Kieran Modra (vision impaired rider, back) and Tyson Lawrence (sighted pilot, front) during their gold medal ride in the men’s tandem pursuit at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games.

Date: September 2017

Australian comedian Adam Hills gives a performance to the Australian Paralympic Team in the athletes’ village during the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games. Hills was part of the ABC TV team broadcasting the Games. His popular British TV show, “The Last Leg“, started during the London Paralympics.

Date: September 2008

Daniela di Toro plays a backhand in her first round match at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games. Di Toro lost the match to Katharina Kruger of Germany.

Date: September 2008

The medallists in the men’s S9 100m butterfly at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games. Left to right: Silver medallist Matthew Cowdrey from Australia, gold medallist Tamas Sors from Hungary and bronze medallist Zhi Guo from China. Sors set a new world record in winning the event, lowering the record he set in the morning’s heats.

Date: September 2008

Australia’s most successful winter Paralympian, Michael Milton, had a reputation for rising to the big occasions. His performance to win a silver medal in the men’s standing downhill event from a field of 49 skiers in the alpine skiing at the Torino winter Paralympics was seen by many to be equal to his best. Changes to the competition structure for the Torino Games meant that all standing skiers competed for one gold medal, with a factoring system, based on historical performances, used to standardise times and determine the winners. The Australians believed that this was detrimental to its single legged skiers if the start was anything other than fast and steep (which it often wasn’t) or if the course was flat and technical, as it was more difficult for skiers on a single leg to develop or carry speed in those conditions.

Date: March 2006

Author: Photo by Jennie Milton, APC official photographer for the 2006 winter Paralympics

After the Athens Paralympics, it was obvious that the pool of talent required to maintain Australia’s Paralympic standing would not keep replenishing itself. As sports were ‘mainstreamed’ and became the responsibility of national federations, there were calls, especially from athletics head coach Scott Goodman, for the Australian Paralympic Committee to use its expertise and experience to coordinate a national talent identification program. The APC’s ‘Talent Search’ program commenced with a ‘come and try’ day in March 2005 in Newcastle, NSW, at the University of Newcastle conducted by Paralympian Amy Winters and program manager Kellie Puxty. Amazingly, one of the attendees at that day, Kath Proudfoot, went on to become the first athlete identified through the program to win a Paralympic medal when she won a silver medal in the discus at the Beijing summer Paralympics. By the Beijing Games, 72 Talent Search activities had been conducted, with 1,008 participants. Of these, 127 were identified at ‘tier one’ athletes (future elite potential within two years) and 395 as ‘tier two’ athletes (elite potential within four years). Fifty-three Talent Search athletes were part of the Paralympic Preparation Program in the year leading into the Beijing Games, with 27 Talent Search athletes being selected in the Australian Paralympic Team and 15 of these winning medals at their first Paralympic Games. The program had been a success and over the years continued to contribute an increasing number of athletes to Australian teams.

Date: March 2005

Author: From "Daily Liberal" (Dubbo NSW), Saturday 26/1/2008, page 7, general news.

Exhaustion is written in the face and body of Kurt Fearnley as he crosses the line to win the T54 wheelchair marathon at the Athens summer Paralympics. Fearnley left the pack on a climb with about 7km to go and then pushed the last 5km with one tyre punctured. Although the tyre retained some pressure, it made the chair unbalanced and the pushing effort so much greater. It was the race that established Fearnley as the pre-eminent wheelchair distance racer. Some time after Fearnley had recovered and left the scene, the ambulant athletes entered the stadium, including vision-impaired runner Roy Daniell, who improved on his bronze medal in Sydney in 2000 with a gutsy silver medal. The marathon started in the village of Marathon and ended in the historic, marble Panathenaic Stadium, originally built in 331BC and the main venue for the first modern Olympic Games, in 1896.

