Australia at the 2018 Winter Paralympics
Australia sent people to compete at the 2018 Winter Paralympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. The team is competing in two sports: para-alpine skiing and para-snowboarding. Team members include co-captains Mitchell Gourley and Joany Badenhorst. Gourley first represented Australia at the Winter Paralympics in 2006, and has gone to every Winter Paralympics since. Badenhorst was the first woman from Australia to compete in para-snowboarding at the Paralympic Games. The 2018 Winter Paralympic Games will are on Seven Network. It is the first time the Paralympic Games will be on a commercial television station in Australia.
Team
Mitchell Gourley and Joany Badenhorst were announced team co-captains in October 2017.[1][2][3][4] Being named captain meant they had the responsibility to work with the Australian Paralympic Committee and Chef de Mission Nick Dean to unify a team that would compete in two sports: para-alpine skiing and para-snowboarding.[2] Sean Pollard was wanting to be the last person named to the team. He went to a snowboarding competition in February 2018 in Canada. The event was the last opportunity for people to qualify for the 2018 Games.[5] On 20 February 2018, the Australian Paralympic Committee shared their updated team list. It included 13 people.[6] Shaun Pianta and sighted guide Jeremy O’Sullivan earned the right to go to the Games. They were waiting for approval from the International Paralympic Committee before the Australian Paralympic Committee officially said they were on Team Australia.[6]
The table below contains the list of members of people (called "Team Australia") that will be participating in the 2018 Games.
| Name | Sport | Gender | Classification | Events | ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joany Badenhorst | para-snowboarding | female | SB-LL2 | [2][6][7][8] | |
| Lara Falk | para-alpine skiing | female | guide skier for Patrick Jensen | Slalom and Giant slalom | [6][8][9] |
| Christian Geiger | para-alpine skiing | male | guide skier for Melissa Perrine | [6][8] | |
| Mitchell Gourley | para-alpine skiing | male | LW6/8-2 | [2][6][7][8] | |
| Patrick Jensen | para-alpine skiing | male | B2 | Slalom and Giant slalom | [6][8][9] |
| Jonty O'Callaghan | para-alpine skiing | male | LW9-1 | [6][8] | |
| Simon Patmore | para-snowboarding | male | SB-UL | [6][8] | |
| Victoria Pendergast | para-alpine skiing | female | LW12-1 | [6][8] | |
| Melissa Perrine | para-alpine skiing | female | B2 | [7][8] | |
| Sean Pollard | para-snowboarding | male | [6][8] | ||
| Mark Soyer | para-alpine skiing | male | LW11 | [6][8] | |
| Sam Tait | para-alpine skiing | male | LW11 | [6][8] | |
| Ben Tudhope | para-snowboarding | male | SB-LL2 | [6][7][8] |
In March 2017, Nick Dean was appointed Chef de Mission. He previously was the Chef de Mission at the Lillehammer 1994, Nagano 1998 and Salt Lake City 2002 Games and was Deputy Chef de Mission for a further three Winter and two Summer Paralympic Games between 1992 and 2012.[7][10]
Preparation
It is expected that the final Australian team will be between 10 and 12 athletes across two sports – para-alpine skiing and para-snowboard. There is the aim to finish in the top 15 nations on the medal table. This target was set by the Australian Sports Commission’s Australia’s Winning Edge policy.[7] The team will be missing its previous Winter Paralympic Games medalists. The missing skiers Cameron Rahles-Rahbula, Toby Kane and Jessica Gallagher.[7]
The Australian Paralympic Committee thought Mitchell Gourley, Melissa Perrine, Joany Badenhorst and Ben Tudhope could be medal contenders in South Korea.[7]
Para-alpine skiing
Skiers
Mitchell Gourley first represented Australia at the Winter Paralympics in 2006, and has gone to every Winter Paralympics since.[2] Gourley was born not having a lower left arm.[2]
Lara Falk is Patrick Jensen's guide skier. She was 21 years old when she was selected for the team.[9] She skis in front of Jensen. While going down a mountain, she tells him about pitch, rhythm and snow conditions.[9] Her goal is to help Jensen ski the best that he can.[9] The two started skiing together in 2016.[9]
Schedule and results
The snowboard cross event starts on 12 March, running from 10:30 AM to 5:00 PM for all classes for both men and women.[11] The slalom race is scheduled to take place on 16 March, going from 10:30 AM - 4:55 PM for men and women in all classes.[12]
- Women
| Athlete | Event | Race 1 | Race 2 | Race 3 | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time | Rank | Time | Rank | Time | Rank | Time | Rank | ||
| Joany Badenhorst
SB-LL2 |
Women's snowboard cross | ||||||||
| Women's snowboard banked | |||||||||
- Men
| Athlete | Event | Race 1 | Race 2 | Race 3 | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time | Rank | Time | Rank | Time | Rank | Time | Rank | ||
| Simon Patmore
SB-UL |
Men's snowboard cross | ||||||||
| Men's snowboard banked | |||||||||
| Sean Pollard
SB-UL |
Men's snowboard cross | ||||||||
| Men's snowboard banked | |||||||||
| Ben Tudhope
SB-LL2 |
Men's snowboard cross | ||||||||
| Men's snowboard banked | |||||||||
Para-snowboarding
Snowboarders
Joany Badenhorst won a gold medal at a World Cup event a month before the start of the 2018 Games.[13] She won two bronze medals at World Cup events in 2017.[14]
