Tag

parasports

Amy Truesdale – history-making taekwondo fighter seeks Paralympic redemption

written by Hugh

Amy Truesdale is a British para taekwondo pioneer with multiple World and European titles having made her the sport’s first major star in the pre-Paralympic era.

At Tokyo 2020 she aimed to build on her legacy by adding Paralympic gold to her impressive list of titles as the sport made a Games debut.

The fighter would come away with bronze, which was still an impressive and significant achievement and added to the silver medal won by team-mate Beth Munro in Tokyo.

However, even three months on the 32-year-old is still frustrated by the result.

She aims to begin her journey towards “redemption” at the World championships in Turkey this weekend. The Women’s Sports Alliance (WSA) caught up with her ahead of the event.

Q – Amy, you helped make British para-taekwondo history in Tokyo, how do you look back on the Games and your bronze medal now?

“Obviously I went to Tokyo and was a great experience but I’m very disappointed with the results and that’s something I’m still trying to deal with.

“I was the favourite going into it, World champion, European champion, it was the only medal I needed. I think I was quite scared other people would define me on that one medal and not my previous achievements, but people have been really supportive. This isn’t the end of my journey I’ve lots of other opportunities, the world championships soon, followed by the Europeans in May so I still have something to train for.”

Full interview available – https://www.wsportsalliance.com/news/amy-truesdale-seeks-paralympic-redemption-at-taekwondo-worlds?mc_cid=681f500a85&mc_eid=d79399c2cb

26th December 2021 0 comment

Para Sports Rowing

Paralympic Champion Grace Clough MBE announces her retirement

written by Hugh

On the four-year anniversary of her golden final in Rio, Paralympic Champion and four-time World Champion Grace Clough MBE has announced her retirement from international rowing

Since joining the GB para squad in 2013, Grace has been an integral member of the PR3 mixed coxed four. She became Paralympic Champion at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games and received an MBE in the New Year’s Honours that year.

“The highlight of my rowing career has to be that golden day in Rio where GB won a medal in every boat class,” Grace says. “It was an incredible feeling to be part of such a dominant team of athletes and support staff, with everyone working towards one goal and it all coming together on the day. We had so many friends and family there and just seeing everyone so happy and celebrating the achievement felt amazing.”

Grace was originally spotted at a ParalympicsGB Talent ID event and nurtured through her first strokes in the sport by Dez Atkins and Nottingham Rowing Club.

She joined the GB squad in 2013 and, after the traditional Para Rowing introduction to racing in Gavirate, won her first World Cup in Aiguebelette in 2014. This was swiftly followed by a maiden World Title win in Amsterdam later that summer.

The 2014 season marked the start of an unbeaten international rowing career in which Grace went on to claim a further World Cup win in Varese 2015 and three further World Championship victories in Aiguebelette 2015, Sarasota 2017 and Plovdiv 2018.

Amidst all of her successes Grace also racked up World bests on the ergo (Feb 2015) and over both on-water race distances (1000m in 2015, 2000m in 2017), not to mention a degree from Oxford.

“I’ve had an incredible journey – from coming into rowing as someone who had no idea which way to sit in a boat to becoming Paralympic champion in two and a half years.

“I have to give a special thanks to Tom Dyson for his patience in teaching me how to row. If it wasn’t for the support team around me, especially Tom, I would never have won anything let alone become Paralympic champion.

“I step away from the sport having achieved more than I ever thought possible, thanks to the funding, support staff and GB setup which enables people to achieve incredible things.”

Grace is returning to university to train as a secondary school PE teacher, where lucky classes of children in Sheffield will be able to be taught by a Paralympic champion.

“I’m hoping I can use my experiences to show the importance of staying involved in sport and staying active after leaving school. Physical activity has huge mental and physical benefits and allows you to challenge yourself personally every day.”

Paralympic Chief Coach Tom Dyson paid tribute to Grace, saying: “I want to thank Grace for everything she has brought to the squad over the years and to wish her every success as she embarks on a new career in teaching. Her future pupils are extremely lucky to have her.”

12th September 2020 0 comment

Para Sports Rowing

GB para-rowing squad mix it up during lockdown

written by Hugh

The GB Para-rowing squad have been finding innovative ways to mix up their training from home.

We spoke to Chief Paralympic coach Tom Dyson, PR3 mixed coxed four coach Nick Baker and cox Erin Kennedy to find out what the team have been up to.