Date: September 2004

Author: Photo by Tony Naar

The team sprint is a three lap race, with two teams of three cyclists competing against each other and starting on opposite sides of the track. One of the riders from each team peels off after each lap so that the final lap is ridden by a lone rider who has drafted behind his teammates for the first two laps. At the Athens summer Paralympics, Australia dominated the ranking round and its semi-final. Greg Ball was the best lead out rider in the competition and Chris ‘Gecko’ Scott was untouched as the final rider. However, Peter Brooks and Peter Homann were both vying for the spot as second rider, one riding the qualifying round and the other the semi-final. Brooks rode faster, so was selected for the gold medal ride. However, Homann had not yet won a gold medal at his final Games and Scott stepped out of the final to allow Homann to ride last for a gold medal. Because he had ridden in both previous rounds, Scott also received a gold medal, his third of the Games. His gesture, however, was not appreciated as much by the coaches as it was by his teammate.

Date: September 2004

Basketballer Troy Sachs feels the cold as he begins his session in the ice bath in the recovery centre set up in an underground garage in the Australian allotment during the 2004 summer Paralympics. The centre was managed by Australian Institute of Sport senior physiologist Inigo Mujika, who came into the Village on a guest pass each morning. By 2004, the concept of active recovery for athletes was becoming increasingly important. The baths were chilled with ice cubes. The men’s basketball team and the cycling team were the main users of the centre.

Date: September 2004

Kieran Modra (vision impaired rider, back) and Tyson Lawrence (sighted pilot, front) during their gold medal ride in the men’s tandem pursuit at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games.

Date: September 2017

Australian comedian Adam Hills gives a performance to the Australian Paralympic Team in the athletes’ village during the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games. Hills was part of the ABC TV team broadcasting the Games. His popular British TV show, “The Last Leg“, started during the London Paralympics.

Date: September 2008

Daniela di Toro plays a backhand in her first round match at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games. Di Toro lost the match to Katharina Kruger of Germany.

Date: September 2008

The medallists in the men’s S9 100m butterfly at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games. Left to right: Silver medallist Matthew Cowdrey from Australia, gold medallist Tamas Sors from Hungary and bronze medallist Zhi Guo from China. Sors set a new world record in winning the event, lowering the record he set in the morning’s heats.

Date: September 2008

Australia’s most successful winter Paralympian, Michael Milton, had a reputation for rising to the big occasions. His performance to win a silver medal in the men’s standing downhill event from a field of 49 skiers in the alpine skiing at the Torino winter Paralympics was seen by many to be equal to his best. Changes to the competition structure for the Torino Games meant that all standing skiers competed for one gold medal, with a factoring system, based on historical performances, used to standardise times and determine the winners. The Australians believed that this was detrimental to its single legged skiers if the start was anything other than fast and steep (which it often wasn’t) or if the course was flat and technical, as it was more difficult for skiers on a single leg to develop or carry speed in those conditions.

Date: March 2006

Author: Photo by Jennie Milton, APC official photographer for the 2006 winter Paralympics

After the Athens Paralympics, it was obvious that the pool of talent required to maintain Australia’s Paralympic standing would not keep replenishing itself. As sports were ‘mainstreamed’ and became the responsibility of national federations, there were calls, especially from athletics head coach Scott Goodman, for the Australian Paralympic Committee to use its expertise and experience to coordinate a national talent identification program. The APC’s ‘Talent Search’ program commenced with a ‘come and try’ day in March 2005 in Newcastle, NSW, at the University of Newcastle conducted by Paralympian Amy Winters and program manager Kellie Puxty. Amazingly, one of the attendees at that day, Kath Proudfoot, went on to become the first athlete identified through the program to win a Paralympic medal when she won a silver medal in the discus at the Beijing summer Paralympics. By the Beijing Games, 72 Talent Search activities had been conducted, with 1,008 participants. Of these, 127 were identified at ‘tier one’ athletes (future elite potential within two years) and 395 as ‘tier two’ athletes (elite potential within four years). Fifty-three Talent Search athletes were part of the Paralympic Preparation Program in the year leading into the Beijing Games, with 27 Talent Search athletes being selected in the Australian Paralympic Team and 15 of these winning medals at their first Paralympic Games. The program had been a success and over the years continued to contribute an increasing number of athletes to Australian teams.

