Daniel Crates is a British former athlete, who specialised in 800m sprinting. He is a former Paralympic world record holder in this event, and won gold medals in a number of international competitions, including the Paralympic Games, European Championships and World Championships.He also plays competitive rugby and is a qualified diving instructor. Crates was born in Orsett, Essex. He took up athletics after losing his right arm in a car accident while in Australia in 1994. He competed in T46 (arm amputee) events and represented Britain at the 2000 Summer Paralympics in Sydney – winning the bronze medal in the 400m sprint, and at the 2004 Summer Paralympics in Athens where he won gold in the 800m.