Simon Jackson (judoka)

Simon Jackson, MBE, ( born May 28, 1972) is a British cyclist and former judoka. The visually handicapped Paralympionike remained 1988-2000 unbeaten in 159 international fights, winning in 1988, 1992 and 1996, the gold medal at the Paralympic Games in 2000 and the bronze medal. In early 2008, he joined the track cycling, where he competes for the visually impaired in the competition class tandem and beginning in May 2008 celebrated two second places in the World Cup victory with the former British team sprint champion Barney Storey, however, was not nominated for the 2008 Paralympics.

Career

Jackson started with visual impairment despite his eleven years with the Judo and reached the 1st Dan ( " Black Belt " ) at the age of 18 At this time he was undefeated and gold medal winner at the Paralympics in competition for nearly two years. By the semi-finals at the 2000 Paralympics, he won every subsequent battle and was inter alia three times world champion, then failed but the eventual winner, the Cubans Isao Rafael Cruz Alonso.

At the next Paralympics 2004 Simon Jackson lost in the first round after a very controversial decision, in which he was thrown on the edge of the mat just before the end. Jackson remained in protest on the mat, thus ensuring a scandal at the Games in 2004. The following year, Jackson was again the European Championships, his tenth European title win, but ended his judo career due to back problems.

Since early 2008, Jackson participates in tandem race in track cycling. In 2012 he was part of the team that in 2012 commented on the Summer Paralympics in London for Channel 4.

In December 2012, Simon Jackson was alleged to have taken 10,000 pounds for taxi journeys to claim that he had not made. He had asked for the money to go to his job as a teacher. It turned out that he had been driven by his wife to work. On January 22, 2013, Jackson was sentenced to four months of community service and a curfew. He paid back the money and court costs.

Jackson was a member of the Judo - committee of the International Blind Sports Federation and was named for his services to disabled sport to the member of the Order often the British Empire ( MBE).