Great Olympians: Past, Present or Para

[2020hindsight]

http://www.abc.net.au/pm/content/2008/s2299244.htm

Just weeks from the start of the Olympic Games in Beijing, a British lawyer has filed an appeal to stop another Australian pentathlete from competing in the Games.

The London legal firm of Bates, Wells and Braithwaite is arguing in favour of a Greek athlete to take the place of Australian modern pentathlete Angie Darby.

Only last week the firm had successfully argued to have Australia's Alex Parygin ruled out of the Games in favour of a British athlete. .. etc[/QUOTE

Australia selected only two Olympians for the swimming, running, shooting, fencing and riding sport of modern pentathlon.

Last week, that number was halved when Britain successfully appealed in the Court of Arbitration for Sport against Alex Parygin's qualification.

The lawyer for the British Modern Pentathlon Association, Mike Townley, has now gone out on his own and has Australia's female modern pentathlete Angie Darby in his sights

not sure I'm right here, but I think Alex Parygin lost out because he didn't have recent competition hours up - something to do with the Aus outbreak of equine influenza

Darby's case and that of Alex Parygin are now in the hands of lawyers.

But Fiona de Jong from the Australian Olympic Committee does have a back up plan.

FIONA DE JONG (AOC's Director of Sport) : With both of them, we have appealed to Jacques Rogge, the President of the IOC, to see if there is anything that the IOC is able to do to make available an additional place for Alex and maintain Angie's place in the case of the women’s.

So, we hope that if the legal process fails Angie, than the humanitarian process may help her and Alex.

KAREN BARLOW: It's hoped the cases will be resolved by the end of the week.

 

[2020hindsight]

no doubt we need a new thread for the olympics -
but thought I 'd post this one ..
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/07/31/2319671.htm

Injured Evans withdraws from Olympic time trial
Posted 28 minutes ago
Updated 23 minutes ago

Injured Australian cycling star Cadel Evans has pulled out of the time trial event at the Beijing Olympics.........

"I slipped on a wet floor on Sunday night........ swollen knee

"But I will not take a place in Beijing if everything doesn't go according to plan," said Evans, who would not elaborate on the details of the injury. "I don't want to go into the details, I just want to focus on overcoming it so I can race in China."

Evans will be replaced in the time trial by Michael Rogers, and Australian coach Shayne Bannan says Evans will decide this weekend whether to contest the road race at the Games.

"I met with him this afternoon and Cadel has pulled out of the time trial at the Olympics and we'll just reassess it day by day and keep monitoring it and make a decision on Sunday on whether he'll actually go to Beijing or not," he said.

"At this stage, if you talk percentage wise, being optimistic I'd say he's about a 70 to 80 percent chance of going."

The 31-year-old Evans crashed during the ninth stage of the Tour de France but rallied to complete the event and finish in second place overall.

 

[2020hindsight]

So with Cadel Evans out - -
that makes three golds which we would have won but won't

One queston then ...will Aus as a country come through in the first half dozen in the medal count (which surely suggests we punch above our weight)?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080710/sp_wl_afp/oly2008athleticsausrawlinson_080710051241

Champion hurdler Rawlinson's withdrawal: a big loss for Aussie team, says AA

Athletics Australia High Performance Manager Max Binnington said Rawlinson was one of two world champions in the Australian track and field Olympic team along with 50km walker Nathan Deakes.

http://www.foxsports.com.au/beijing_olympics/story/0,27313,24058461-5016771,00.html

Deakes withdrawal robs Australia of gold medal

 

[2020hindsight]

James Tomkins and australian mens eight on ABC 7:30 report

just announced that James Tomkins to carry the Aussie flag into the arena

 

[2020hindsight]

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/09/13/2363818.htm?section=justin&site=paralympics/2008

SWIMMING ... Australia's Matthew Cowdrey has won his sixth medal of the Beijing Paralympics, storming to victory in the 100 metres backstroke (S9).

The 19-year-old superstar shaved 0.13 of second off the old world mark to win Australia's 15th gold medal of the Games.

Cowdrey has now won three gold and three silver medals in Beijing.

way to go, bro

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/09/13/2363540.htm?site=paralympics/2008

ATHLETICS ... Australia's Evan O'Hanlon became the first cerebral palsy athlete to run 100 metres in under 11 seconds in his Paralympic debut, taking gold with a world record time of 10.96 seconds in the T38 100m final.

Team mate and Athens gold medallist Timothy Sullivan finished seventh, while China's Zhou Wenjun won silver and former world record holder Mykyta Senyk from the Ukraine finished with bronze.

Sydney Paralympic champion Lisa McIntosh reclaimed her title eight years on, winning the second gold of the day for Australia in the women's T38 100m final.

Heath Francis then completed the trifecta in the men's T46 400m final, adding a second gold medal and world record to his name with a 47.69 second run.

 

[2020hindsight]

PS Interesting comment on the news that quite a few lot of paralympians are ex-military "You can turn the worst of losses into great victories"