Badenhorst was the first woman from Australia to compete in para-snowboarding at the Paralympic Games.[2] She started the sport after being observed by a snowboard coach when she was working out. The coach called her and asked if she wanted to try the sport. Badenhorst said, "why not?" and has been snowboarding ever since.[14] Because the Australian Paralympic Committee wanted to send snowboarders to the sports debut at the 2014 Games, her training was sped up to try to make sure she could compete at the Sochi Paralympics.[14] While practicing in Sochi minutes before the start of competition at the 2014 Winter Paralympics, she crashed and broke her patella. She also collapsed her hip and dislocated her knee.[2][13]
Badenhorst wanted to compete in para-athletics. She almost went to the 2012 Summer Paralympics in the sport, but problems with her amputation forced her to stop competing.[14] When she was a 10-year-old living in South Africa, she was involved in an accident with a tractor. Because of the accident, her leg was amputated.[13][14]
Sean Pollard was attacked by a shark. This resulted in him having a disability.[15]
History
Australia first competed at the Winter Paralympics in 1980 in Geilo.[2][16] They have competed at every Winter Paralympics since. Michael Milton is the Australian with the most Winter Paralympic medals. The standing para-alpine skier won eleven medals during his participation at the Winter Games. Six of his medals were gold. Australia had a sad games at the 2014 Winter Paralympics. They only won two medals at those Games. One medal was a bronze, won by Toby Kane in the men's standing super combined. Jessica Gallagher and her guide skier Christian Geiger won Australia's other medal in 2014. It was a bronze in the women's vision impaired giant slalom.[16]
Media
The 2018 Winter Paralympic Games will are on Seven Network. It is the first time the Paralympic Games will be on a commercial television station in Australia.[17][18] Seven will show highlight shows in the morning and the evening on each day of the Winter Games.[17][18]
Australia At The 2018 Winter Paralympics Media
Nick Dean, Australian Paralympic administrator
References
- ↑ "2018 Australian Paralympic Team Co-captains announced". Australian Paralympic Committee. Retrieved 2018-02-17.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 administrator (in en-US). PyeongChang 2018: Australia co-captains revealed. https://www.pyeongchang2018.com/en/paralympics/news/pyeongchang-2018:-australia-co-captains-revealed#!kor-eng-2018-%ED%8F%89%EC%B0%BD-%EB%8F%99%EA%B3%84%ED%8C%A8%EB%9F%B4%EB%A6%BC%ED%94%BD-%EB%A9%94%EB%8B%AC-%EA%B3%B5%EA%B0%9C-medals-for-the-pyeongchang-2018-paralympic-winter-games. Retrieved 2018-02-17.[dead link]
- ↑ Dynamic duo: Aussies name Para leaders. http://www.news.com.au/sport/olympics/rio-paralympics/joany-badenhorst-and-mitch-gourley-named-captains-of-the-australian-team-for-winter-paralympics/news-story/676bdf09d3aec0f19615843c5c10634c. Retrieved 2018-02-17.
- ↑ Woods, Melissa (2017-10-23) (in en-US). Mitch Gourley and Joany Badenhorst lead Australian Winter Paralympic team. http://www.smh.com.au/sport/mitch-gourley-and-joany-badenhorst-lead-australian-winter-paralympic-team-20171023-gz6b7v.html. Retrieved 2018-02-17.
- ↑ (in en-GB) Pollard on the cusp of Paralympic dream. 2018-02-17. https://www.perthnow.com.au/sport/winter-olympics/winter-paralympics-2018-snowboarder-sean-pollard-on-his-paralympic-dream-ng-b88748275z. Retrieved 2018-02-17.
- ↑ 6.00 6.01 6.02 6.03 6.04 6.05 6.06 6.07 6.08 6.09 6.10 6.11 6.12 6.13 "Australian Paralympic Winter Team for PyeongChang 2018 announced". Australian Paralympic Committee website. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 7.7 "Dean appointed as the 2018 Chef de Mission". Australian Paralympic Committee website. Retrieved 8 March 2017.
- ↑ 8.00 8.01 8.02 8.03 8.04 8.05 8.06 8.07 8.08 8.09 8.10 8.11 8.12 McDonald, Margie (2018-02-20). "World Cup winner Joany Badenhorst heads Winter Paralympics team". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2018-03-02.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 Ansell, Nick (20 February 2018). "Para-alpine skier relishes Korean venture" (in en). The Standard. http://www.standard.net.au/story/5239545/para-alpine-skier-relishes-korean-venture/. Retrieved 2 March 2018.
- ↑ "Subscribe to The Australian | Newspaper home delivery, website, iPad, iPhone & Android apps". www.theaustralian.com.au. Retrieved 2018-02-17.
- ↑ "Programm". Austrian Paralympic Committee (in Deutsch). 2 February 2018. Archived from the original on 9 February 2018. Retrieved 17 February 2018.
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs named:122. - ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 "Snowboarder Joany Badenhorst wins gold ahead of Winter Paralympics". The Daily Telegraph. 8 February 2016.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 14.4 LULHAM, AMANDA (12 March 2017). "I heard the pilot tell the medical staff they would be coming in with a dead body". The Daily Telegraph.
- ↑ "Dailytelegraph.com.au | Subscribe to The Daily Telegraph for exclusive stories". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2 March 2018.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 Paralympic Games (2018-02-14), Australia at the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Paralympic Games, retrieved 2018-02-17
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 "Australia's Seven Network to show PyeongChang 2018". International Paralympic Committee. 8 January 2018.
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 Seven Network to broadcast coverage in Australia of Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Paralympics. 2017-12-26. https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1059501/seven-network-to-broadcast-coverage-in-australia-of-pyeongchang-2018-winter-paralympics. Retrieved 2018-02-17.