Date: March 2005

Author: From "Daily Liberal" (Dubbo NSW), Saturday 26/1/2008, page 7, general news.

Exhaustion is written in the face and body of Kurt Fearnley as he crosses the line to win the T54 wheelchair marathon at the Athens summer Paralympics. Fearnley left the pack on a climb with about 7km to go and then pushed the last 5km with one tyre punctured. Although the tyre retained some pressure, it made the chair unbalanced and the pushing effort so much greater. It was the race that established Fearnley as the pre-eminent wheelchair distance racer. Some time after Fearnley had recovered and left the scene, the ambulant athletes entered the stadium, including vision-impaired runner Roy Daniell, who improved on his bronze medal in Sydney in 2000 with a gutsy silver medal. The marathon started in the village of Marathon and ended in the historic, marble Panathenaic Stadium, originally built in 331BC and the main venue for the first modern Olympic Games, in 1896.

Date: September 2004

Author: Photo by Tony Naar

The team sprint is a three lap race, with two teams of three cyclists competing against each other and starting on opposite sides of the track. One of the riders from each team peels off after each lap so that the final lap is ridden by a lone rider who has drafted behind his teammates for the first two laps. At the Athens summer Paralympics, Australia dominated the ranking round and its semi-final. Greg Ball was the best lead out rider in the competition and Chris ‘Gecko’ Scott was untouched as the final rider. However, Peter Brooks and Peter Homann were both vying for the spot as second rider, one riding the qualifying round and the other the semi-final. Brooks rode faster, so was selected for the gold medal ride. However, Homann had not yet won a gold medal at his final Games and Scott stepped out of the final to allow Homann to ride last for a gold medal. Because he had ridden in both previous rounds, Scott also received a gold medal, his third of the Games. His gesture, however, was not appreciated as much by the coaches as it was by his teammate.

Date: September 2004

Basketballer Troy Sachs feels the cold as he begins his session in the ice bath in the recovery centre set up in an underground garage in the Australian allotment during the 2004 summer Paralympics. The centre was managed by Australian Institute of Sport senior physiologist Inigo Mujika, who came into the Village on a guest pass each morning. By 2004, the concept of active recovery for athletes was becoming increasingly important. The baths were chilled with ice cubes. The men’s basketball team and the cycling team were the main users of the centre.

Date: September 2004

Kieran Modra (vision impaired rider, back) and Tyson Lawrence (sighted pilot, front) during their gold medal ride in the men’s tandem pursuit at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games.

Date: September 2017

Australian comedian Adam Hills gives a performance to the Australian Paralympic Team in the athletes’ village during the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games. Hills was part of the ABC TV team broadcasting the Games. His popular British TV show, “The Last Leg“, started during the London Paralympics.

Date: September 2008

Daniela di Toro plays a backhand in her first round match at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games. Di Toro lost the match to Katharina Kruger of Germany.

Date: September 2008

The medallists in the men’s S9 100m butterfly at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games. Left to right: Silver medallist Matthew Cowdrey from Australia, gold medallist Tamas Sors from Hungary and bronze medallist Zhi Guo from China. Sors set a new world record in winning the event, lowering the record he set in the morning’s heats.

Date: September 2008

Australia’s most successful winter Paralympian, Michael Milton, had a reputation for rising to the big occasions. His performance to win a silver medal in the men’s standing downhill event from a field of 49 skiers in the alpine skiing at the Torino winter Paralympics was seen by many to be equal to his best. Changes to the competition structure for the Torino Games meant that all standing skiers competed for one gold medal, with a factoring system, based on historical performances, used to standardise times and determine the winners. The Australians believed that this was detrimental to its single legged skiers if the start was anything other than fast and steep (which it often wasn’t) or if the course was flat and technical, as it was more difficult for skiers on a single leg to develop or carry speed in those conditions.

