Paralympics 2012

Please post all matters relating to the Paralympics here........and no auld guff from ye!

Brilliant drama on BBC 2 on Sunday night that tells the story behind the founding of the Paralympic movement, it's called The Best of Men and it's on at 10-00. It's not on in NI for some reason but if you have Sky then you'll be able to watch it on another regions BBC 2.

Great story coming out of Paralympics GB, the woman who won their first Gold of the games was previously a Paralympic Swimmer and only started cycling due to an ear infection that kept her out of the pool for a while. She was good at it so decided to give it a crack but had to train hard to reshape her body muscle for cycling and almost made the Olympic Team GB track cycling team and Wendy Hovenhagal (Sp) kept her out of the team pursuit team.

...Bald Eagle is up and at it early, must have a cow calving....

Had to work under cover of darkness to create this thread, you know how RMD rules with an iron fist on these matters!

Congrats to Bethany Firth on winning Gold in the swimming for Ireland.

bald eagle wrote:Congrats to Bethany Firth on winning Gold in the swimming for Ireland.

Indeed, a great performance. Congratulations Bethany.

I'm over in London for a few days next week so might try to head to one of the events - although I believe most are completely sold out!

RMDrive wrote:I'm over in London for a few days next week so might try to head to one of the events - although I believe most are completely sold out!

You heading to twickenham next weekend ?

RMDrive wrote:I'm over in London for a few days next week so might try to head to one of the events - although I believe most are completely sold out!

At the minute, the only tickets left are for Boccia. Everything else is gone! Perhaps more will be released over the next few days, as it was during the Olympics, but the demand for tickets has been incredible.

10,000 tickets are released via London 2012 website every day.

OMAR wrote:

RMDrive wrote:I'm over in London for a few days next week so might try to head to one of the events - although I believe most are completely sold out!

You heading to twickenham next weekend ?

What's on in twickenham? Heading to a conference Mon-Wed.

Thomas Clarke wrote:

RMDrive wrote:I'm over in London for a few days next week so might try to head to one of the events - although I believe most are completely sold out!

At the minute, the only tickets left are for Boccia. Everything else is gone! Perhaps more will be released over the next few days, as it was during the Olympics, but the demand for tickets has been incredible.

See that all right.

BE, I'll keep an eye on it to see what might be available.

Irelands Jason Smyth is the fastest Paralympian in history after recording a time of 10.54s in his 100m Semi Final! These are true sporting heros eh?

bald eagle wrote:Irelands Jason Smyth is the fastest Paralympian in history after recording a time of 10.54s in his 100m Semi Final! These are true sporting heros eh?

Not bad at all, he will be the only Irishman to keep up with Usain Bolt and is only 0.96 slower. Fantastic stuff.

Unreal stuff from Jason....Well done also indeed to Bethany..

Darragh McDonald wins heat in 5:02:38, he will race in the 400m freestyle final this evening as the top qualifier, but not favourite for gold!

2 more gold for Ireland and another world record! Jason Smyth beat his own WR as he won Gold and Darragh McDonald won Gold by a mile in his final. Great stuff! Feel free to contribute!

bald eagle wrote:2 more gold for Ireland and another world record! Jason Smyth beat his own WR as he won Gold and Darragh McDonald won Gold by a mile in his final. Great stuff! Feel free to contribute!

Smyth has limited sight is that correct? In what way does that substantially affect his sprinting? Is it keeping his line etc?

Jonsmith wrote:

bald eagle wrote:2 more gold for Ireland and another world record! Jason Smyth beat his own WR as he won Gold and Darragh McDonald won Gold by a mile in his final. Great stuff! Feel free to contribute!

Smyth has limited sight is that correct? In what way does that substantially affect his sprinting? Is it keeping his line etc?

It is, he cannot recognise contours between 2-6 meters away and has between 5-20 degree vision.

its really gold well for ireland

Michael McKillop, take a bow sir! Double gold medalist! Wonderful stuff!

