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The sports: Athletics

  • Athletics
  • Wheelchair basketball
  • Swimming
  • Volleyball
  • Boccia
  • Archery
  • (Road) Cycling
  • (Track) Cycling
  • Equestrian
  • Football 5-a-side
  • Football 7-a-side
  • Goalball
  • Judo
  • Powerlifting
  • Rowing
  • Sailing
  • Shooting
  • Table tennis
  • Wheelchair fencing
  • Wheelchair rugby
  • Tennis
Athletics

Athletics

Lightning-fast bladed sprinters, throwers with Spartan strength and edge-of-the-seat drama? Check, check, check. Welcome to the enthralling world of Paralympic track and field
  • Strength
  • Speed
  • Stamina

The Athletes

  • Sean Clare

    Meet GB throwing star Sean Clare, the athlete whose launching capabilities suggest he really does have the Eye Of The Tiger

  • Kyron Duke

    Meet Kyron Duke, the dwarf shot put and javelin ace with double gold in his sights for 2012

  • Ben Rushgrove

    Meet ParalympicsGB sprinting royalty Ben Rushgrove, the former 200m world-record holder who loves watching Americans get beaten

  • Tim Prendergast

    A gold medallist at the Athens 2004 Paralympic Games, Kiwi Tim Prendergast is hungry for success at London 2012. Hungry for success and some of New Zealand’s finest lollipops…

  • Richard Whitehead

    Meet Richard Whitehead, the steak-loving marathon man with an appreciation of dance music and a history of upsetting Italians

  • David Weir

    With two Paralympic Games and three World Championship gold medals to his name, Dave Weir’s a Goliath on the athletics track. And his chair wheels aren’t the only ones he’s good at spinning

  • Nathan Stephens

    Meet hotshot with the potshot Nathan Stephens - javelin and discus hurler extraordinaire

  • Stefanie Reid

    Stefanie Reid is inspired by marathon-running nuns and likes to watch Cool Runnings before a race. But how does she feel about the roar of the crowd?

  • Jonnie Peacock

    Jonnie Peacock is an up-and-coming 100m athlete, and he’s already made a big impact

  • Stephen Miller

    Triple Paralympic gold medallist, club thrower and music geek, this Geordie won't be beaten at 2012

  • Jade Jones

    We talk to the junior wheelchair racing champ who’s making waves ahead of London 2012 about ice cream, heckling, and a teeny girlcrush on Rihanna…

  • Ian Jones

    Who's got more ‘grrrr’ than Tony the Tiger and Joey Barton put together?  Meet Paralympic 200m and 400m bronze medal winner Ian Jones.

  • Shelly Woods

    Tougher than Ray Winstone, endurance queen Shelly Woods might be an elite athlete but she can't live without her ghds...

  • Daniel Greaves

    Introducing Dan Greaves, the double Paralympian, world champion discus-thrower who’s been wearing the same pair of socks since he was 14. They’re not smelly though…

  • Aled Davies

    If World Championship bronze-medallist Aled Davies throws shapes as well as he throws the discus, we may be lucky enough to witness some sharp moves on the podium at London 2012…

  • Hannah Cockroft

    Meet Yorkshire's Hannah Cockroft, the double world champion wheelchair sprinter who can do strange things with her hands…

  • Sally Brown

    Shhhhh! Don’t tell her coach but World Championship bronze-medalist Sally Brown is powered by chocolate and hazelnut spread...

  • Libby Clegg

    She might be a world champion sprinter, but that doesn’t stop Libby Clegg from getting rib-tickled by her mother…

  • Katrina Hart

    Sprinting world champion Katrina Hart has a strange superstition. And, for someone called Sparrow, she has a strange phobia to boot…

How it works: Athletics

Athletes compete in wheelchairs, using prostheses or with sighted guides in a selection of events that include track running, high-jump and javelin.

What you need to know

  • number_1

    South Africa's Oscar Pistorius is a major box office draw, having broken world records at 100, 200 and 400m. The 'Blade Runner' was barred from the 2008 Olympics after it was decided his prosthetic blades gave him an advantage over able-bodied athletes. This decision was later overturned.

  • number_2

    Runners with visual impairments employ super-fit guides joined to them by a rope attached to their wrists - while throwers and jumpers rely on a buzzer or human callers for advice on where they are positioned and when to throw or jump.

  • number_3

    Powerful field sports specialist Dick Thompson was the hero for Great Britain when athletics was first introduced at the 1960 Paralympics in Rome, landing an incredible four gold medals in club throwing and javelin.

  • number_4

    The most successful athlete in the history of the Paralympic Games, Franz Nietlispach, amassed an astonishing 14 gold and six silver medals in wheelchair racing between 1976 and 2008. Now a politician in his native Switzerland, he's also represented his country in table tennis and hand cycling.

  • number_5

    Northern Irish sprinter and double Paralympic gold medallist Jason Smyth is ranked as one of the continent's finest athletes, narrowly missing out on a place in the European Championships 100m final alongside able-bodied competitors.

What to say: Athletics

More and more runners are using magnificent carbon fibre legs these days, and if they crop up in conversation with your buddies don't be afraid to brag that you know they cost £15,000 a pair.

Who's good: Athletics

China are an unstoppable force when it comes to athletics, with their male and female stars winning three times as many track and field medals as nearest challengers Australia at the 2008 Games.

Features

Video

Upcoming events

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The shows

The Paralympic Games hall of fame

  • Who has claimed the men's 100m T11 Paralympic crown?
    • 2008:
      BRA
      BRA 12
    • 2004:
      ANG
      ANG 8
    • 2000:
      ITA
      ITA 14
    • 1996:
      ESP
      ESP 10
  • Who has claimed the women's 100m T12 Paralympic crown?
    • 2008:
      UKR
      UKR 7
    • 2004:
      FRA
      FRA 8
    • 2000:
      BRA
      BRA 18
    • 1996:
      ESP
      ESP 13

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