Prendergast In Dramatic Final

New Zealand team captain, Tim Prendergast has missed out on a medal in the 5000m at the 2008 Beijing Paralympics in a race which was drama for all of its 12 and a half laps.

Prendergast, a gold medalist in the 800m in Athens four years earlier was in fourth place coming into the home stretch when it became noticeable that his arms were starting to flay. He stumbled coming down the straight and then collapsed with less than 20m remaining. With the crowd urging him on he got up and then virtually crawled the last steps across the line before again collapsing. Eventually he was stretchered from the track by paramedics.

Throughout the race the 29-year-old Prendergast who has just five percent vision had kept well within the chasing pack but had then become boxed in by the guide of the of the then second placed Moroccan, Youssef Benibrahim as he tried in vain to make his way into a medal position.

Benibrahim finished third with Brazilian Odair Santos in second. Prendergast recorded a time of 15 minutes 13.60 seconds in fourth.

The race was won in world record time of 14 minutes 24.02 second by Henry Kiprono of Kenya who surged after after the second lap and didn’t look back. He won by over 150m and still appeared fresh.

Other Kiwis set to perform today include double medal winner Sophie Pascoe in the 200m IM as well as Michael Johnson in the 10m Air Rifle Standing qualifying and further Boccia pool play.

Meanwhile at the pool Sophie Pascoe has qualified fastest for tonight’s 200m IM race with a time of 2 minutes 39.40 seconds. Pascoe, 15 will be aiming for her third medal of the Paralympics having already won a gold and a silver. The final will be held at 7.32pm (China time) which is 11.32pm in New Zealand.