Eamon's Beijing Diary

Closing Ceremony and Home

2008-09-17T11:09:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-17T10:45:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-16T21:15:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-14T09:30:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-13T21:30:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-13T11:10:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-12T20:46:00.000-07:00

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.

Unforgettable Night in the Birds Nest

2008-09-10T22:42:00.000-07:00

It’s a rare occasion in sport to be present in the top stadium in the World when an Irishman, in front of 90,000 fanatical supporters, goes to the front with 150 meters remaining in a middle distance race and wins impressively. Last night just minutes before eight o’clock St.Malachy’s Belfast’s Michael Mc Killop, an 18 year old, C.P. athlete brought the house down here in the Birds Nest Stadium, Beijing, when he outkicked the field to win Irelands first ever track gold and break the Class 37 world record for the 800m. Ireland’s last track and field gold came in the discus when Bridie Lynch was victorious in the heat of Atlanta in 1996.

As Michael enjoyed his lap of honour to the background of Traditional Irish Music and acknowledged numerous Irish team members in the crowd, his dad and personnel coach Paddy, ran form his vantage point in the back straight to the mixed zone to greet his son’s achievement. It was over thirty minutes before Michael cleared TV interviews and arrived to speak with Radio and Print Media. As the youngster basked in the media spotlight, a very modest father indicated to me how Michael had trained over the last number of years, in the cradle of Ulster middle distance athletics, in St Malachys Grammar School and how positive and supportive this group had been in his sons development.

As I sat in the Doping Control Room with Paddy and Michael, it was now 10 o’clock, numerous congratulatory messages came flooding in. Two in particular impressed the father and son partnership. One from the President McAleese and another from a school/club mate. The later text complimented Michael on his great achievement but had a sting in the tail, ‘fantastic result but not a great time’. Only close friends could get away with such a comment.

It was a night of mixed emotions for the writer. Nineteen competitors entered the stadium at 6.50pm for the women’s combined 35/36/37 and 38 Javelin competition. The top eight athletes following three throws would receive another three attempts and decide the medal placings. Lisa Callaghan, one of the most committed and popular athletes in the Irish squad, and well known around South Donegal for her week and weekend trips to train with the Tír Chonaill club, narrowly fouled the throw line on her first throw, when the video was examined afterwards the distance would have been a PB. Her 2nd attempt put her into 6th place while her 3rd received a red flag for a ‘flat’. When the final calculations were completed Lisa was in 9th place and exited the competition. In normal circumstances 9th out of 19 would be deemed a success, but not by Lisa, who had ambitions of throwing a PB and a top six finish. While Michael enjoyed the spills of success, Lisa and yours truly attempted to come to terms with the javelin result.

As the days unwind here, it can be difficult for some athletes to stay focussed. Ireland still has four athletes still to compete including Limavady’s Jason Smith, who is tipped to do really well in the 100/200metres. He will be in action on Saturday, in the heats and final of the 100metres. The women’s 5,000m wheelchair race of two nights ago when a crash left six athletes scattered on the home straight, following numerous appeals, will be re run tomorrow evening. The organisers have the embarrassment of requesting medals presented following the race be returned.

Thanks for the huge number of text messages and emails that I have received over the past two days .Very much appreciated. Continue to support the team by sending your message to supporttheteam@pcireland.ie and follow the team’s progress on www.pcireland.ie

WORLD RECORD 2:02.13 MC KILLOP Michael IRL Assen (NED) 8 SEP 2006
PARALYMPIC RECORD 2:03.18 DRIHA Oleksandr UKR Athens (GRE) 24 SEP 2004

1 1639 MC KILLOP Michael T37 IRL 27 JAN 1990 6 1:59.39 WR
2 1071 SCOTT Brad T37 AUS 15 APR 1988 2 2:02.71 SB
3 1475 MASTOURI Djamel T37 FRA 17 JAN 1972 5 2:03.04 SB
4 2046 CHARMI Mohamed T37 TUN 28 MAY 1981 8 2:03.91 SB
5 1279 LU Jianming T37 CHN 3 MAY 1986 3 2:10.26
6 2057 OTHMANI Faycal T37 TUN 6 OCT 1984 4 2:12.42 SB
7 1874 TUBIELEWICZ Mariusz T37 POL 12 FEB 1978 7 2:15.45
8 1014 HANANI Khaled T37 ALG 5 SEP 1982 1 2:16.03
Intermediate Times: 400m 58.74 1071 SCOTT Brad (AUS]

