Paralympics

GB still kicking arse:

http://www.velodrome.org.uk/paralympics08d1.html

3 golds already

and the world records. I get very confused with the classifications though. I really should learn about them, LC4 nd the like.

http://www.britishcycling.org.uk/web/site/BC/gbr/OlympicGames2008/20080907_paralympics_track_day_one.asp

Para games are the future I reckon. F*ck all the normal humans, we could all be real living cyborgs. They're fricking amazing.

At least our tinpot country is doing better here.. funding direction change required.

Anyone know what disabilities these blokes have ?

it will have to be something to do with sight i guess

Cyclists at Paralympic Games and other IPC sanctioned events such a the World Championships must fit one of the four disability categories (locomotor, cerebral palsy or blind and visually impaired, handcycling). Each disability category is divided into various classifications.

• Locomotor Disabilities (LC); division LC 1, LC 2, LC 3, LC 4, from minor (LC 1) to more severe (LC 4) disabilities.
  
• Cerebral Palsy (CP); division CP 4, CP 3, CP 2, CP 1, from the least severely disabled riders (CP 4) to the more severely disabled athletes who race on tricycles (CP 1).
  
• Blind & Visually Impaired (B & VI)
  
• Handcycling (HC), division A, B and C (from the more severely disabled (A) to the partially disabled athletes (C), based on the level of spinal cord lesion.
  

yes, so Darren kenny (up there^) is C3, we don't have any C4 riders so an Aussie won that.

it's a pretty good set up, I reckon.

So impressed with all these athletes. Just watched some girl with only one hand absolutely tank it around the track. Respect!

Simmonds stonked it in the swimming. I'm impressed with the BBC's explanations of the categories and the amount of coverage they are providing.

Day 3:
http://www.britishcycling.org.uk/web/site/BC/gbr/OlympicGames2008/20080909_paralympics_track_day_three.asp

Back in Britain it continues to rain cats and dogs, but it Beijing it's raining gold for GB cyclists. The news is pretty simple: Today GB riders won gold in every race they entered.

Mark Bristow, world record and Gold in the Kilo.

GB to 12 golds in cycling:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/disability_sport/7607585.stm

watch the team sprint video!

(or ignore these feats of awesome cycling prowess and carry on asking about deep vs and OTP "fixies")

Watched it on the box last night.

Team GB dominated more than in the Olympics both in the quantity and quality of their victories. Records were being slashed.

Top notch!

Team GB domination continues on the road.

15 Gold so far.

David Stone in the CP TT was mighty.

it's awesome.

kenny having to settle for silver in the TT after being beat by a bloke who was a previous TDF stage winner

While it's not cycling related, I do find this concerning:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/feedarticle/7789960

"Ireland has called into question the integrity of the classification process for Paralympians with cerebral palsy after one of their athletes was expelled from the Beijing Games for being insufficiently disabled. [...] Derek Malone said he was "bitterly disappointed" and the victim of his own success in training so hard to manage the symptoms of his condition, an impairment which results in altered neuromuscular function."

WTF?

that's intriguing and fairly concerning.

saying that though - we were talking about this last night - with some of the athletes it's not immediately obvious what they are in the paralympics for. I know there's different categories but the athletes' disabilties don't seem to be listed....?

the disabilities should be listed somewhere, the categories are mostly self explanatory.

if CP 1 to 4 is cerebral palsy then it's safe to assume the athletes competing suffer from cerebral palsy!

anyway: http://www.paralympics.org.uk

the real superhuman effort starts 29 August 2012..

Channel 4 Paralympics - Meet the Superhumans (Annotated Version) - YouTube

Sorry if has been discussed elsewhere but has anyone got tickets or plans to see any of the Paralympic events?

Hoping to see Jody Cundy win gold on the track on Friday..

lucky you!

Or rather, 'you are organised!'