Month in para-sport review: March 2015
01.04.2015Catch-up on an extremely busy month for para-sport with events taking place in both winter and summer sports.
South Korea struck gold at the IPC Ice Sledge Hockey World Championships B-Pool by beating Sweden, 4-2
© • Karl Nilsson
The winter sport season came to a close in March with World Championships and World Cups, whilst cycling, table tennis, athletics, triathlon, swimming and football 7-a-side all staged major events.
Here’s what took place in March.
IPC Alpine Skiing World Championships
France’s Marie Bochet created history by becoming the first skier ever to win gold in all five disciplines at back-to-back IPC Alpine Skiing World Championships in Panorama, Canada.
In 2013 Bochet claimed all five world titles in women's standing events in La Molina, Spain, but this year the 21-year-old was not alone in completing a clean sweep; Russian 17-year-old Alexey Bugaev also remained undefeated in all five of his men's standing races.
Russia topped the medals table with 19 medals, which included 10 golds.
IPC Nordic Skiing World Cup Finals
Wins for Germany’s Anja Wicker and Ukraine’s Oleksandra Kononova in middle distance biathlon races in Surnadal, Norway, on the final day of the 2014/2015 IPC Nordic Skiing World Cup season, secured them both overall end-of-season titles.
Kononova’s World Cup title added to the six gold medals she won in biathlon and cross-country events at January’s IPC Nordic Skiing World Championships in Cable, USA.
Victory for Wicker (48.46.5) in the final women’s sitting race of the season saw her overtake Russia’s Marta Zaynullina for the overall end of season title.
Find the other ends of season winners here.
ITU World Para-triathlon
The first ITO World Para-triathlon event of the year in Buffalo City, South Africa, saw two French winners. Two-time world champion Yannik Bourseaux won the men’s PT4 whilst teammate Stephane Bahier won the men’s PT2.
Find out who else won in Buffalo City here.
IPC Ice Sledge Hockey World Championships B-Pool
South Korea and hosts Sweden both won promotion back to ice sledge hockey’s A-Pool for 2017 by winning the gold and silver medals at the IPC Ice Sledge Hockey World Championships B-Pool.
In the gold medal decider of the six team tournament in Ostersund, Sweden, South Korea beat the host nation 4-2. Slovakia won bronze – their first-ever medal on the IPC Ice Sledge Hockey stage.
Learn more about the final day of action here.
Ligano Masters
Ukraine’s para-table tennis players won six gold medals to top the medals table at the Lignano Masters Open 2015 in Lignano, Italy, from 17 to 22 March.
Full review of all the action here.
Can Ams Para-Swimming Championships
The USA’s Jessica Long became the first para-swimmer to set a world record in the pool that will stage August’s Toronto 2015 Parapan American Games with a stunning swim in the 400m freestyle S8 at the Speedo Can Am Para-Swimming Championships in Toronto, Canada.
A number of other regional records were also set during the event which took place between 20-22 March.
Details of Long’s record swim.
2015 Footie 7 International Tournament
European champions Ukraine warmed-up for June’s World Championships by going undefeated at the 2015 Footie 7 International Tournament in Portugal (22-27 March).
Five countries took part in the first major international competition of the season – hosts Portugal, USA, the Netherlands, Argentina and Ukraine - with each side playing each other once.
IPC Athletics Grand Prix
The second IPC Athletics Grand Prix of 2015 took place in Tunis, Tunisia, (23- 25 March) and witnessed two world records in the field.
Algeria’s 31-year-old world champion Safia Djelal set a new world record in the men’s javelin F57 with a throw of 25.71m, whilst Saudi Arabia’s Paralympic silver medallist Hani Alnakhli set a new mark in the men’s discus F33 throwing 29.50m.
British Para-swimming International Meet
Great Britain’s Bethany Firth set three world records, whilst teammate Hannah Russell also set a new world mark at the British Para-Swimming International Meet in Glasgow, Great Britain (26-29 March).
Around 300 swimmers from 21 countries took part in the event which was staged at the Tollcross International Swimming Centre, the same venue that will stage July’s IPC Swimming World Championships.
More details of world records in Glasgow.
UCI Para-Cycling Track World Championships
In front of a Dutch home crowd, Alyda Norbruis had an event to remember at the 2015 UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships in Apeldoorn winning three world titles and smashing one of her own world records.
The 26-year-old was the single biggest winner at the event which attracted 160 cyclists from 30 countries. She won gold in the time trial, pursuit and scratch races and also lowered her time trial world record by 0.043 seconds.
Despite her success for the home team, Great Britain topped the medals table with seven golds overall. Sarah Storey, Sophie Thornhill (pilot Helen Scott) and Neil Fachie (pilot Peter Mitchell) led the way, each winning two rainbow jerseys.
Other double gold medal winners included the USA’s Jospeh Berenyi and the Chinese duo of Jieli Li and Zhangyu Li.
