfered with her breathing. Three years later he met his current wife Sarah Kerr and soon after emigrated to New Zealand to be with her.〔 The couple have two children.〔 In 1987 Matthews became the first Paralympian to be received an MBE, and he was given an honorary master's degree from Warwick University in 2001.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Coventry 2012 - Hall of Fame )〕 Matthews is a sports massage therapist and motivational speaker. His autobiography was published in 2009.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Robert Matthews (athlete)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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