That’s a wrap PART 2: NSWIS athletes at the Rio Paralympics

In the second of our two-part look at the NSWIS highlights from Rio for Equestrian, Goalball, Rowing, Sailing, Swimming and Wheelchair Tennis

 

Equestrian

 

NSWIS rider Lisa Martin made her Paralympic debut in Rio and contested three events, narrowly missing a medal on two occasions.

 

While she was ninth as part of Australia’s women’s team championship squad, Martin was fourth in both the individual championship test grade IV and the individual freestyle test grade IV.

 

Goalball

 

NSWIS trio Jenni Blow, Michele Rzepecki and Tyan Taylor have helped Australia to their best Paralympic goalball result after they secured a 2-all draw against the Ukraine on day 3 in Rio.

 

The Australian’s weren’t able to win any of their other matches but the draw was Australia’s first in a Paralympic tournament. Australia has played in two Paralympic tournaments before Rio and lost every match.

The Australians qualified automatically as the host nation in Sydney 2000 and then made the cut for London 2012.

 

Rowing

 

Tough as teak NSWIS rower Erik Horrie secured a second straight Paralympics silver medal in the AS men’s single sculls.

 

The 36-year-old was one of the pre-race favourites, having won the past three world championships but was edged out in Rio by Ukraine’s Roman Polianskyi, who steadily increased his lead throughout the 1000m race to finish three seconds ahead of the Australian, in a new Paralympic best time.

 

Australia’s LTA mixed coxed four that included NSWIS athletes Kate Murdoch and Jeremy McGrath, along with cox Jo Burnand completed their first Games with victory in the B-final.

 

Sailing

 

Australia was brilliant in the Rio Paralympic sailing events winning two gold and a silver and three NSWIS athletes were right in the thick of the medal winning fun.

 

With a day to spare, NSWIS pair Dan Fitzgibbon and Liesl Tesch defended the title they won in the SKUD18 class (2-person kneelboat) four years prior in London, stringing together a stunning eight wins and three seconds from the 11 races contested in their class.

 

The gold medal was a bittersweet result for Fitzgibbon and Tesch – in her seventh Paralympic Games — with the decision to retire virtually forced upon them as sailing is not a part of the Tokyo Games in 2020.

 

The other NSWIS sailor to see his flag raised to the tune of Advance Australia Fair was Jon Harris who, along with teammates Colin Harrison and Russell Boaden, also wrapped up the gold medal with a race still to be sailed in the 3-person kneelboat Sonar class.

 

Harris and crew racked up three wins, four seconds and a third to set up a remarkable victory with just 26 points to comfortably account for the USA on 44 and Canada on 51.

 

For NSWIS’s Harris – a grandfather who turns 61 next month – it was a wonderful result from his second Paralympic Games.

 

Swimming

 

There wasn’t a night at the Paralympic swimming competition in Rio when athletes from the NSWIS didn’t put in amazing performances.

 

Leading the way, as she had in 2012, was triple Paralympian Ellie Cole who took home two gold – the 4x100m freestyle and S9 100m backstroke – three silver and a bronze.

 

For Cole, 24, the six medal haul brought her Paralympic career total to 15 – six gold, four silver and five bronze.

 

Joining Cole as one of the stars of the Australian team for the second Paralympics in a row was 17-year-old Maddison Elliott who left Rio with three gold and two silver medals.

 

Elliott was part of the jubilant 4x100m freestyle relay team beside Cole and took out a golden double in the S8 50m and 100m freestyle, creating history by becoming the first S8 woman to crash through the 30 second barrier in the 50m event.

 

Still shy of her 18^th birthday, Elliott now has nine Paralympic medals to her name – four of them gold.

 

Joining Cole and Elliott as Paralympic champions was debutant Tiffany Thomas Kane who took out the S6 100m breaststroke to compliment bronze medals in the 50m freestyle, 50m butterfly and 200m individual medley.

 

It was a courageous effort from Thomas Kane who bounced back from being disqualified in the final of the 100m backstroke on the opening night of swimming finals.

 

Four–time Paralympian Matt Levy won the seventh medal of his career, claiming bronze in the 200m individual medley. Levy finished in the top five of an incredible five other events.

 

Wheelchair Tennis

 

The NSWIS was represented by two players in the wheelchair tennis competition with Adam Kellerman winning through to the third round of the singles before being eliminated the best result.

 

Kellerman and Weekes were knocked out in their opening round doubles match while Weekes won his first singles rubber before being bundled out in round two.