Tuesday

2008-09-09T13:36:00.000-07:00

It's mid day, Tuesday morning and much is happening competitively at the numerous Paralympic venues. Yesterday the Irish Soccer Team opened their account in the Stadium used for Hockey during the Olympics and went down to a very good Iranian C.P. team, score 4-2. The Boccia squad have gotten off to a great start in the individual competition with Gabriel Shelly, as I write this note, winning the bronze medal against a very good Chinese opponent. The lift this will give to the overall team/squad will be good as the games built up with it's many ups and downs.

I went along to the Birds Nest last night for the first evening of competition. Yes a full house of 90 thousand people, getting particularly excited when a Chinese competitor was in action, and there was many in the three hours of competition. Irish success came from Discus thrower Garret Culliton who threw a PB on two occasions for a 5th place finish. Ireland’s target for these games is four medals and a number of top six performances.

Picture: Garet Culliton 5th in the Discus last night with Coach Rose McCoy

This evening Irish athletics will be represented by Patrice Dochery in the 400m. Patrice is well known for her commitment to Irish Paralympic athletics and has numerous medal winning performances at European and World levels plus of course Dublin City Marathons. The one honour that has eluded her is a Paralympic podium finish. She proudly carried the Irish flag at the opening ceremony and all here wish her well this evening.

Tomorrow evening will be a busy one for Irish athletes in the stadium. We just received the declared starting lists for the Michael McKillops 800m and Lisa Callaghan Javelin. Michael competes at 7.50pm, the BBC carry the race live while Lisa will be part of a nineteen, two pool field that commences competition at 7.20pm.

The South African double leg amputee Pretorius competed in the heats of the 100m last night. He is one of the high media Paralympians. Following the race which he won easily the world media were still asking questions in the mixed zone long after midnight.

Picture: Pretroius being interviewed after his 100m heat

It is raining outside, just like back home I hear and it's time for Paddy McKillop and yours truly to have a final chat with Lisa and Michael as they wind down for tomorrow nights Birds Nest appearance.

Keep the messages of support coming in to supporttheteam@pcireland.ie they are much appreciated. Also follow the progress of the Irish team on www.pcireland.ie

Opening Ceremony and let the Games Begin

2008-09-07T15:39:00.000-07:00

Picture: Paddy McKillop displays Sunday Morning Newspapers in Beijing showing last nights Opening Cermony.

Wheelchair sprinter, Patrice Dochary and Chef de Mission Jimmy Byrne, proudly led the Irish team into the 91k capacity crowded Birds Nest, Stadium last night for the Opening Ceremony of the 2008 Paralympics. Ireland, number 112 out of 148 countries on parade, received a great ovation as they entered the stadium. The three hours opening extravaganza included a litenany of unforgettable highlights. Worldwide, we are told here this morning, 4.7billion viewers tuned into the event that started at eight and finished on the dot of eleven. Precision, timing, sound and colour on a vast scale, four thousand performers, including children and many physically handicapped performed in unison.

Excellent equisetics and numerous examples of man overcoming adversity were in evidence throughout this unforgettable evening. The performances of a group of deaf dancers, a young female ballet dancer who lost a leg in the recent earthquake and a wheelchair athlete slowly pulling himself via two wire rope attachments from the floor of the stadium to light the Paralympics flame several fifty metres above was breathtaking and very moving.

Picture: Irish Team entering The Birds Nest Stadium

Picture: Irish Supporters in the Crowd

Yesterday was a rest day for most athletes. So yours truly accompanied by Paddy McKillop, Alan Swanton, Tony Rositer and Bruce Wardrop took the opportunity to get away from the village for a few hours. Normal tourist attractions such as the Forbidden City, Tenamen Square and the Great Wall had been already been viewed during a previous visit to Beijing - 2007 Familiarisation Camp. This time it was nothing more than a visit to a city centre market. However markets in China are different. They are vast, licensed and are famous for ‘fake’ products. We spent two hours bargaining for clothes, electronic goods, foot and gift wear. It reminded me of a ‘fair day’ of old where after a lot of haggling the purchaser pays a fraction of the asking price. It was a light hearted few hours of bargaining and banter for all five of us.

