Irish team depart seeking glory in London

PARALYMPIC GAMES:AS ONE Irish Olympic team arrived back for a triumphant homecoming and State reception, the Irish Paralympics team will depart today to seek its glory in London.

The 49 members of the team across 10 sports, with back-up support of 47 staff, will travel to London next week, but their first stop will be a week-long training camp in Coimbra, Portugal. They leave Dublin Airport at 9am.

Last night the team said goodbye to friends and family at an event in Bewley’s Hotel at Dublin Airport.

It will be the best supported Irish team ever to attend a Paralympic Games. In contrast to the 80 family members who turned up in Beijing, some 2,500 family members will take advantage of the proximity of London to attend.

There are high hopes that the team can surpass the five medals won in Beijing.

The star of the Irish team is double Paralympic champion Jason Smyth, who won gold in both the 100m and 200m in Beijing. He was disappointed to miss out on the London Olympics and join fellow Paralympian Oscar Pistorius in competing in both games. His best time of 10.22 was just 0.04 seconds outside the A standard time to qualify for the Olympics

“It took me a few days to get over it. I wanted to be in the Olympics, but then I realised that it didn’t matter. I can’t jeopardise my priority, which is the Paralympic Games.”

Smyth, who is partially sighted, will hope to retain his double.

Michael McKillop, who has cerebral palsy, will hope to retain his 800m which he won in fine style in Beijing by breaking the world record. He is also competing in the 1,500m.

McKillop was the first athlete to break a world record in the Olympic Stadium in London which he achieved at the Visa London Disability Athletics Challenge when he ran the 1,500m in 3.59.54, becoming the first Paralympian to run under four minutes for his class.

Shortly after winning in Beijing, he cited his old college friend, Irish boxer Paddy Barnes, as an inspiration, and is hoping that Barnes’s success in winning another Olympic medal will inspire him to do likewise.

“It is wonderful to be back again and ready to compete. I want to showcase to the Irish public and to the world how good Irish Paralympics support is.”

The Irish flag will be carried into the Olympic Stadium by cyclist Cathal Miller, who joked that the success of Katie Taylor, who was the Irish flag-bearer at the Olympic Games, had put it up to him to win a medal at the Paralympics.

The Irish team will include Cork sailor John Twomey (56), who is competing in his 10th Paralympic Games, and 15-year-old swimmer Bethany Firth in her first games.

Last night’s send-off was attended by Minister of State for Sport Michael Ring, who told the athletes that the greatest honour anybody could receive was to represent their country.

Sports fans, many of whom are suffering withdrawal symptoms after the Olympics, have already bought 2.1 million tickets of the 2.5 million available for the Paralympic Games, which start on August 29th with the opening ceremony in the Olympic Stadium.