Paralympic News

Danielle Brown wins Sunday Times Disabled Sportswoman of the Year award

Paralympic and Commonwealth gold medallist Danielle Brown added another trophy to her cabinet last night when she collected the Disabled Sportswoman of the Year award at the prestigious Sunday Times Sportswomen of the Year Awards.

A delighted Danielle, who this year became the first disabled athlete to represent England at a Commonwealth Games in an able-bodied event, beat swimmer Ellie Simmonds  and para-dressage rider Sophie Christiansen to the prize.

Interviewed after collecting her award about how it felt to be under the media spotlight for her historic selection as part of an able-bodied team and her subsequent gold medal, Danielle replied simply “I didn’t see what all the fuss was about”.

She laughed as she described her experience of competing in India, saying: “I didn’t feel any pressure until I went to shoot my first arrow, turned around and saw about 50 cameras all pointing at me!”

The award caps a brilliant year for the young archer.

The ceremony were held at the offices of the British Olympic and Paralympic Associations in London, and were attended by top sportswomen from across many sports, including Olympians Amy Williams and Beth Tweddle as well as eventual winner of the Sportswoman of the Year, rugby player Maggie Alphonsi.

 

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2011 IBSA Judo European Championships to be held in UK

The British Judo Association is delighted to announce that, for the first time ever, the 2011 International Blind Sports Association (IBSA) Judo European Championships will be held in Great Britain.

The event, which is supported by UK Sport, will be the most prestigious visually impaired event hosted by the British Judo Association.

Esther Nicholls, Event Consultant for UK Sport, said: “UK Sport is committed to bringing world class sporting events to the UK ahead of 2012, in what we believe is the most comprehensive pre- Games events programme ever staged by an Olympic and Paralympic host nation.
 
"The IBSA European Judo Championships will provide an invaluable opportunity for British players to experience international competition on home soil just before the 2012 Paralympic Games. The event also provides us with the opportunity to hone the skills of key officials and to train volunteers, which is vital for building capacity within the sport to host events in the future.”

The event will take place from 15th -19th June 2011 at K2 Crawley, just 15 months out from the London 2012 Paralympic Games and is expected to attract judoka from all over Europe.

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Norfolk wins Wheelchair Masters

Peter Norfolk missed out on ending the season as world number one quad singles player despite winning the end-of-year Wheelchair Masters title in Amsterdam.

 

The Briton beat American David Wagner 6-3 7-6 (7-4) in the final for his third Masters title since 2006.

 

But he finished second behind Wagner in the rankings by just eight points.

 

Meanwhile, Dutch wheelchair tennis star Esther Vergeer took her remarkable run past 400 consecutive victories in winning the women's event.

 

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