Closing Ceremony and Home

Tonight’s Closing Ceremony according to previews will be as sensational as the opening, now a distant memory. The team leaves for home very early on Friday morning, arriving into Dublin at 6.20pm where we are told an unforgettable welcome is assured.

Like all of the team I am looking forward to getting home. It’s been an unforgettable four weeks since leaving a wet Community Games in Mosney four weeks ago. The farewell get together in the Clarion, the holding camp, the Paralympics village, the competition venues, the great team spirit and performances of the team and the odd disappointment will last with me forever. Its been an honour to be involved with athletes and a support team that have worked closely and supportively ensuring that an unprecedented level of success has been achieved here on the world stage in Beijing.

Finally a sincere thank you to the hundreds of supporters that took the time to send texts and emails to me personally and wishes of support for the team. The complete team ‘live in a bubble’ from the time of leaving Ireland until return and this type of communication/support is priceless.

Jason Smith's Outstanding Performance in 200 Metres

Jason Smyth (City of Derry AC) achieved an amazing feat here tonight in the Bird’s Nest Stadium, Beijing, in winning a Paralympics gold for the second time this week. In front of 91,000 spectators, in a new world record time, 21.43 sec, he destroyed the mark he set in qualifying yesterday morning by a massive 0.38 of a second. His time is a new PB is just a fraction outside qualification for next year’s European under 23 championships.

Prior to the race tonight the Irish Management Team had some anxious moments with the worry over a niggling back injury which flared up after the qualification heats. In addition a thunderstorm lasting for ninety minutes prior to the final did not help matters as the athletes could not use the warm up area and huddled in one of the two passages that lead from check in one to check in two under the stand.

After a faulty start, Jason, drawn in lane 5, blasted from the blocks and ran a magnificent bend to enter the straight with a three metres lead. The Cuban pair Gulano and Gutierrez was expected to make a challenge but at 120metres were fading, both attempted to play some mind games in the warm up area. The Russian Labzin, drawn inside Jason in Lane 4 did attempt to close the Derry man down in the home straight but the Irishman kept his composure and came home a most impressive winner.

It was most fitting that Jason’s sensational performance was the final Irish Team action of these games, a fifth medal for the best prepared Irish Paralympic Team ever. Earlier in the evening Cork’s/Leevale AC, Orla Barry threw 27.02metres for 5th in the 57/58  discus class. This was a truly great performance and only centimetres outside the medals.

MEN’S 200M - T13 FINAL
WORLD RECORD 21.81 SMYTH Jason IRL Beijing (CHN) 15 SEP 2008
PARALYMPIC RECORD 21.81 SMYTH Jason IRL Beijing (CHN) 15 SEP 2008
Wind: +0.2 m/s
1 1640 SMYTH Jason T13 IRL 4 JUL 1987 5 0.169 21.43 WR
2 1941 LABZIN Alexey T13 RUS 7 DEC 1978 4 0.163 21.87
3 1111 MEHDIYEV Vugar T13 AZE 4 JUN 1982 7 0.241 22.00 SB
4 1371 GALANO Luis Manuel T13 CUB 21 AUG 1982 6 0.174 22.00 SB
5 1373 GUTIERREZ Luis Felipe T13 CUB 9 JAN 1988 3 0.238 22.31
6 1368 DURRUTHY Freddy T13 CUB 12 FEB 1990 1 0.190 22.51
7 1597 PROTOS Ioannis T13 GRE 26 SEP 1982 2 0.194 22.74
8 1917 NTUTU Jonathan T13 RSA 4 FEB 1986 8 0.261 22.85
Weather conditions
Temperature: 18°C Humidity: 95% Conditions: Light Rain

Daire McDonald

Daire McDonald from Gorey in Co. Wexford was the hero in the Irish camp over the past twenty four hours. It’s a fairytale for the 14 year old swimmer who, on Sunday night, in the facility known as the Bubble, which seats 18 thousand, competed magnificently to win a silver medal in the 400 metres. Earlier in the morning he qualified with the 2nd fastest time and was roared on by a large Irish following as he went up and down the pool on eight occasions. The youngster was introduced to competitive swimming less than twelve months ago.

Picture: Daire McDonald receives his Silver Medal

Picture: Two 'unknown' Irish Supporters at the Swimming Finals on Sunday Night

Jason Smith, yesterday morning, won his heat of the 200 metres but is only a few hundredths of a second better than a Russian and two Cubans as we look forward to tonight’s, ticket sell out at the Birds Nest. 