Irish athletes in action this morning include representatives from Cycling/Boccia/Equestrian and swimming. Garret Culliton will be the first Irish track and field athlete in action on Tuesday evening. The Laois born Discus thrower, son of former Irish Rugby International Gerry, was confined to a wheelchair following an accident that curtailed a promising rugby career some years ago. Garret, well known in the North West through his S.I.D.O. work with Local Sports Partnerships is an inspirational athlete and one of the most positive individuals I have ever met.

Later this evening I will accompany Lisa Callaghan to her final Javelin throwing session. She will mimic the competition proper which takes place on Wed evening at 7.30pm. Twenty competitors are entered in Lisa’s discipline. Two pools of ten will get three throws each with the top eight on distance qualifying for three final throws. After four years preparation and sacrifice its down to three/six throws.

Throws coach, Pat Furlong will also be in the arena. A proud Wexford man, he will have his radio tuned in to the All Ireland Hurling Final, surprisingly he will be supporting Waterford.

Thanks to all for numerous texts and emails of good wishes.

Your support for the team is most welcome, email to supporttheteam@pcireland.ie

Also to follow the Irish Teams progress link to www.pcireland.ie and www.tirchonaillac.com

Into the Birds Nest

2008-09-05T16:46:00.000-07:00

Picture: Rehearsals in the Birds Nest Stadium for the Opening Ceremony, we got a sneak preview.

It’s now 8.00am on Friday morning the 5th September. The last few days have been a learning curve for many of the Irish team. The village with all its multitude of facilities, its own transportation system, internet cafes, shops, laundries, a dining hall open twenty four hours per day and larger than Croke Park, a transport mall that would put Bus Aras to shame all have been explored and used.

The Irish team located in Block D7 is sandwiched between the French and Chinese teams and are within two minutes walk of the dining hall and the transport mall. The transport mall is in constant use as individuals and teams move in and out of the village to visit training venues. The athletics team use two venues, the first one being the warm-up track beside the Birds Nest, it’s within 2kilometres of the village and a second venue 12 kilometres away.

Picture: Joe Conway (Team Doctor), Lisa Callaghan (Javelin Thrower) and Paddy McKillop (Coach) in the training ground behind the Birds Nest last night.

I have accompanied athletes to the first venue daily over the last three days. Lisa Callaghan, two evenings ago, threw close to a PB in the javelin while at the same time St. Malachy’s Paddy McKillop was timing son Michael over a 600m time-trial and came away very satisfied. Lisa and Michael will compete next Wednesday evening at 7.30pm. Yesterday morning Strabane’s Stephan Maguire (Coach) and Limavady’s Jason Smith (Sprinter) were up at dawn for a training session at the Birds Nest. Jason competes in the Heats of the 100m at 9.00am on the 13th September. Michael, aged 18 and Jason, aged 20 are two of Ireland’s most talented and best prepared athletes and are adapting to village life and competing on the biggest stage in the world.

As we look forward to the opening ceremony tomorrow evening and a three hours extravaganza in the Birds Nest some athletes and support staff have decided not to attend. The cycling team and boccia team compete on Sunday and will not attend the opening Ceremony. News filtering back to the village yesterday indicates that 1.2 of the 1.6 million tickets for the games have been sold. No tickets are left for either athletics or swimming, the Birds Nest Athletics Stadium has a capacity of 91,000 while the Cube Swimming Arena can accommodate 19,000.

The final leg of the Paralympic Torch run is around the city of Beijing today. Security has been stepped up with uniformed men [no women] on every street corner and searches the order of the day.

The Parlaympics have gone commercial with the major sponsors dictating what the athletes/coaches wear in warm up and competition arenas. Irelands very generous sponsor, O’Neill’s, displays three stripes on most of their garments. An alternative clothing company displaying three stripes are one of the official sponsors of the games.

Picture: Whellchair athletes complete an interval session at the training track.

I had a spin on a competition tandem bicycle two days ago. Catherine Walsh’s pilot Joanna Hickey invited all comers to have a go. Yours truly with a bit of encouragement took up the challenge. It was a frightening experience. The pilot has all the controls, i.e. braking etc. Imagine the thrill/fear of getting up to 40mph in the 250metres veladrum? You need to have a mad streak.