Date: March 2006

Author: Photo by Jennie Milton, APC official photographer for the 2006 winter Paralympics

After the Athens Paralympics, it was obvious that the pool of talent required to maintain Australia’s Paralympic standing would not keep replenishing itself. As sports were ‘mainstreamed’ and became the responsibility of national federations, there were calls, especially from athletics head coach Scott Goodman, for the Australian Paralympic Committee to use its expertise and experience to coordinate a national talent identification program. The APC’s ‘Talent Search’ program commenced with a ‘come and try’ day in March 2005 in Newcastle, NSW, at the University of Newcastle conducted by Paralympian Amy Winters and program manager Kellie Puxty. Amazingly, one of the attendees at that day, Kath Proudfoot, went on to become the first athlete identified through the program to win a Paralympic medal when she won a silver medal in the discus at the Beijing summer Paralympics. By the Beijing Games, 72 Talent Search activities had been conducted, with 1,008 participants. Of these, 127 were identified at ‘tier one’ athletes (future elite potential within two years) and 395 as ‘tier two’ athletes (elite potential within four years). Fifty-three Talent Search athletes were part of the Paralympic Preparation Program in the year leading into the Beijing Games, with 27 Talent Search athletes being selected in the Australian Paralympic Team and 15 of these winning medals at their first Paralympic Games. The program had been a success and over the years continued to contribute an increasing number of athletes to Australian teams.

Date: March 2005

Author: From "Daily Liberal" (Dubbo NSW), Saturday 26/1/2008, page 7, general news.

Exhaustion is written in the face and body of Kurt Fearnley as he crosses the line to win the T54 wheelchair marathon at the Athens summer Paralympics. Fearnley left the pack on a climb with about 7km to go and then pushed the last 5km with one tyre punctured. Although the tyre retained some pressure, it made the chair unbalanced and the pushing effort so much greater. It was the race that established Fearnley as the pre-eminent wheelchair distance racer. Some time after Fearnley had recovered and left the scene, the ambulant athletes entered the stadium, including vision-impaired runner Roy Daniell, who improved on his bronze medal in Sydney in 2000 with a gutsy silver medal. The marathon started in the village of Marathon and ended in the historic, marble Panathenaic Stadium, originally built in 331BC and the main venue for the first modern Olympic Games, in 1896.

Date: September 2004

Author: Photo by Tony Naar

The team sprint is a three lap race, with two teams of three cyclists competing against each other and starting on opposite sides of the track. One of the riders from each team peels off after each lap so that the final lap is ridden by a lone rider who has drafted behind his teammates for the first two laps. At the Athens summer Paralympics, Australia dominated the ranking round and its semi-final. Greg Ball was the best lead out rider in the competition and Chris ‘Gecko’ Scott was untouched as the final rider. However, Peter Brooks and Peter Homann were both vying for the spot as second rider, one riding the qualifying round and the other the semi-final. Brooks rode faster, so was selected for the gold medal ride. However, Homann had not yet won a gold medal at his final Games and Scott stepped out of the final to allow Homann to ride last for a gold medal. Because he had ridden in both previous rounds, Scott also received a gold medal, his third of the Games. His gesture, however, was not appreciated as much by the coaches as it was by his teammate.

Date: September 2004

Basketballer Troy Sachs feels the cold as he begins his session in the ice bath in the recovery centre set up in an underground garage in the Australian allotment during the 2004 summer Paralympics. The centre was managed by Australian Institute of Sport senior physiologist Inigo Mujika, who came into the Village on a guest pass each morning. By 2004, the concept of active recovery for athletes was becoming increasingly important. The baths were chilled with ice cubes. The men’s basketball team and the cycling team were the main users of the centre.

Date: September 2004

Kieran Modra (vision impaired rider, back) and Tyson Lawrence (sighted pilot, front) during their gold medal ride in the men’s tandem pursuit at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games.

Date: September 2017

Australian comedian Adam Hills gives a performance to the Australian Paralympic Team in the athletes’ village during the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games. Hills was part of the ABC TV team broadcasting the Games. His popular British TV show, “The Last Leg“, started during the London Paralympics.