Meant to comment on last night's action. Great men's 200m, with Oscar Pistorius being run down by the Brazilian Alan Oliviera. Pistorius was very ungracious after the race, blaming the length of Oliviera's blades as the deciding factor. Apparently the blades were within regulation, and the South African came across as a poor loser.

There were also shades of Mo Farah, as the crowd seemed to go ballistic in roaring on David Weir in the 5000m wheelchair race. Thrilling race and a seemingly electric atmosphere.

Finally, well done to Michael McKillop on his middle distance double this evening! Just heard him interviewed, thanking his parents for the support and belief they give him as a kid with cerebral palsy. What a top young man he really is. Well done Michael!

these athletes are an inspiration to all of us, to overcome some of the problems they have and compete like this is unbelievable.

Compare that with a bunch of pansies getting paid £200k per week for prancing round a soccer field falling at the slightest knock and rolling about like they had been shot. The should be ashamed of themselves watching these real athletes

Great buzz in London here. Met a few of the Italian team earlier on. Think I managed to convey my best wishes using my best Italian-style gesticulation. London has really done a great job with the paraolympics and I reckon that the current athletes are getting as much attention as those of a few weeks ago.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=m-trends&v=riR_SyhvB6s

From the Irish Independant Online -

MARK ROHAN did it the hard way, the only way he knows how.

The 31-year-old will return to Westmeath on Monday a double gold medallist after an incredible three days at Brands Hatch, where he ground out an incredible victory in the H1 Road Race to go with his time trial success.

The 48km course was the longest the reigning world champion had ever raced, but he helped drive the pace for four and a half 8km laps on the undulating circuit in the searing heat, before making his move.

Only Swiss rider Tobias Fankhauser could stay with the Irishman's pace for the last lap and a half, but the younger man refused to take the slack and let Rohan ride out front, staying on the wheel.

For almost 12km they were locked together, but Rohan knew that he was stronger than his opponent in the final stretch and drove home to the joy of the large Irish contingent at the finishing line.

incredible

It has been an incredible journey for the former Westmeath U-21 footballer who was paralysed from the chest down following a motorcycle accident in 2001, and he spoke about the emotional nature of the win after receiving his medal.

"I'm just trying to take it in. The last 10 years have been a struggle and it was nice to top it off, to be able to celebrate something now," he explained.

"I enjoy playing sport; sport with a disability is the same as sport without a disability. You get the same emotions, the same support and the same ups and downs.

"If I wasn't here, I would have loved to have been lifting the Sam Maguire Cup for Westmeath, I had big ambitions. I honestly mean that.

"Whatever I put my hand to, I give it 100pc and luckily enough I have come out the right side of it these last couple of years. I'm delighted for the Irish people, to be able to repay the taxpayers' money, the huge investment.

"And for all my supporters and my sponsors, (coach) Brian Nugent, (manager) Denis Toomey and the whole Irish paracycling team and all my team-mates."

Rohan will take some time off now and is looking at furthering his studies in the US as a next step. There are no qualification points for Rio de Janeiro for a year and a half and, while he is set to take a break, there is no sign of him stopping for good.

"I see a lot of Gaelic footballers retiring when they are 30 or 35 -- throwing in the towel -- and I am thinking, 'Jesus, these guys are in serious shape, what are they doing?" he said. "So, for me, I am just absolutely delighted to be able to compete at a high level of sport."

Rohan knows things will be different now. His profile has been rising thanks to various sponsorships, but as a double Paralympic champion, he acknowledged that he has new responsibilities.

"I wish things weren't going to be different, I wish they would stay the same," he admitted. "But I have a responsibility to promote disability sport, it is a minority sport. Once every four years we get a shop window to promote it (in the Paralympics).

"I got an email from a young guy called Tiernan O'Sullivan, who I met in hospital where we were promoting hand-cycling in Cork a few months ago. To see those kids cycling a bike with their disability, its amazing.

"I took great inspiration from his email and, to know the joy they have, the next generation; looking at us. If they want to become a professional sports person, the window of opportunity is there.

"I'll embrace the high profile for the next couple of months, but I won't use if for my own ends -- I'll use it to promote the sport. I am a shy lad who loves to do his own thing, we'll see how it goes."