Orla Barry a student in Waterford I.T. will also be inaction tonight in the seated Discus. This will be a learning experience for the Cork student who has massive potential and to reach the top eight will be a goal.

Earlier this morning Ireland were defeated 4-2 by Holland in the playoffs for 5th and 6th places in the soccer. It was one of Ireland’s best performances where a lot of grit, commitment and skill were the order of the day. 

Last night John McCarthy, a medallist from Athens, threw well below his best and did not qualify for a top eight final placing. He is bitterly disappointed. Roy Guerin, a wheelchair sprinter from Kerry finished 6th in his 100m heat.

I am looking forward to tonight’s final evening of competition in the stadium, and to tomorrow nights closing ceremony.

My thoughts go back to my introduction to Paralympic sports fourteen years ago and the massive strides that have been made in the meantime. Standards have risen world wide dramatically. Many nations now have there own centres of excellence for Paralympic athletes. The Chinese centre located here in Beijing has the most up to date event specific training facilities and equipment and support services that include the best medical and coaching expertise available, plus day to day living support budgets. The Irish Paralympic team here in Beijing, possibly the best prepared of any sport/discipline to leave Ireland have performed magnificently. This has been achieved via a very close working and support relationship between very committed athletes and coaches with the added vital support services financed by the Irish Sports Council.

It's only eight short years since I was part of a similar Paralympic Team in Sydney. We had to employ a local Australian Physiotherapist in our holding camp to look after our athletes. When we moved into the competition village we could not get accreditation for the same Physio and had to embarrassingly depend on the good will of other nations to provide this very basic service. Compare that to today’s professional approach and back up.

The team here in Beijing i.e. athletes and coaches have worked very closely with an excellent support team over the past four years that included an experienced sports medicine doctor, two physiologists, two physiotherapists, a sports psychologist, and dietician. The unsung hero of this outstanding team performance has been the Paralympics High Performance Director Liam Harbinson who has brought all the partners to support and work closely together for the benefit of the athlete.

Picture: One of the many contradictions of Beijing

Picture: Exercising in the Local Park

Sunday Morning, The Morning After

I meet Stephan Maguire in the Irish management area in the basement of D7. He has the draws for the heats of the 200metres. Jason is drawn in heat 1 and we discuss the bronze medal winner from the 100m and gold medal winner from the 400m Cuban Luis Felipe Gutierrez. He ran low 49secs in winning a most competitive 400m final four days ago and will be the big opposition come the 200m heats.

I then dandered into the internet café next door. Last nights gold medallist sat with his face close to a PC and was smiling as I approached. ‘How are you this morning’ was my initial enquiry. ‘Oh very happy and Liverpool won’ was the reply.

Else where this morning Ireland play China in a Soccer playoff and the swimming group are very excited about a young lad that is going in the 400metres at 10 o’clock.

Smith leads another Unforgettable Night in the Birds Nest

Jason Smith, from City of Derry Athletics Club, ran a new world record time of 10.62secs in front of 90,000 screaming supporters here in the Birds Nest Stadium tonight to become  Paralympic Class 13 100m Champion. The Limavady, partially sighted athlete, entered the 6pm final as firm favourite following his impressive victory in the mornings heats and remained remarkably focussed when former World Champion, Royal Mitchell, U.S.A., false started putting all eight finalists under added pressure. The starter on the second time of asking seemed to hold the athletes in the set position for an eternity. Jason got a blistering start, his reaction time of 0.169 only beaten by Russian, Alexey Labzin. At 30 metres as the race progressed towards us, I was seated in the coaches’ area close to the finish line, Smiths excellent drive from the blocks and pick up, gave him a slight lead. At the half way stage he had a clear lead and remained completely relaxed as he drove for the finish line. Almost immediately the stadium’s huge screens flashed WORLD RECORD and a time of 10.62secs. 

Three athletes had run sub 11 seconds, Labzin, Russia, 10.88sec and Gutierrez of Cuba 10.98. 

As Jason embarked on a lap of honour and a standing ovation from the crowd I glanced at Coach Stephan Maguire who was surrounded by a group of Irish supporters and team management personnel. The smile on his face, as broad as the Foyle Bridge, said it all. Stephan has meticulously guided the Limeade sprinter since the occasion, four years ago when the  Limeade Grammar Schoolboy won Ulster and Irish School sprint titles and subsequently joined Irish Blind Sports.