Home gyms

As soon as lockdown was announced, the para squad coaches delivered equipment from the Caversham training base to the rowers’ homes in what Nick describes as “a sort of coaches Uber service”. Each member of the squad received an ergometer (rowing machine) and Tom and Nick tried to ensure that they had access to another piece of aerobic training equipment for variety, such as a bike or handbike.

With help from the English Institute of Sport, they also delivered weight training equipment to supplement each rower’s home gym setup; Nick adds: “There have also been a lot of community gyms who have been really kind in letting our athletes use their equipment.”.

Training programme

While training remotely can be tough, it also gives opportunities to tailor each person’s training programme to their individual requirements. Individual schedules, motivation and even the weather have all come into consideration.

Tom says: “There has been a shift away from a fixed daily training programme to providing rowers with a menu of training, including two weekly ‘challenges’ that are new and exciting, rather than replicating regular training sessions.

“Along the same lines, we have given each rower more control over their S&C programmes. They have a ‘skeleton programme’ which covers the non negotiables for their musculoskeletal wellbeing and then are able to pick their own exercises through to create a fully detailed programme as they would normally follow at training.”

“Obviously they’re all training in different setups, so in the first week or so we asked everyone to film “MTV Cribs” videos of their home gyms to help us understand the options or limitations in each of their spaces.”

Staying in touch

The para squad is an extremely close knit group and this is one of the things they have tried to protect and continue during lockdown. As Nick puts it: “One of our priorities has been keeping that close knit community we’ve worked hard to develop and looking after each other in this period.”

Tom describes how the group have been staying in touch: “Rowers have been meeting up online to complete certain training sessions but this hasn’t been a requirement – we wanted to give each of the rowers the chance to take some space and tailor their days as they wish.

“As well as checking in with rowers individually, we’ve held an optional virtual coffee call each morning – this is a consistent chance for everyone to see a friendly face, ask our coaches, physio or S&C coach any questions or simply have breakfast as part of a group as they would normally do at training.

Erin adds: “One of the benefits of being a smaller squad is that we can all meet up together – every Tuesday morning at 8:30 we have a compulsory full squad catch up to share any important admin information, so everyone knows what’s going on.”

Words & Videos – https://www.britishrowing.org/2020/05/gb-para-rowing-squad-mix-it-up-during-lockdown/

2nd May 2020 0 comment

TSF News

Joint statement from UK Sport, the British Olympic Association and the British Paralympic Association

written by Hugh

UK Sport, the British Olympic Association (BOA) and the British Paralympic Association (BPA) will host a conference call with the Chief Executives and Performance Directors of summer Olympic and Paralympic sports on Tuesday 24 March, 2020.

Athletes representative bodies including the British Athletes’ Commission, and the BOA and BPA Athletes’ Commissions will also be invited to join the call.

The call will primarily be used to discuss the impact COVID-19 has had on domestic sport and athletes, specifically in light of updated Government advice and the closure of elite training facilities across the UK. This discussion will also inform the positions of the BOA and BPA in respect of feedback requested by the International Olympic Committee and International Paralympic Committee respectively.

23rd March 2020 0 comment

Athletics Para Sports

SIX SET TO REPRESENT GB & NI AT WORLD PARA ATHLETICS MARATHON WORLD CUP

written by Hugh

ix athletes have been selected to represent Great Britain & Northern Ireland at the World Para Athletics Marathon World Cup, which is incorporated into the Virgin Money London Marathon, taking place on Sunday 26 April 2020.

In the elite men’s wheelchair T54 race, David Weir (coach: Jenny Archer; club: Weir Archer Academy), an eight-time winner of the London Marathon, will look to build on a great run of form over the last 12 months in which he has earned a place on the podium at three of the World Marathon Majors. Second place finishes at the Berlin and Chicago marathons were followed up with third place in New York last November.

His most recent victory in London came in 2018 when he entered the record books as the most decorated winner in the event’s history.

JohnBoy Smith (self-coached) was fourth in Chicago and sixth in New York in 2019 and he will be looking to improve on his best placing in London of 11^th. Callum Hall (self-coached; Leeds City) and Simon Lawson (Ian Thompson; Carlisle Tri) have also been selected to join the T52/53/54 field.

