Robert Matthews (athlete)

Robert Matthews, who lived from 26 May 1961 to 11 April 2018, was a British athlete who competed in blind middle and long distance events, won eight gold medals across seven Paralympic Games and was called an iconic athlete. He was born in Kent with the degenerative eye condition retinitis pigmentosa, which he inherited from his father. He started in the B1 class middle and long distance events, winning gold in the 800, 1,500 and 5,000 metres, broke 22 world records, and won six world championship and 15 European championship gold medals.