Date: September 2008

Daniela di Toro plays a backhand in her first round match at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games. Di Toro lost the match to Katharina Kruger of Germany.

Date: September 2008

The medallists in the men’s S9 100m butterfly at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games. Left to right: Silver medallist Matthew Cowdrey from Australia, gold medallist Tamas Sors from Hungary and bronze medallist Zhi Guo from China. Sors set a new world record in winning the event, lowering the record he set in the morning’s heats.

Date: September 2008

Australia’s most successful winter Paralympian, Michael Milton, had a reputation for rising to the big occasions. His performance to win a silver medal in the men’s standing downhill event from a field of 49 skiers in the alpine skiing at the Torino winter Paralympics was seen by many to be equal to his best. Changes to the competition structure for the Torino Games meant that all standing skiers competed for one gold medal, with a factoring system, based on historical performances, used to standardise times and determine the winners. The Australians believed that this was detrimental to its single legged skiers if the start was anything other than fast and steep (which it often wasn’t) or if the course was flat and technical, as it was more difficult for skiers on a single leg to develop or carry speed in those conditions.

Date: March 2006

Author: Photo by Jennie Milton, APC official photographer for the 2006 winter Paralympics

After the Athens Paralympics, it was obvious that the pool of talent required to maintain Australia’s Paralympic standing would not keep replenishing itself. As sports were ‘mainstreamed’ and became the responsibility of national federations, there were calls, especially from athletics head coach Scott Goodman, for the Australian Paralympic Committee to use its expertise and experience to coordinate a national talent identification program. The APC’s ‘Talent Search’ program commenced with a ‘come and try’ day in March 2005 in Newcastle, NSW, at the University of Newcastle conducted by Paralympian Amy Winters and program manager Kellie Puxty. Amazingly, one of the attendees at that day, Kath Proudfoot, went on to become the first athlete identified through the program to win a Paralympic medal when she won a silver medal in the discus at the Beijing summer Paralympics. By the Beijing Games, 72 Talent Search activities had been conducted, with 1,008 participants. Of these, 127 were identified at ‘tier one’ athletes (future elite potential within two years) and 395 as ‘tier two’ athletes (elite potential within four years). Fifty-three Talent Search athletes were part of the Paralympic Preparation Program in the year leading into the Beijing Games, with 27 Talent Search athletes being selected in the Australian Paralympic Team and 15 of these winning medals at their first Paralympic Games. The program had been a success and over the years continued to contribute an increasing number of athletes to Australian teams.

Date: March 2005

Author: From "Daily Liberal" (Dubbo NSW), Saturday 26/1/2008, page 7, general news.

Exhaustion is written in the face and body of Kurt Fearnley as he crosses the line to win the T54 wheelchair marathon at the Athens summer Paralympics. Fearnley left the pack on a climb with about 7km to go and then pushed the last 5km with one tyre punctured. Although the tyre retained some pressure, it made the chair unbalanced and the pushing effort so much greater. It was the race that established Fearnley as the pre-eminent wheelchair distance racer. Some time after Fearnley had recovered and left the scene, the ambulant athletes entered the stadium, including vision-impaired runner Roy Daniell, who improved on his bronze medal in Sydney in 2000 with a gutsy silver medal. The marathon started in the village of Marathon and ended in the historic, marble Panathenaic Stadium, originally built in 331BC and the main venue for the first modern Olympic Games, in 1896.

Date: September 2004

Author: Photo by Tony Naar

The team sprint is a three lap race, with two teams of three cyclists competing against each other and starting on opposite sides of the track. One of the riders from each team peels off after each lap so that the final lap is ridden by a lone rider who has drafted behind his teammates for the first two laps. At the Athens summer Paralympics, Australia dominated the ranking round and its semi-final. Greg Ball was the best lead out rider in the competition and Chris ‘Gecko’ Scott was untouched as the final rider. However, Peter Brooks and Peter Homann were both vying for the spot as second rider, one riding the qualifying round and the other the semi-final. Brooks rode faster, so was selected for the gold medal ride. However, Homann had not yet won a gold medal at his final Games and Scott stepped out of the final to allow Homann to ride last for a gold medal. Because he had ridden in both previous rounds, Scott also received a gold medal, his third of the Games. His gesture, however, was not appreciated as much by the coaches as it was by his teammate.

