26th May 2011

Aviva Gb & Ni Debutant Joins World Champions In Manchester

26 May 2011

T45 sprinter Kyle Powell (coach: Paul Macgregor) – joined by six reigning World Champions including World Record holder Dan Greaves (coach: Jim Edwards) – will make his debut for the Aviva Great Britain and Northern Ireland team in tomorrow’s BT Paralympic World Cup in Manchester (Friday 27 May).

Powell was identified and fast tracked through the Aviva Parallel Success programme and will compete internationally for the first time in the T45/46 100m and 200m alongside his team mate Ola Abidogun (coach: Steve Thomas), double gold medallist in the IWAS World Junior Championships and fifth place finisher in the Commonwealth Games 100m for England.

In fact, it will be Powell’s first ever disability event: “I’m really looking forward to it but I’m nervous,” said the 15-year-old, who was classified at an Aviva Parallel Success Talent Introduction Day at Brunel in February before attending an Aviva Parallel Success Talent Squad day in Leeds.

Paula Dunn, UKA’s Performance Transition Manager, said: “Obviously Talent Intro days are an athletes’ first step into disability sport and if they stand out then we can look to set them up with a coach and club.

“Kyle is already with a really good coach at a good club and all we’ve done is ensure there’s a pathway for him. The Paralympic World Cup is a great local event and it’s going to give him his first taste of international competition.”

The St Mary’s Richmond sprinter, has, until now, competed regularly for his club in County Championships and McCain Young Athletes’ League fixtures and has personal best times of 11.9 and 24.3 for 100m and 200m respectively, but it was an endurance specialist, rather than a sprinter, that he asked for advice ahead of tomorrow’s competition: “Andy Baddeley was training at St Mary’s and I introduced myself,” he said. “I asked him how to stay calm going in to a big event and he told me to treat it like any other event I’ve run, to treat it like a hard training session, and not to let me nerves get to me,” he said.

The BT Paralympic World Cup is now in its seventh year and the concept, which is unique to Paralympic sporting competitions, will showcase athletes competing in athletics, wheelchair basketball and swimming, representing Great Britain, Europe, the Americas and the Rest of the World.

Joining Powell on the Aviva GB & NI team and adding strength to the overall Great Britain team are IPC World Champions Dan Greaves (coach: Jim Edwards), the F44 discus World Record holder; Libby Clegg (coach: Tom Crick), who is targeting her third successive Paralympic World Cup victory in the T12 100m; World Championships T42 200m gold medallist Richard Whitehead (coach: Liz Yelling) who lines up against multiple Paralympic champion Oscar Pistorius (T43); F57 javelin World Champion Nathan Stephens (coach: Anthony Hughes) and Rob Ellchuk-coached duo Katrina Hart, T37 200m World Champion and bronze medallist over 100m, and Paul Blake, T36 World Champion over 400m and double silver medallist over 800m and 1500m.

Unfortunately, however, World Championships double bronze medallist Stef Reid (coach: Dan Pfaff) has picked up an injury to her foot and following a scan has been withdrawn as a precaution and to prevent further damage.

“I’m really gutted as this is one of my favourite meets of the season,” she said. “I’ve opened my summer here every year since 2006 so it was a hard decision, but I need to be wise and listen to my body. I want to wish the best of luck to the rest of the Aviva GB & NI team.”

You can watch the Paralympic World Cup live on the Channel 4 Paralympics website from 13.00-16.00 on Friday 27 May with further highlights on Channel 4 from 12 noon to 14.00 on Saturday 28 May.

An Aviva GB & NI team report will be published on the UKA website following Friday’s competition.

If you want more information on how to get involved in disability sport go to the Aviva Parallel Success website.

AVIVA GB & NI TEAM

Ola Abidogun (Steve Thomas): T46 100m/200m

James Ball (Jane Coia): T13 100m/200m

Graeme Ballard (Steve Thomas): T36/37 100m/200m

Paul Blake (Rob Ellchuk): T36/37 800m

Sally Brown (Philip Tweedy): T46 100m/200m

Libby Clegg (Tom Crick): T12 100m/200m

Aled Davies (Anthony Hughes): F44 Discus

Dan Greaves (Jim Edwards): F42/44 Discus

Sophie Hancock (Shelley Holroyd): F40 Shot Putt

Katrina Hart (Rob Ellchuk): T36/37 100m/200m

Ian Jones (John Dunne): T44 100m; T42/44 400m

Chris Martin (Phil Peat): F33/34/57 Discus

Jenny McLoughlin (Darrell Maynard): T36/37 100m/200m

Dean Miller (Bud Baldaro): T36/37 800m

Holly Neill (Andrew Roda): F40 Shot Putt

Kyle Powell (Paul Macgregor): T46 100m/200m

Hazel Robson (Janice Coffman): T36/37 100m/200m

Ben Rushgrove (Rob Ellchuk): T36/37 100m/200m

Vicky Silk (Anthony Hughes): F40 Shot Putt

Nathan Stephens (Anthony Hughes): F57 Discus

Kieran Tscherniawsky (Jim Edwards): F33/34/57 Discus

Richard Whitehead (Liz Yelling): T42/44 400m