Part I: NSWIS 44 ready for Paralympic medal haul in Rio

The most brilliant para athletes in Australia will be putting in their best performances over the next 10 days at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, and among them will be 44 NSWIS athletes.

 

Contesting a total of 13 different sports in Rio, there is a mix of Paralympic champions, medallists and debutants who will all be hoping to grab their own slice of history with medal winning performances on the South American continent.

 

During the Games NSWIS will be sending out a daily newsletter with highlights from our athletes over the previous 24 hours and a look at those who will be coming up the next day.

 

Our website will also continue to be a wonderful source of NSWIS news, whether it be the latest updates from Rio or a mix of what our athletes and staff may be up to here and around the world.

 

Here’s a brief look at part I (Archery-Cycling) of our athletes who will be going for gold in Rio:

 

READ PART II HERE

 

READ PART III HERE

 

Archery: There is only one Aussie contesting the archery in Rio, and that is NSWIS debutant Jonathan Milne.

 

The Mulgoa local is the first Australian to qualify for the Paralympic sport since 2004 and earned his place on the team after finishing fourth in the compound bow classification at the 2015 World Archer Para Championships.

 

Archery has been included at every Paralympic Games since Rome 1960, and Australia has a strong history with 15 Paralympic medals including three gold, nine silver and three bronze.

 

Milne will compete in the compound competition, using a bow that features mechanical pulleys, telescopic sights and release aids to assist in accuracy.

 

Our Star: Jonathan Milne (Compound) (Click on the name to find out more about the athlete!)

 

Athletics: There are 11 NSWIS athletes ready to take on the best in the world in track and field, and leading the charge will be a pair of four-time Paralympians in Kurt Fearnley – also the Australian team co-captain – and Angela Ballard.

 

Joining the two stars of the sport is Madison de Rozario, who made her debut at Beijing in 2008 when she was 14. The youngest member of the Australian team, she won silver in the 4x100m relay. She will race alongside her idol Ballard in the T53 800m, 1500m and 4x400m, and will additionally contest the 5000m.

 

On the other side of the ledger is year 11 student and Paralympic debutant Erin Cleaver who will compete in the T38 long jump.

 

Our Stars: Angela Ballard (T53 100m, 400m, 800m, 1500, & 4x400m), Christie Dawes (T54 1500m, 5000m & Marathon), Erin Cleaver (T38 Long Jump), Guy Henly (F37 Discus Throw), James Turner (T36 800m), Jodi Elkington-Jones (T37 Long Jump), Kurt Fearnley (T54 1500m, 5000m & Marathon), Madison de Rozario (T53 800m, 1500m, 5000m & 4x400m), Rosemary Little (T34 100m, 400m & 800m), Sarah Walsh (T44 Long Jump), Taylor Doyle (T38 Long Jump) (Click on a name to find out more about the athlete!)

 

Boccia: Daniel Michel will be the only NSWIS athlete in Boccia, contesting both the BC3 Individual and Pairs events.

 

The sport made its Paralympic debut in 1984 and tests each competitor’s muscle control and accuracy. Competing in wheelchairs, athletes with severe impairments throw, kick or use a ramp device to propel leather balls as close as possible to a white ball, which is the jack (the target).

 

Michel will be Australia’s first Paralympic hope since 2000, and will be eager to win our first Paralympic medal in the sport since 1996. A man of many talents, he is bilingual, speaking both Dutch and English.

 

Our Star: Daniel Michel (Boccia) (Click on the name to find out more about the athlete!)

 

Canoeing: The NSWIS will look to a former V8 Supercar driver and teenager when the canoeing competition begins. Colin Sieders and Dylan Littlehales will race the KL1 and KL3 respectively on day seven of competition.

 

Sieders qualification came nine months after the 2015 World Championships, after it had been discovered that an administrative error had been made in awarding the Ukraine a quota spot instead of Australia. After making his name as Australia’s only ever disabled V8 Supercar driver, the 34-year-old is now solely focused on paddling.

 

Meanwhile rising star Littlehales will compete at his first Games at just 16-years of age.

 

Our Stars: Colin Sieders (KL1), Dylan Littlehales (KL3) (Click on a name to find out more about the athlete!)

 

Cycling: There will be four NSWIS cyclists amongst the Aussie ranks in Rio, among them Simone Kennedy who will be hoping to go one better than the silver she won in London for the women’s C3 3km Individual Pursuit.

 

In the C4 3km Individual Pursuit will be Alexandra Lisney who will be aiming for another medal after her bronze effort in London.

 

Meanwhile vision-impaired athlete Matt Formston will be hoping to recapture the form that saw him break the world record and win gold at the 2014 UCI World Championships in Mexico. Fellow NSWIS cyclist Nick Yallouris will pilot Formston.

 

Our Stars: Alexandra Lisney (C4 – Road Race, Time Trial, 3km Inidividual Pursuit, 500m Time Trial), Matt Formston (B1 – Tamden Road Race, Tamden Track, Tamden Time Trial), Nick Yallouris (Road Race, 1km Time Trial, 4km Individual Pursuit), Simone Kennedy (C3 – 500m Time Trial, 3km Individual Pursuit) (Click on a name to find out more about the athlete!)