Date: September 2004

Basketballer Troy Sachs feels the cold as he begins his session in the ice bath in the recovery centre set up in an underground garage in the Australian allotment during the 2004 summer Paralympics. The centre was managed by Australian Institute of Sport senior physiologist Inigo Mujika, who came into the Village on a guest pass each morning. By 2004, the concept of active recovery for athletes was becoming increasingly important. The baths were chilled with ice cubes. The men’s basketball team and the cycling team were the main users of the centre.

Date: September 2004

Kieran Modra (vision impaired rider, back) and Tyson Lawrence (sighted pilot, front) during their gold medal ride in the men’s tandem pursuit at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games.

Date: September 2017

Australian comedian Adam Hills gives a performance to the Australian Paralympic Team in the athletes’ village during the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games. Hills was part of the ABC TV team broadcasting the Games. His popular British TV show, “The Last Leg“, started during the London Paralympics.

Date: September 2008

Daniela di Toro plays a backhand in her first round match at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games. Di Toro lost the match to Katharina Kruger of Germany.

Date: September 2008

The medallists in the men’s S9 100m butterfly at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games. Left to right: Silver medallist Matthew Cowdrey from Australia, gold medallist Tamas Sors from Hungary and bronze medallist Zhi Guo from China. Sors set a new world record in winning the event, lowering the record he set in the morning’s heats.

Date: September 2008

Australia’s most successful winter Paralympian, Michael Milton, had a reputation for rising to the big occasions. His performance to win a silver medal in the men’s standing downhill event from a field of 49 skiers in the alpine skiing at the Torino winter Paralympics was seen by many to be equal to his best. Changes to the competition structure for the Torino Games meant that all standing skiers competed for one gold medal, with a factoring system, based on historical performances, used to standardise times and determine the winners. The Australians believed that this was detrimental to its single legged skiers if the start was anything other than fast and steep (which it often wasn’t) or if the course was flat and technical, as it was more difficult for skiers on a single leg to develop or carry speed in those conditions.

Date: March 2006

Author: Photo by Jennie Milton, APC official photographer for the 2006 winter Paralympics

After the Athens Paralympics, it was obvious that the pool of talent required to maintain Australia’s Paralympic standing would not keep replenishing itself. As sports were ‘mainstreamed’ and became the responsibility of national federations, there were calls, especially from athletics head coach Scott Goodman, for the Australian Paralympic Committee to use its expertise and experience to coordinate a national talent identification program. The APC’s ‘Talent Search’ program commenced with a ‘come and try’ day in March 2005 in Newcastle, NSW, at the University of Newcastle conducted by Paralympian Amy Winters and program manager Kellie Puxty. Amazingly, one of the attendees at that day, Kath Proudfoot, went on to become the first athlete identified through the program to win a Paralympic medal when she won a silver medal in the discus at the Beijing summer Paralympics. By the Beijing Games, 72 Talent Search activities had been conducted, with 1,008 participants. Of these, 127 were identified at ‘tier one’ athletes (future elite potential within two years) and 395 as ‘tier two’ athletes (elite potential within four years). Fifty-three Talent Search athletes were part of the Paralympic Preparation Program in the year leading into the Beijing Games, with 27 Talent Search athletes being selected in the Australian Paralympic Team and 15 of these winning medals at their first Paralympic Games. The program had been a success and over the years continued to contribute an increasing number of athletes to Australian teams.

Date: March 2005

Author: From "Daily Liberal" (Dubbo NSW), Saturday 26/1/2008, page 7, general news.