After making a return to racing in 2019 following the birth of her son, Leo, in 2017, Shelly Woods (Peter Wyman; Blackpool, Wyre & Fylde) is selected for her first British team since the 2014 European Championships in the elite women’s wheelchair T54 race.

The three-time Paralympic medallist will make her return to the London Marathon for the first time in six years, an event she won in 2007, and arrives in good form after winning the Vitality Big Half on Sunday.

Finally, after making her international debut last year, Charlotte Ellis (self-coached; New Marske) will once again contest the women’s T12 race for athletes with a visual impairment. She was seventh in 2019, setting a personal best of 3:23:47.

The British Athletics team for the World Para Athletics Marathon World Cup, incorporated into the Virgin Money London Marathon, on Sunday 26 April 2020:

Elite Men’s Wheelchair T54 Marathon:

Callum Hall (self-coached; Leeds City)

Simon Lawson (Ian Thompson; Carlisle Tri)

JohnBoy Smith (self-coached)

David Weir (Jenny Archer; Weir Archer Academy)

Elite Women’s Wheelchair T54 Marathon:

Shelly Woods (Peter Wyman; Blackpool, Wyre & Fylde)

4th March 2020 0 comment

Para Sports

Lokomotiv defeated at first game of The Parimatch Premier Cup

written by Hugh

The 2020 Parimatch Premier Cup, an off-season winter tournament, held in Doha started at the weekend. The opening ceremony was attended by students from the local Aspire Academy.

The coaches of all the teams taking part in the Cup, all discussed the tournament at a press conference which was held ahead of the games. Lokomotiv’s coach Yuri Semin praised Doha, for its perfect training conditions which he said made for an excellent environment for his team. Savo Milošević, the coach of Partizan Belgrade, who are new competitors of this tournament, expressed excitement for his team and the next 10 days they will spend in Doha.

Valery Karpin, head coach of Rostov, said he looks forward to the games against great opponents, while Domenico Tedesco, Spartak’s coach reminisced about bringing the youth team to Doha eight years ago.

The Parimatch Premier Cup kicked off on Saturday with a match between Lokomotiv Moscow and Partizan Belgrade. Lokomotiv lost to the Serbian champions in a penalty shootout. Both teams made a strong start with many opportunities in the first half.

The Portuguese forward Eder scored the first goal, but three minutes later Partizan scored an equalizer thanks to former CSKA midfielder Zoran Tošić’s.

The score remained 1:1 at the full 90 minutes, and therefore the game went to a penalty shootout.

The Partizan team scored all their penalties, while the Lokomotiv only scored two, by players Joao Mario and Eder, with misses from Roman Tugarev and Maya Rybus.

Partizan secured two points from this game with Lokomotiv earning one.

Lokomotiv – Partizan – 1:1 (Penalties 2:4)

Goals: 1:0 – Eder (30), 1:1 – Zoran Tošić (33)

The matches are broadcasted on Match TV and MATCH PREMIER, they are also covered on official social networks and sites matchtv.ru, matchpremier.ru, sportbox.ru.

3rd February 2020 0 comment

Para Sports Swimming

British stars turn attentions to Tokyo as 2020 dawns

written by Hugh

The New Year’s fireworks are done and dusted – and that means Tokyo 2020 just moved a step closer. The Paralympic Games are taking place between August 25th and September 6th in the Japanese capital, and they will provide the overwhelming focus for Britain’s elite para-swimmers as they look to build on a record-breaking performance at Rio 2016, when they clinched 47 medals, including 16 golds.

But there is plenty of build-up to come before the Paralympics swimming programme gets underway with the Men’s 400m Freestyle S9 heats. So what is in store as Tokyo 2020 closes in?

The first big date in the British event calendar comes at the World Para-Swimming World Series event in Sheffield between April 9th and 12th, a competition that also doubles as the British Para-Swimming International Meet.

It will see the British elite battle it out with the world’s best as they build towards the Paralympics.

That event at Ponds Forge is the fourth leg of this year’s Series, following stages in Melbourne, Australia (February 14th – 16th), Lignano Sabbiadoro, Italy (February 27th – March 1st) and Sao Paulo, Brazil (March 26th – 28th).

There are also subsequent rounds in the United States and Singapore before the finale in Berlin, Germany in June.

Full article – https://www.britishswimming.org/news/para-swimming-news/british-stars-turn-attentions-tokyo-2020-arrives/

4th January 2020 0 comment