After a two week rest the energy, excitement and Olympic
glow returns to London this Wednesday.
The 11 day Paralympics will see the best from around the World competing like
never before in a whole range of events. With over 4,200 athletes competing from a
record breaking 165 countries, this is
no longer a sideshow to the Olympics. It is the second biggest sporting event
in the World, and the competition is sure to be fierce in every event. All the regular events are there, plus some
fascinating additions such as Wheelchair Rugby and Sitting Volleyball which are
sure to make great viewing.
Whilst this Games is crammed full with talent and quality,
there are always those who shine that little bit brighter. After plenty of
discussion, Team Konkura have come up
with, in no particular order, the three
athletes who we believe will be the biggest stars of these Paralympics:-
1) Oscar Pistorius
Pistorius
had both legs amputated below the knee at
11 months old. He was a star of Beijing winning an amazing 3 gold medals.
Nicknamed the 'Blade Runner', Pistorius runs
with the help of blade-like prosthetic limbs. His battle with Team GB's Jonnie
Peacock, American Jerome Singleton and
fellow South African Arnu Fourie is sure
to be one of the highlights of this Games.
2)
Tatyana McFadden
Wheelchair
racer McFadden is a sprinter and distance racer all-in-one. Imagine Usain Bolt
being the 10,000m champion as well as the 100m King! A champion at both 100m
sprints and 26 mile marathons, American Tatyana combines strength and endurance
perfectly . Born with a hole in her spine, McFadden spent her first six years in a
Russian orphanage before being adopted and brought over to the US. Big things are expected of Tatyana, and more
often than not she delivers.
3) David
Weir
Much of Great Britain's hopes lay on the dependable shoulders of distance
wheelchair athlete David Weir. At 32 years of age this will be David's fourth Paralympics'
as he aims to overtake Tanni Grey-Thompson as Britain's leading athlete. Weir
will race in the 800m, 1500m, 5,000m and
the marathon - illustrating what a truly amazing athlete he really is. He is
looking to build on his successes in Beijing and this year's World Championships where he won a total of 5
gold medals! If his pedigree hasn't been
illustrated enough already, David has also won the London Marathon five times!
Glory at London 2012 would surely be the icing on the cake for this national
hero.