2012, 2016 Paralympics gold medallist Richard Whitehead to participate in Malta Marathon

Richard Whitehead, a Paralympics gold medalist in London 2012 and Rio de Janeiro 2016 while also holding the world record in the marathon category, will participate in Sunday’s 40th Malta marathon edition.

“I am hoping to bring my resourcefulness and experience to the disabled community and people of Malta, and show that regardless of your ability, anything is possible,” Whitehead said in a statement.

Born and raised in Nottingham in the United Kingdom, Whitehead MBE is a professional athlete, marathon runner and is passionate about true diversity and inclusion.

Having been born with a double through-knee congenital amputation, he developed a passion for sport at an early age, with his parents encouraging him to participate in sports and teaching him how to live a life without limits.

Whitehead won gold at London 2012 in the T42 200m category as part of the Paralympics Team Great Britain. 

He retained his gold medal at Rio 2016, also winning silver in the T42 100m.

In Tokyo 2021, he finally won silver in the T61 200m.

Throughout his career, Whitehead achieved four world titles in the 200m, and in 2019 he captained the team at the Dubai Para-Athletic World Championships.

Following the euphoria of running over 20 years ago his first marathon in New York, Whitehead has gone on to compete in many marathons around the world, achieving a world champion and a world record status in the full and half marathon.

March 2024 saw Whitehead achieve a world record for athletes with bilateral knee amputations at the TCS London Marathon.

In October, he mashed his own record, running the Chicago Marathon in 2:41:36.

“Having never visited Malta or taken part in the marathon there, I am extremely excited to take part in the marathon, and for this to be part of my 20-marathon challenge in 2025,” he added.

“This is a really great opportunity for me to communicate with and connect with a new community through the power of running. I am passionate about promoting not only the physical health benefits of moving and running, but also the mental health and wellness benefits, which are so important.”

“I am hoping to bring my resourcefulness and experience to the disabled community and people of Malta, and show that regardless of your ability, anything is possible.”

To celebrate and mark 20 years of being a professional athlete, Whitehead’s epic challenge is to complete 20 marathons around the world in 2025.

This number means a great deal, as it is now 20 years since Whitehead first ran his first marathon in New York, and by the end of 2025, he will have taken part in 100 marathons in total.

But behind the numbers, there is an incredibly important goal of connecting with the communities and meeting new people in all of the places he visits, as well as raising awareness of what it means to be truly inclusive and the difference this makes.

Race director Joe Micallef said: “‘We are happy that Richard Whitehead has chosen the Lifestar Malta Marathon for his challenge. His presence has extraordinary value and is also an incentive for those who have disabilities and want to approach the world of road running”.