In the limelight

The Paralympics will have a slew of intense competitors, and there are likely to be high-level performances that will inspire and excite the audience. There might be some hesitation though in providing names of specific athletes in specific sports. We have taken the liberty in compiling a few individuals and teams that are officially in the limelight for the Paralympics this year in Beijing.

Chinese Team
Gender: Male
Sport: Football
7-a-Side
Country: China

A newer addition to the Football 7-A-Side Sport line-up, China formed their team in July 2006. That same beginning year, they participated in the ninth Far East and South Pacific Games for the Disabled (FESPIC) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

China’s team finished third, which was considered an impressive showing after just starting out participating in major sporting competitions. In preparation for the Beijing Games, they attended the World Championships in Brazil and the 2008 Football 7-A-Side Tournament in Ukraine.

Brazilian Team
Gender: Female
Sport: Wheelchair
Basketball
Country: Brazil

Competing for the first time in the Paralympic Games, the Brazilian Women’s Wheelchair Basketball Team boosted its standing after finishing fourth in the Parapan American Games in 2007. They also impressed audiences at the World Cup in Manchester this year.

The head coach of the team, Wilson Caju, holds his players in deep regard, but at the same time aggressively pushes them towards peak performance. One of the top players, Jucilene Moaraes, says that Caju is someone she looks up to and continues to model her achievements after. Nicknamed Batatinha, she trains five hours a day, five days a week, fiercely preparing for the Games.

Most of the players are also active participants in the All Star Rodas, a Brazilian Wheelchair Basketball Championships, which most certainly has prepared them for Beijing.

Iranian Team
Gender: Male
Sport: Sitting
Volleyball
Country: Iran

Sitting Volleyball is one the most popular sports in Iran which enjoys a very extensive financial, educational and international support of the Iran National Paralympic Committee. The achievements of this sport in the last three decades have left very considerable effects on the development of other Paralympic sports in Iran.

The country’s first experience with the Games was in 1988 at the Paralympics in Seoul. In this first official participation, the Men’s Sitting Volleyball Team ended up impressing audiences and taking home the gold medal.

The Iranian Sitting Volleyball Team has become one of the strongest teams in the world and has achieved gold medals in four Paralympics, including in 1992 (Barcelona), 1994 (Atlanta), and 2000 (Sydney). The team has also medalled at the 1994 World Championships in Germany.

Jessica Long
Gender: Female
Age: 16
Sport: Swimming
Country: USA

Long entered the international Swimming stage at the ATHENS 2004 Paralympic Games, where she won three gold medals. Only 12 years old at the time, Long was the youngest athlete on the US Paralympic Team.

By the age of 14, Jessica Long has already accomplished what many swimmers would hope to have done in a career. During the 2006 IPC Swimming World Championships, Long won nine gold medals (class S8).

Two years later, she still has an impressive career to showcase: She owns 34 American records, 17 Pan-American records, two Paralympics records, and five world records.

On 10 May 2008, Long received the Juan Antonio Samaranch IOC President’s Disabled Athlete Award, in Manchester, Great Britain. This award is presented annually to an athlete with a disability, past or present, displaying courage, desire and athletic ability to competitively achieve goals in the face of adversity. Long will be sure to impress those at the Water Cube in Beijing this year.

Abebe Fekadu
Gender: Male
Age: 38
Sport: Powerlifting
Country: Australia

Abebe Fekadu only recently became an Australian citizen in 2007 after arriving in the country as a refugee from Ethiopia. When he was a child, his father was taken from the government and accused of being anti-revolutionary, and therefore was executed. Fekadu lost his own freedom as an adult, when his secret pro-democracy meetings were discovered. The quick-to-ensuing speed chase lead to him being thrown from the vehicle and breaking his back.

After arriving in Australia, Fekadu turned to Powerlifting training in the hopes to become as strong as possible. He consequently went on to become Australian champion from 2004-2007, and win the silver at the Asian Paralympic Committee (APC) Powerlifting Cup in Kuala Lumpur in 2007. This was his first competition representing the country.

“It is very important for me to do my best at the Paralympics. I want to show the world what it means to be Australian,” he said.

Leung Yuk Wing
Gender: Male
Age: 23
Sport: Boccia
Country: Hong Kong

Training for six years in Boccia, Leung Yuk Wing has quickly moved up to number one in world ranking place under BC4, one of the four different classifications. His string of gold medals has impressed audiences at each respective competition.

Wing won the gold medal last year at the Cerebral Palsy International Sport and Recreation Association (CPISRA) Boccia World Cup in Vancouver. Most notably, he also participated at the ATHENS 2004 Paralympic Games, taking the gold medal both in the individual and pairs categories.

Since Athens, Wing has been gaining experience and focusing on his competition in Beijing. He will most certainly be there to repeat his previous Paralympic showing, and create yet another memorable moment in his performance.

Ingela Lundbäck
Gender: Female
Age: 33
Sport: Table Tennis
Country: Sweden

Lundbäck came into the Table Tennis scene in 2005 when she took home the gold medal at the European Championships in Italy. She won in the Women’s open wheelchair and Women’s singles (class 5).

Since 2005, Lundbäck has continued competing every year in various competition throughout the world. In 2007 she kept her gold-medal status, winning at the US Open in Chicago again in the Women’s open wheelchair and Women’s singles (class 5). She also maintained her previous results in her return to the European Championships in 2007, winning the Women’s open wheelchair competition.

Lundbäck, a right-hander, is planning on continuing her success this year in Beijing.

Hollie Arnold
Gender: Female
Age: 13
Sport: Javelin
Country: Great Britain

Only recently did Arnold qualify to compete in Javelin for the Games this year in Beijing with a lifetime best throw of 32.25m at the Dutch Open Championships in Emmerloord in June.

In 2007, Arnold (class F46) broke a total of five national records in Great Britain at the Disability Sport Events (DSE) Championships in Javelin, Discus, Shotput, Long Jump and the 100m. With this in mind, it is clear that she is an all-around athlete, however, her Javelin skills bring her to the Paralympics.

Arnold is looking forward to competing in Beijing and is overjoyed with the entire experience.

“I do not know if I will win any medals, but just being there and representing Great Britain will be an absolute honour,” she said.

Cyril Jonard
Gender: Male
Age: 32
Sport: Judo
Country: France

French competitor Cyril Jonard seems to be covering as many bases as possible. He is a sportsman of all qualities and more specifically, has com-peted with two different disabilities.

As an athlete with a visual impairment and deaf, his ability to woo over the audience is something to be reckoned.

Jonard has successfully participated in numerous competitions. He took home the Gold in Judo at the 2006 Brommat World Championships, the 2007 Baku European Championships, and several IBSA European Championships.

With receiving the gold medal in Athens in the class “Up to 81Kg”, he is certainly ready for competition this year in Beijing.

Eli Nawi
Gender: Male
Age: 40
Sport: Rowing
Country: Israel

Nawi started rowing in 2006 when a Rowing coach spotted his sporting ability as a swimmer. He took up the challenge and started Rowing in the arm’s men’s single (AM1x).

Just one year later Nawi was on the medals podium at the World Rowing Championships picking up a bronze medal. This third place finish in Nawi’s first ever international race not only secured him a spot at the Paralympic Games, but it also made him the highest placing Israeli rower with a disability.

Despite this fantastic effort, Nawi admitted that he was disappointed by his World Rowing Championships result. He wanted to win. With his attitude and such a huge improvement over a short period of time, Nawi is definitely a rower to watch at the Paralympic Games.