We will spend a little amount of time tonight quietly celebrating what has become an outstandingly successful Paralympics for the Irish team. The athletics team to date have secured 2 Gold medals, two 5th place finishes and we still have four days of competition left. Could these Paralympics become the Irish International performance of the year? 

Smith Smashes the World Record

It’s just past 11am on the 13th September and I have just returned from the Birds Nest having witnessed another superb Irish performance from Derry sprinter Jason Smith. The semi finals of the Class 13 100m were run shortly after 9am with Jason drawn in heat 2 getting a blistering start and winning comfortably in a new World Record time of 10.81secs. The partially sighted Limavady man now looks forward to tonight’s final where the main opposition will come from a Russian who posted a 10.98secs in winning the first semi final. Jason and coach Stephan Maguire left the stadium immediately after the race and will rest for most of the day before returning to a sell out evening session and possibly another world record. 

Ireland draws with Britain

Ireland did not have a competitor in action today in the Birds Nest Stadium. Jason Smith and coach Stephan Maguire will have a six o’clock start tomorrow morning when the Derry youngster lines up for the heats of the 100m. He was most relaxed and focused when I visited him in his room shortly before nine o’clock. The T13 100m final will take place tomorrow night in front of a sell out 90 thousand crowd. Here is hoping that we will be celebrating again.

Picture: Jason Smith supported by his Parents at the Birds Nest, in Beijing

Irish athletes Orla Barry, John McCarthy, Roy Guerin and Patrice Dochart, all who have still to compete, relaxed or trained today. It’s psychologically difficult for athletes competing late in the games to keep their focus when the remainder of the team have finished their disciplines. I had a long talk today with Lisa Callaghan. She is slowly coming to terms with her performance of two nights ago. She will support the rest of the team as the games move into its final week. One of the hall marks of this group is the mutual respect and support they give to each other. Room mate for the past few weeks Paddy McKillop departed for home this morning. He will be back in front of a class in St Malachy’s, Belfast on Monday morning. He is one of the unsung heroes of Irish sport who spends endless time introducing and coaching the youth of our nation.

 

I took the opportunity this evening, to support the Irish soccer team in a crunch game against G.B. Both countries had been well beaten in earlier games by Ukraine and Iran. The match would decide who would finish third and go onto play China on Sunday in the minor play offs. Joe Markey, early in the second half, put Ireland into the lead with a pill-driver that would do the premiership justice. However, as often happens following a score, the scoring team is very vulnerable. G.B. levelled within four minutes. This very competitive and enjoyable game ended in a draw. Ireland with a better goal difference finished 3rd and will now play China while G.B. will play Holland. The winners of each will playoff for 5th and 6th places while the losers play for 7th and 8th place.

Prior to the Ireland/GB soccer match I was privileged to spectate for the first time at an Archery contest. Sean Heary from Navan has become a real hero of this Irish team. The top twenty World ranked athletes are invited to the Archery competition in the Paralympics. Sean, world ranked at 21, got a late invitation when a top twenty ranked athlete failed to take his place. Sean won his way into the top 16 following the preliminaries and beat the world number 2 to get to the quarter finals. He was narrowly beaten today in a sport that is so precise, and demands incredible focus as well as psychological and inner strength. Just think about it, it’s a bow and arrow, shooting from 70 metres, at a target that has circles going out from the smallest of 20 centimetres radius. You shoot 12 arrows with the maximum score of 120 i.e. 12 arrows x 10 pts. Sean won his way to the quarter final with his final arrow.  

News of a member of the soccer team, Derek Malone, being ruled out of the team because of a classification decision has left the team minus an influential player and a little downbeat. The performance against G.B. this evening lifted some of the cloud. It’s a complex issue that has it's roots in C.P. Soccer. The classifiers agreed that Derek has C.P., he has medical proof/scans to prove it, but indicated that his excellent physical function ruled him out of soccer. Derek, a world class athlete, won a bronze medal in the Class 37 800m in Athens and turned to soccer, a lifetime love, when the event was deleted from the Beijing programme. He has spent the last fifteen years with the assistance/advice of strength/conditioning and physiotherapy experts and no small amount of hard physical training, challenging a disability that demanded he use a walking stick as a child. Today, when tired, he still walks with a limp. I have personally known Derek for ten years and feel that this decision, which will be medically challenged and supported, was made on opinion and not on set down scientific criteria/rules.