PITT Christopher

Classification
SH1 (IPC, 09 Aug 2021)

Origin of Impairment
Acquired (news-mail.com.au, 28 Jul 2011)

Impairment Details
At age 10 he developed dermatomyositis, a rare disease that causes muscle inflammation and skin rash. It resulted in him losing the use of his legs at age 12. (paralympic.org.au, 01 Jan 2020; news-mail.com.au, 28 Jul 2011)

General
TONGUE CANCER
In late 2020 he was diagnosed with tongue cancer and required to have surgery. "The end of last year [speaking in 2021] I was diagnosed with tongue cancer and had to have 14 hours of surgery, half my tongue removed and they did a graph to my leg and put that in. I then had to go through six weeks of radiation which finished at the end of January [2021], so between not having competitions and undergoing surgery it has been a big year. I was that weak when I got out that I couldn't even hold a pistol let alone shoot it. One of my strong motivations to beat the cancer was the thought of being able to compete again as part of the Paralympian team in Tokyo." (bundabergnow.com, 24 Jul 2021; bundabergtoday.com.au, 23 Jul 2021)

RIO EXPERIENCE
After making his Paralympic debut at the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro, he decided to take a brief break from the sport following the Games. He returned to training in January 2017. "Rio was an awesome experience. Straight away I decided I'll have another go at this. I thought it was unbelievable, especially going into that stadium for the opening ceremony. The hair on the back of my neck stood up. I'll never forget that one. Competing at my first Games at that stage of my life is a pretty good achievement. After Rio, I decided to spend more time fishing with my brother. I also had a friend from Poland come over and we spent New Year's on the Gold Coast and did skydiving." (shootingaustralia.org, 03 Sep 2020; seniorsnews.com.au, 16 Feb 2017, 12 Sep 2016)

EARLY DAYS
During a competition in 2012, Australian pistol shooter Peter Heuke told him that he could go further with the sport. After this, Pitt sold his fishing boat to fund his attempt to make a career in shooting Para sport. "He [Heuke] took me out the back of the range and said, 'Do you know what you have just done?' I said, 'I shot a pretty good score I think'. He said, 'You don't realise that you have just opened up a whole world of possibility'. I said, 'What are you talking about?'. He said, 'That's a very competitive score and you have the ability to go as far as you want'. Then I started to think and started to investigate scores at World Cups, and I thought I can do this, but I can't afford to do the domestic travels - the competitions I had to do. So, I chewed on it for nearly nine months and I decided to have a go. So, I sold my little tinny [aluminium boat]. I got four grand for it. It got me two trips to Sydney and a case of ammo." (shootingaustralia.org, 03 Sep 2020)

TRAVELLING
He says the long-distance travel aspect of the sport is challenging for him, but that with experience he has become more accustomed to it. "Without shooting, I would have been lucky to actually leave the state. Shooting has opened up a whole world to me. I think about it all the time what it has given me. I still dislike the long-distance travel, but I now know what to expect and I tolerate it a lot more. It is very tiring and uncomfortable." (shootingaustralia.org, 03 Sep 2020)