Recapping the month in para-sport: September 2015
01.10.2015Five World Championships wrapped up this month. Here is a quick rundown of what happened.
World Rowing Championships
Israel’s Moran Samuel won her first world title in the AS women’s single sculls, dethroning Norway’s defending champion Birgit Skarstein in Aiguebelette, France. In the men’s equivalent, Australia’s Erik Horrie continued his dominance in the category with his third straight world title, as the World Championships wrapped up on 3 September.
International Triathlon Union (ITU) Grand Final; Edmonton ITU World Para-Triathlon Event
Canada’s 18-year-old Stefan Daniel stunned Germany’s Martin Schulz with a victory in the men’s PT4 category – one of the most competitive divisions – at the Para-Triathlon World Championships on 18 September in Chicago, USA. Daniel’s win came about two weeks after he won the World Para-Triathlon Event in his home country.
US Open
Jordanne Whiley made history after becoming the first British woman to win a wheelchair tennis singles Grand Slam title after her victory on 13 September in New York, USA. Japan’s Shingo Kunieda has proven hard to take down in the men’s singles with his 20th Grand Slam title, and Australia’s Dylan Alcott continued his strong season with the quads title.
Badminton World Federation (BWF) Para-Badminton World Championships
Wang Ping made China’s debut at the Para-Badminton World Championships one to remember after capturing the women’s singles WH 1 title. Competition concluded on 13 September in Stoke Mandeville, Great Britain, where the home favourites collected four gold medals.
World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) World Para-Taekwondo Championships
Russia saw double-gold from both their men and women’s categories at the World Championships on 17 September in Samsun, Turkey http://www.paralympic.org/news/russia-win-double-titles-para-taekwondo-w.... Vladislav Krichfalushiy won the men’s K41 under 61kg division, and Spartak Gazzaev took the K41 over 75kg title. For the Russian women, Sakinat Magomedova was victorious in the K42 under 49 kg category, while teammate Zaira Irazieva took the K42 over 58kg category.
International Wheelchair and Amputee Sports Federation (IWAS) Wheelchair Fencing World Championships
Russia’s Alexander Lugotenko left Eger, Hungary, with two world titles in the men’s foil and epee category C. China’s Xu Feng Zou also came away with double gold in the women’s epee and sabre category A, as the competition wrapped up on 23 September.
International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF) Wheelchair Basketball European Championships
The German women’s team took back their title from the Netherlands, while the Great British men defeated Turkey for their third straight European title.
International Wheelchair Rugby Federation (IWRF) European Championships
Great Britain dethroned Sweden for the European title in a nail-biting 49-48 victory on 19 September in Pajulahti, Finland.
International Equestrian Federation (FEI) European Para-Equestrian Dressage Championships
The Netherlands stormed to four golds, one silver and four bronze medals in Deauville, France, overtaking powerhouse Great Britain in the medals tables at the European Championships, which ended on 20 September.
2015 All Africa Games
Nearly 400 para-athletes from across Africa were in Brazzaville, Congo, from 14-18 September for athletics and powerlifting competitions as part of the 2015 All African Games. Nigerian world champion Yakubu Adesokan opened the first day with a new world record (182.5kg) in the men’s up to 49kg. Over all, Nigerian lifters took eight golds and world records across four categories at the first Paralympic ranking competition to take place in the region.
IPC Shooting World Cup
In the second Paralympic qualifier of 2015, Great Britain, Sweden and New Zealand increased their medal hopes for the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games at the World Cup in Sydney, Australia. It featured an incredible R5 (mixed 10m air rifle prone SH2) final, where Great Britain’s 19-year-old Tim Jeffery claimed gold by the smallest of margins. The event especially saw South Korea dominate after setting their second team world record. Chul Park, Juhee Lee and Ahn Kyounghee (1590) surpassed the eight-year-old P4 (mixed 50m pistol SH1) world record by five points, previously held by Russia.
Wheelchair Dance Sport World Cup
Host nation Russia claimed seven golds, including three for star performer Galina Ryzhkova, as the World Cup wrapped up in St. Petersburg, on 6 September.