12th May 2008

Beijing Standards At Paralympic World Cup

 

12 May 2008

 

 

On the final day of the Paralympic World Cup in Manchester, the Norwich Union GB & NI team enjoyed competing in warm sunny conditions, as temperatures hit 26 degrees at SportCity.

 

David Weir produced two impressive performances taking Gold in the T54 1500m and 400m. In the 1500m, he set a new Championship record clocking 3:14.87, holding off the challenge from Thailand’s Prawat Wahorum. In the final event of the day, the 400m, Weir pushed on in the closing stages to take victory from China’s Lixin Zhang in a time of 48.57. At Stoke Mandeville on Saturday, Weir came close to the 800m World record, the only record on the track that he hasn’t broken – from 200m up to 5,000m.

 

There was a world record for 21 year old Jason Smyth (Ireland) at Manchester, in the T13 100m, competing against British athlete Neil Fachie who took second place. Smyth clocked 10.85 seconds. Neil Fachie came close to the UKA standard set for Beijing in the 400m, just 4 hundredths outside the standard, with a time of 52.04, he took the Silver medal.

 

Danny West (F34) took Gold and set a big PB in the Seated shot, with a best of 11.13m. It was just 3cm outside the world record, extending his own Championship record. Chris Martin won the Seated discus with a season’s best of 27.93m to take Gold, improving on the UKA standard he set at the CP Grand Prix in Nottingham last month.

 

Richard Schabel was delighted to achieve the UKA standard for F51 discus on Saturday at Stoke Mandeville, with a mark of 9.98m. He continued his good form on Sunday, taking the bronze medal in the seated discus with best of 9.67m.

 

Stephen Miller, aiming for his fourth Paralympic Games in Beijing, took fourth place in the seated discus with a best of 15.08m. In his preferred event, the F32 club, Miller finished second behind Tunisia’s Mourad Idoudi, achieving a mark of 31.42m.

 

16 year old Rebecca Chin (Deeside AC), competing at her first international event as a guest, produced a great performance in the discus to hit the UKA standard, with a best of 33.72m. Claire Williams set a season’s best in the same competition (F12), with a mark of 36.10m.

 

Highlights from the rest of the sprints events came from Graeme Ballard, Ian Jones, Hazel Simpson and Michael Churm. Graeme Ballard took two Silver medals in the 100m and 200m against the best athletes in the world on current form. He finished behind world record holder Wa Wai So from Hong Kong in both events, clocking 25.74 in the 200m and 12.65 seconds in the 100m.

 

Hazel Simpson ran inside the UKA standard in the 200m clocking 33.13 seconds, to add to her 100m qualifying time. Michael Churm improved on his 200m best from last year, recording 25.40 seconds in a high quality race.

 

Ian Jones enjoyed competing in front of a home crowd, taking Gold in the T44 400m, clocking a time of 52.48 seconds. Stephen Payton was very close to the UKA standard 54.00 in the ambulant 400m. Payton came second in a time of 54.04 seconds.

 

Tracey Hinton improved her PB in T11 100m, with 13.44 seconds, well inside the UKA standard already achieved last year.

 

Shelly Woods was disappointed with her 1500m, finishing 5th in a close finish, but later took Bronze in 800m, recording 2:03.17 after a busy weekend of competition in Stoke Mandeville and Manchester. Woods already has three UKA standards secured in the longer distance events.

 

Birchfield Harrier Mickey Bushell was delighted to break the T53 200m British record at the British Open Wheelchair Trials at Stoke Mandeville on Saturday. Bushell clocked 28.24 seconds to break the record that has stood for 15 years. He also set a PB in the 100m, with a time of 15.82 seconds, just two hundredths outside another British record. On Sunday, Bushell continued his good form, recording a time of 15.91 seconds in the T53/54 100m.

 

 

For full results from this weekend visit the Paralympic World Cup website