Words could not do justice to the work and support from our excellent medical support team of Dr.Joe Conway (Physiologists), Bruce Waldrop, Alan Swanton and Psychologist, Dr.Alan Ringland and Physiotherapists, Fintan O’Donnell and Brendan Kirrane.They have worked closely with athletes and coaches over the past four years during the preparation period for these games and continue to work around the clock in the final days of preparation.

The team notice board is receiving hourly posts of good wishes form all over Ireland. All are most welcome and a vital part of the build up to competition. On a personnel note thanks to all that have sent emails/texts during the past week, all are very much appreciated.

Messages of support should be sent to supporttheteam@pcireland.ie

Also to follow the team log into http://www.pcirealand.ie

Olympic Village

2008-09-01T21:36:00.000-07:00

Picture: Paddy McKillop (Coach), Nancy Chilingworth (Assistant High Performance Director, Paralympic Council of Ireland) and Eamon Harvey outside the Irish Centre in the Olympic Village.

Monday morning, September 1st and we are on the move again. In two hours time the entire team of eighty, athletes and support staff, will move from the Loong Palace Hotel, our base for the past seven days, into the Olympic Village forty minutes away. There is a sense of excitement and expectation amongst the group, some have experience of past Paralympics while others show symptoms of the ‘first day at school’ syndrome. Oh yes, it is the first of September and this also brings back many memories for me of a former life, a new timetable, new students and teachers, back into a school routine again, the pencilling in of upcoming Halloween and Christmas breaks and the meeting of new class groups. It’s a new beginning today for many in primary and secondary schools throughout the length and breath of Ireland.

It was good to hear during the week from David Doherty and Richard McCarthy that the contractors will move in within the next few days and commence work on the clubs new facility at the Abbey Vocational School, in Donegal Town. The work of the last four years will soon become a reality. It was also great to see on the club site details of a function on the 20th September to celebrate the clubs outstanding performance in winning the Womens National Track and Field League. I hope to be home for this important get together.

During the past week the forty five strong team of athletes, cyclists, swimmers, table tennis players, boccia, soccer and archery were based in the Loong Palace Hotel and trained at well appointed venues within minutes of the hotel. The equestrian and sailing groups had moved to train at their competition venues in Hong Kong and Qindao earlier in the week. It was a great help that the complete team had spent ten days, at exactly the same time last year, training here in Beijing at a familiarisation camp.

We had many positives during the week that would indicate that this Irish Team are going to have an outstanding games. The C.P Soccer Team had a great victory over China. The top seven teams in the world plus the host country are divided into two pools of four. Each pool of four competes in a league system, with the top two qualifying for the semi finals. Ireland’s pool includes Iran, Ukraine and Gt. Britain. The cycling team includes ex athletes Catherine Walsh and Michael Delaney. Both are partially sighted, and will be involved in tandem veladroome sprints and time trials plus road racing. Both are very committed and are well known to Tír Chonaill club members from their exploits in Irish Blind Sports training camps in Donegal Town prior to the Sydney and Athens Paralympics.

Picture: Jason Smith [Derry] and Michael McKillop [Belfast] in a Bolt pose.

The Track and Field athletics group continued their preparation at the local University track, two minutes from the hotel. Northerners on the panel, Jason Smyth [Sprints] and his coach Stephan Maguire and Michael McKillop [800metres] and coach Paddy McKillop are very well organised and relaxed.

Since arriving, Lisa Callaghan has trained daily, completed two mock competitions and was most satisfied with the outcome, throwing close to a P.B. The planning, preparation and timing of the build up to a competition at major games can be problematic and off putting. Lisa mimicked the forty eight hour build up to competition and followed a schedule that included diet/hydration, a relaxation session, sleep, massage, and travel to the venue, warm up, check in and competition. Lisa competes at 7.20pm on the 10th Sept. Competition will last for approxinately 90 minutes. The athletes will be brought through ‘check in’ and into the throwing arena 30 mins before the start of the competition. Prior to this they will have sat in the call up room for 20 minutes, having left the warm up area. The athlete is not allowed any assistance in the call up room i.e. walk-man, music or the assistance from a coach. It can be a very lonely and intimidating place, and many find it difficult to handle and subsequent performances often suffer. It’s vital that athletes rehearse this process, and develop psychological strategies to deal with the build up during the two days prior to competition. Lisa has competed in the Athens Paralympics and is well prepared for the performance of her life on the 10th of Sept.

