The London Paralympics competition is now finished and the closing ceremony is tomorrow morning New Zealand time. New Zealand sent 24 athletes to the games and received 17 medals. Four swimmers won medals: Sophie Pascoe from Christchurch won three gold medals and three silver. She lost half of one leg as a result of an accident as a child. Mary Fisher from Wellington won a gold, two silver and a bronze. She is partly blind. Daniel Sharp from Hamilton is also partly blind. He won a silver medal in the 100m Breaststroke. Cameron Leslie from Northland won a gold in the 150m Individual Medley. He is disabled in both his arms and legs.
Phillipa Gray from Invercargill is also partly blind. She rode a tandem cycle with her pilot, Laura Thompson. Together they won a gold, a silver and a bronze medal in their cycle races. Fiona Southorn from Northland also won a bronze medal in cycling. She has a shorter left arm with no hand so it’s quite hard for her to keep her balance. Michael Johnson, a wheelchair athlete, won a bronze medal in a shooting event.
The London Paralympics has been a great success with a full stadium at most events. Many spectators said that the athletes have been an inspiration.
Listen to January 22nd 2011 and Paralympics 2008 to hear more about Paralympic athletes.
Vocabulary
medley – butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, and freestyle.
tandem – a double cycle
pilot – someone to lead and guide
inspiration – spectators admire these athletes and feel encouraged to do the same