Malone claims bronze

Paralympics: Derek Malone finally added a spark to Ireland's tentative medal efforts at the Paralympic Games in Athens. One of the most professionallyprepared athletes in the Irish team, Malone delivered in the T38 800 metres final with a bronze medal in the final act of the evening's performances at the Olympic Stadium.

The 24-year-old, who embarked on full-time training this year after qualifying from the University of Limerick, delivered Ireland's first medal of the Games by shattering his personal best by more than four seconds in a race won in World record time by South African favourite Malcolm Pringle.

From Clare, the 2003 European silver medallist ran the two laps in 2:01.76 seconds, having come back into the medal position from being fourth at the bell.

Keeping to a pre-race strategy, Malone ran the first lap in under 60 seconds as the leader went through in 58.99 seconds and going up the back straight was confident of picking off at least one of the leading group of three. That he did before the final bend, the Russian Valeriy Stepanskoy never coming back into the running. The question then was whether Malone could also make ground on Abbes Saidi in the final 200 metres, but the African ran strongly to the end for his silver.

"Thanks be to God it worked out," said Malone. "The Tunisian just got away from me but you know I'd been in South Africa in January of this year for a month or so and I knew Malcolm (Pringle). I'd been second in the Europeans without too much preparation. But this year was brilliant for me in that I'd a really good run at training, changed my coach and it's worked out well.

"I knew when I was going up the back straight I felt strong and I felt I could pick him off. Yeah, I'm delighted about lowering my PB. It was on the cards because training had been going very well for me over the past three weeks. Hopefully, this will be the first of many medals for the Irish team. Hopefully this will spur people on to win more."

Ireland need a little spur and will look to Malone's run as a marker. His time was fourth best of the field going into the race and his team had believed that a time of 2:03.00 seconds or 2:04.00 seconds would been enough to have won a medal. That was not the case and Malone was forced into personal best territory.

"He showed a lot of resolve in the last 300 metres and he was incredibly well prepared, incredibly well focused mentally. Very, very strong this. A different athlete," said Irish team coach Eamon Harvey Malone, who has cerebral palsy and runs in the T38 400 metres next weekend.

In the Sonar Class sailing the Irish crew of John Twomey, Seanie McGrath and Brian O'Mahony couldn't find the form that they needed to climb up the placings.

IRISH RESULTS: Athletics: D Malone T38 800m Final: Bronze medal-2:01.76 Pb. Sailing: Sonar Open Race 5-8th; Race 6-11th. Overall placing. 9th.