The week in the training camp was not all serious. Downtime was spent relaxing with team bowling and quiz competitions, and on Friday which was a rest day for most of the team, we visited the Great Wall of China, which is thirty minutes north of our accommodation. It is one of the seven wonders of the world and is awesome. Could you imagine a ten metres wall, that you could walk on, being built from and over every mountain peak in Ireland? The mountains in China are three times higher than our mountains and the terrain is much more challenging.

It is now 3.30pm and the complete group have settled into the village. It is not correct to call it a village, it is a small city and will be home for athletes and support staff until the 19th September. The village is within walking distance of the Birds Nest Stadium and the Bubble swimming arena. Tickets have been completely sold out for the swimming competitions and we were told that it would be almost impossible to gain entry to the cycling veledroome. Tomorrow most of the track and field athletes will train in the warm up stadium beside the Birds Nest. We plan to visit the main stadium in the next few days and familiarise the athletes with the arena that will become the centre of world sport from the 6th to the 17th Sept .Support for the Irish Paralympic team will be most welcome and I would encourage as many as possible to forward messages tosupporttheteam@pcirealnd.ie. All messages will be posted on the team notice board in the village and will be part of a very important support system as the games unwind.

To Beijing

2008-08-30T20:54:00.000-07:00

On Sunday morning, I watched the Kenny Egan, Gold/Silver medal fight and like most supporters did not agree with the officials scoring. It certainly was a home town victory. Little did I know that twenty four hours later I would meet the Irish silver medal winner when he visited our Camp in Beijing to welcome our Paralympic Team.

As the local athletes departed for day two in Mosney, I joined the Paralympic Team at Dublin Airport for the first leg of the journey to Amsterdam. As we boarded the KLM flight for the final leg to Beijing, the texts came in from coaches and parents. The Donegal Town Under 12 Team finishes 2nd, the Under 16 team 4th, Clare Brady and Aoife O’Connor finish 5th in their semi finals, Miriam Braden was over the moon with a 5th place walk finish and Rose McCauley (marathon) and Katie Hoad (ball throw) also are very pleased with their performances. Well done to all and in particular a thank you to the parents who came down to support and to club coaches Paul O’Gara, Geraldine O’Connor and Jackie Harvey who have given endless hours in preparing the athletes.

To compete successfully at any level of sport, words such as support systems, preparation and planning come high on the agenda. Following an eight hour flight, the best prepared and supported Paralympic Team ever to leave Ireland touched down in Beijing, at 9.30am local time. [Beijing is seven hours ahead of Irish time].

To aid recovery and adjust to the jet lag, all athletes/support staff on arrival at our camp/hotel went immediately to bed for two hours. During the afternoon the medical team which includes a doctor, two physiologists and two physiotherapists monitored body weight, resting heart rates and hydration and all retired to bed at 10 o'clock local time. Training, possibly tomorrow evening, will commence when the athletes have recovered form the journey.

The complete team were given an extra boost this evening when the Irish Olympic Boxing Team visited the camp. They spoke positively about their experiences during the past five weeks i.e. final preparation and competition. Earlier in the evening Patsy McGonagle and Irish Team doctor Bill Cuddidy were also very welcome visitors.

This is my fourth Paralympics coaching experience. We have ten track and field athletes in the squad. My role this time is in a specific coaching capacity to Lisa Callaghan, a F37 Javelin Thrower and in general to the throws group on the panel. Lisa from Dulleek in Co Meath is well known to local Tír Chonaill athletes and coaches as she has spent numerous weeks and weekends training in Donegal Town over the past few years.

Lisa is very relaxed and focused and aims to throw a P.B. out here. Former successful Irish Paralympians, Bridie Lynch (Atlanta), Catherine Walsh (Sydney) and Conal McNamra (Athens), all whom I have had the honour of coaching will give Lisa extra strength to achieve her goal in what will be a very competitive arena.

It's past bedtime now. Tomorrow the final preparation stage really begins.