19 September 2008

ParalympicsGB really did follow on from their Olympic counterparts in showcasing some great athletics in ‘The Birds Nest’.

It’s hard to pin point one outstanding individual performance from the Games because there were great performances in multiple events from several athletes.

‘Blade runner’ Oscar Pistorius lived up to the expectations of the watching world as he dominated the T44 sprints on his way to three Golds, but Paralympics GB showed we have our own multiple Champion to be proud of, as Surrey’s Dave Weir picked up four medals including two Golds.

The announcement of the Australian Team’s protest being withdrawn after the Men’s T54 800m really was the catalyst for a late surge of medals over the last few days of the competition.

Silver for Shelly Woods, behind Canada’s Paralympic Legend, Chantal Petitclerc in the 1500m added to her Bronze from the 5,000m and I hope would have taken the edge off finishing fourth in the Marathon on the final day.

Medal winning performances from youngsters like Mickey Bushell and Ian Jones both making their Paralympic debut, among others, bode well for London 2012, when a much larger and more experienced GB team can make the home crowd proud.

There is no doubt that the Beijing Games have been one to remember. We’ve seen some brilliant performances from the athletes and some controversial performances from the officials. The shambles of the women’s T54 5,000m (and the men’s T54 800 metres) will no doubt be discussed in length by those high up in the IPC.

They sure are lucky that Shelly Woods pushed her way to a Bronze in the re-run or there would have been some very unhappy Brits out there and one very unhappy athlete. I’m still surprised she didn’t go on the run with the original Silver medal, which would have been my plan.

It’s been a great Games and now Boris Johnson has got the Paralympic flag adorned to the back of his bike, next to its Olympic sibling, it’s time we got our act together and prepared for the biggest show on earth. Four years isn’t as long as you think and Beijing is definitely going to be a very hard act to follow….