Tag: Paralympics

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Hit-and-Run Driver Charged

BBC Wales has reported that a 60-year-old man has now been charged  with drink driving, dangerous driving and failing to stop after an accident in connection to the hit-and-run incident on August 17 that left Paralympian Simon Richardson MBE fighting for his life. According to South Wales Police at the time Richardson was thrown clear of his bike and landed at the roadside; he suffered potentially life-threatening injuries including a broken breast bone, pelvis and spine. Although the driver of the van did not stop at the time a local man was arrested later the same day; he is scheduled to appear before magistrates on December 7.

 

Richardson – winner of two Golds and a Silver at the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games – spent several weeks in intensive care following the accident and was finally discharged on September 9. He continues to make a slow recovery.

 

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Paralympics Brands Hatch a Plan

Here at Cyclo we’re busy filling up our jotter book as and when venues for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic are announced so we were delighted to be able to get out our sharpie and make a note that Brands Hatch has been unveiled as the site for the Paralympic cycling road races. More than 200 of the world’s elite will fight it out for 32 road race titles (17 male, 12 female, 3 mixed) on a course that will begin and end at the world famous venue which began life in 1928 as a grass track cycle circuit before establishing itself in motor sports including a long tenure as the British F1 venue.

 

With regards to the decision to stage the races at an out of Capital site, Lord Coe commented: “This will help us extend the Games outside London and will give spectators and athletes the chance to discover yet another stunning part of our country.”

 

The announcement was the final piece in the puzzle with all of the 2012 Game’s venues now confirmed. So I guess Cyclo can put away the jotter…

 

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Doubles All Round

Rachel Morris, Sarah Storey and David Stone have each scored double-Golds helping GB take a flying start at the first round of the 2011 UCI Para-cycling World Cup in Sydney, Australia (May 4-6). With a total tally of ten medals the British women dominated by bagging eight of them. The event, which this year saw more than 130 athletes from 18 countries battling it out, was only introduced last year by the UCI in order to bring the discipline in line with other cycling disciplines. But with the 2012 Games fast approaching far more than mere medals were at stake with everyone fighting for those valuable UCI Paralympic qualifying points. The World Cup’s next round will take place in Segovia, Spain (June 10-12) before moving on to Baie-Comeau, Canada from July 8-10.

 

GB’s First Round medal results were:

 

Gold
Rachel Morris – Women’s H3 Handbike Road Race
David Stone – Men’s T2 Trike Road Race
Sarah Storey – Women’s C5 Road Race
Rachel Morris – Women’s H3 Handbike Time Trial
Sarah Storey – Women’s C5 Time Trial
David Stone – Men’s T2 Trike Time Trial

Silver
Karen Darke – Women’s H2 Handbike Road Race
Lora Turnham (piloted by Fiona Duncan) – Women’s B/Vi Tandem Time Trial
Karen Darke – Women’s H2 Time Trial

Bronze
Lora Turnham (piloted by Fiona Duncan) – Women’s B/Vi Tandem Road Race

 

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Top Finish for Team GB Para-Cyclists

Para-CyclingThree days of staggeringly good competition drew to a close yesterday (Sunday March 13) at the Para-Cycling Track World Championships in Montichiari, Italy, with Great Britain ending top of the medal table with nine gold, eight silver and a bronze. Amongst the victors were service veterans Jon-Allen Butterworth and Terry Byrne both of whom were making their World Championship debuts having retrained through the “Battle Back” scheme for injured tri-service personnel. Butterworth set a new world record with a win in the 1km time-trial (C5 category) with a finish of 1’7.615”, whilst Byrne took silver in the C4 category 1km pursuit behind his team-mate Jody Cundy who set a new world-record with 1’05.144”

 

The final Team GB gold came in the Team Sprint (Darren Kenny, Tel Byrne, Jody Cundy) who, having set a new world record in the qualifiers, upped their game still further in the final to beat China. The stunning all-round results have not only boosted the confidence of the British team but also earned valuable qualify points towards the Paralympics for London 2012.

 

Full results list: www.uci.ch

 

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UK Para-Cycling Track Team Head for World Championships

Para-CyclingWe are now only days away from the Para-Cycling Track World Championships (March 11-13) and with this being only one of two track competitions with qualifying points for the 2012 London Paralympic Games, the UK team are heading out to Montichiari, Italy with the strongest possible side. “We expect to see some strong performances from our riders,” says Team Manager Gareth Sheppard, “Our goal is to bring back as many medals as possible to help us qualify a satisfactory number of athletes for track events at the London Games.”

 

The team of 16 includes seven Paralympic champions – Mark Bristow, Jody Cundy, Anthony Kappes, Darren Kenny, Aileen McGlynn, Barney Storey and Sarah Storey, along with double World Champion Neil Fachie. In to the mix also goes a further handful of 2012 hopefuls including ex-servicemen Tel Byrne and Jon-Allan Butterworth (both making World Championship debuts) who joined the GB Para-Cycling Team via the “Battle Back” programme – a tri-service initiative launched in 2008 to provide training and sporting opportunities for seriously injured personnel.

 

The three days of competition will see the world’s top riders battling it out in 3 and 4Km Pursuit, 500 and 1000m Time Trial, plus Sprint and Team Sprint – Cyclo wishes our UK team the very best of luck…