Kiwi Team Ready For World Champs

The New Zealand team for the IPC Athletics World Championships in Christchurch, is set to go into camp as the excitement for the event builds.

In what will be the last major gathering of international athletes before the London 2012 Paralympic Games, 1055 athletes from 79 countries are set to gather in Christchurch for the January 21-30 event.

The eight-member Paralympics New Zealand team will go into camp on Sunday.

Team leader Raylene Bates says her group of athletes are fit and ready for what will be something truly special.
“The New Zealand athletes are raring to go and looking forward to the competition,” say Bates. “We’re all coming together in Dunedin on Sunday to build the team culture and for final preparations.”

“We have great potential in our team and it’s great to have the world champs in New Zealand and the South Island. QEII Stadium has come through reasonably well (from the earthquakes) and the Local Organising Committee along with key stakeholders, Christchurch City Council, SPARC, Pub Charities and New Zealand Major Events have worked very hard to put together what is going to be a fabulous event.”

The New Zealand team combines experience and youth with Commonwealth Games silver medallist Jessica Hamill (Southland), Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games 200m silver medallist Kate Horan (Wellington) and 2004 Athens Paralympic Games gold medal winning middle distance runner Tim Prendergast (Wellington – living in London), in the team.

Fellow Commonwealth Games representative Matthew Lack was also named. Lack competed in Delhi coming within six-hundredths of a second of a bronze medal in the T54 1500m. The 19-year-old hails from Opotiki in the Bay of Plenty. However he is not the youngest in the team.

That honour goes to West Coast athlete Holly Robinson who is just 15. Robinson will compete in the javelin and shot put at the IPC Athletics World Championships. Two other teenagers are part of the team; Sunil Fernandez-Ritchie, 17 from the Waikato who is competing in the 1500m.

Competing in field events are Joe Flavell (Auckland) and Rory McSweeney (Otago). Flavell, 33 was a former New Zealand Maori Rugby League and was a member of the Warriors development squad. He also excelled in basketball, rugby and softball at age group levels.

McSweeney is a 25-year-old javelin thrower from Dunedin.

“With the IPC Athletics World Championships being held in Christchurch, it’s a great opportunity to showcase Paralympic sport and New Zealand on the world stage,” said Paralympics New Zealand CEO, Fiona Pickering.

A host of big name athletes are set to compete in Christchurch including South African `Blade Runner' Oscar Pistorius, and American Paralympic gold medalists Jessica Galli and April Holmes.

Fiona Pickering said: "There are obviously a lot of international names to look out for in Christchurch. Oscar Pistorius is clearly the stand-out name as he has gained a lot of media attention over the last two years.

Tickets to see the IPC Athletics World Championships, which runs from 21-30 January 2011, are now on-sale and can be purchased from www.ticketdirect.co.nz or at QE11 during competition.
For the latest news about the 2011 IPC Athletics World Championships, please visit www.ipcathleticsworldchamps.com
For more information about Paralympics New Zealand please visit www.paralympics.org.nz
Paralympics New Zealand Team:

Athletes
Joe Flavell (Auckland), 33, shot put
Sunil Fernandez-Ritchie (Waikato), 17, 1500m
Jessica Hamill (Southland), 20, javelin, shot put
Katie Horan (Wellington), 33, 100m, 200
Matthew Lack (Bay of Plenty), 19, 400m, 800m, 1500m
Rory McSweeney (Otago), 25, javelin
Tim Prendergast (Wellington), 31, 800m, 1500m
Holly Robinson (West Coast), 15, javelin, shot put

Staff
Team Leader – Raylene Bates
Manager – Alastair Youngman
Assistant Coach – Stephen Willis
Team Physiotherapist – Jacqui Kerins