Richard Colman was born in 1984 with spina bifida. He took to sport at a young age and was involved in many sports before a love of athletics got his full attention. He made his first state team in 1996 for the Pacific School Games and has competed regularly since at major national and international level competitions. Richard continues to play wheelchair basketball in the local Geelong league and regularly swims as part of his cross training.
Richard first competed for Australia in the 2002 IPC World Athletics Championships in Lyon, France, where he came away with a bronze medal in the T53 400m. Two years later, he won a gold in the T53 800m and a silver in the 4x100m at his first Paralympic Games in Athens. In 2006, Richard won a bronze medal in the T53 800m at the IPC World Athletics Championships in Assen, The Netherlands. In 2008, Richard on a silver medal in the T53 200m and a bronze in the T53 400m at the Beijing Paralympic Games. In early 2011, Richard won his first IPS World Athletics Championship gold medal, winning the T53 800m and also a silver medal in the T53 400m. In 2011 he also won the T53 400m gold medal at the IAAF World Championships in Daegu, South Korea. At the 2012 London Paralympic Games, Richard won a gold medal in the T53 800m and two bronze medals in the T53 400 and the T53/54 4x400 relay.
