With 138 days to go to the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Paralympic Games, the squad of 46 athletes from 10 sports has gathered in Limerick for the latest Renault Ireland Team 2012 Training Camp.
Medal target
The official target for the 2012 Irish Paralympic Team is to win five medals in London, including three gold. The team are on track to achieve that with five current world champions across eight events likely to be included in the travelling Irish Team, announced on 28 June.
Current Irish world champions, all of whom are at camp, include:
- Catherine Walsh/Fran Meehan (cycling – Track 3km pursuit)
- Mark Rohan (handcycling – Road Race & Time Trial)
- Colin Lynch (cycling – Track 4km Pursuit & Road Time Trial)
- Michael McKillop (athletics – 800m & 1500m)
- Catherine O’Neill (athletics – Discus)
Focus
Liam Harbison, Chef de Mission for the Irish Team, detects a distinct change of emphasis:
“With 138 days to go, and team selection due in June, the pressure is on the athletes to secure their place for London 2012.”
“The focus of this four-day camp is very much on enhancing all aspects of performance and to give the athletes every support to reach their potential. As always, the welcome in Limerick has been top class and we look forward to our final visit in August before the Games.”
Westmeath’s World Handcycling Champion, Mark Rohan (pictured above) agreed:
“These camps are essential in our preparation as a team for London 2012. Moulding athletes from 10 sports into one team is a difficult task, but this should help to bring us success at the Games. The sports science and medical support is excellent and gives us all we need as athletes.”
Team announcement
The Irish Paralympic Team will be formally announced on Thursday 28 June in Dublin, just before the start of the first ever Paralympics Ireland Training Camp held in Northern Ireland (28 June – 1 July).