Exhaustion is written in the face and body of Kurt Fearnley as he crosses the line to win the T54 wheelchair marathon at the Athens summer Paralympics. Fearnley left the pack on a climb with about 7km to go and then pushed the last 5km with one tyre punctured. Although the tyre retained some pressure, it made the chair unbalanced and the pushing effort so much greater. It was the race that established Fearnley as the pre-eminent wheelchair distance racer. Some time after Fearnley had recovered and left the scene, the ambulant athletes entered the stadium, including vision-impaired runner Roy Daniell, who improved on his bronze medal in Sydney in 2000 with a gutsy silver medal. The marathon started in the village of Marathon and ended in the historic, marble Panathenaic Stadium, originally built in 331BC and the main venue for the first modern Olympic Games, in 1896.

Date: September 2004

Author: Photo by Tony Naar

The team sprint is a three lap race, with two teams of three cyclists competing against each other and starting on opposite sides of the track. One of the riders from each team peels off after each lap so that the final lap is ridden by a lone rider who has drafted behind his teammates for the first two laps. At the Athens summer Paralympics, Australia dominated the ranking round and its semi-final. Greg Ball was the best lead out rider in the competition and Chris ‘Gecko’ Scott was untouched as the final rider. However, Peter Brooks and Peter Homann were both vying for the spot as second rider, one riding the qualifying round and the other the semi-final. Brooks rode faster, so was selected for the gold medal ride. However, Homann had not yet won a gold medal at his final Games and Scott stepped out of the final to allow Homann to ride last for a gold medal. Because he had ridden in both previous rounds, Scott also received a gold medal, his third of the Games. His gesture, however, was not appreciated as much by the coaches as it was by his teammate.

Date: September 2004

Basketballer Troy Sachs feels the cold as he begins his session in the ice bath in the recovery centre set up in an underground garage in the Australian allotment during the 2004 summer Paralympics. The centre was managed by Australian Institute of Sport senior physiologist Inigo Mujika, who came into the Village on a guest pass each morning. By 2004, the concept of active recovery for athletes was becoming increasingly important. The baths were chilled with ice cubes. The men’s basketball team and the cycling team were the main users of the centre.

Date: September 2004

Kieran Modra (vision impaired rider, back) and Tyson Lawrence (sighted pilot, front) during their gold medal ride in the men’s tandem pursuit at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games.

Date: September 2017

Australian comedian Adam Hills gives a performance to the Australian Paralympic Team in the athletes’ village during the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games. Hills was part of the ABC TV team broadcasting the Games. His popular British TV show, “The Last Leg“, started during the London Paralympics.

Date: September 2008

Daniela di Toro plays a backhand in her first round match at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games. Di Toro lost the match to Katharina Kruger of Germany.

Date: September 2008

The medallists in the men’s S9 100m butterfly at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games. Left to right: Silver medallist Matthew Cowdrey from Australia, gold medallist Tamas Sors from Hungary and bronze medallist Zhi Guo from China. Sors set a new world record in winning the event, lowering the record he set in the morning’s heats.

Date: September 2008

Australia’s most successful winter Paralympian, Michael Milton, had a reputation for rising to the big occasions. His performance to win a silver medal in the men’s standing downhill event from a field of 49 skiers in the alpine skiing at the Torino winter Paralympics was seen by many to be equal to his best. Changes to the competition structure for the Torino Games meant that all standing skiers competed for one gold medal, with a factoring system, based on historical performances, used to standardise times and determine the winners. The Australians believed that this was detrimental to its single legged skiers if the start was anything other than fast and steep (which it often wasn’t) or if the course was flat and technical, as it was more difficult for skiers on a single leg to develop or carry speed in those conditions.

Date: March 2006

Author: Photo by Jennie Milton, APC official photographer for the 2006 winter Paralympics

After the Athens Paralympics, it was obvious that the pool of talent required to maintain Australia’s Paralympic standing would not keep replenishing itself. As sports were ‘mainstreamed’ and became the responsibility of national federations, there were calls, especially from athletics head coach Scott Goodman, for the Australian Paralympic Committee to use its expertise and experience to coordinate a national talent identification program. The APC’s ‘Talent Search’ program commenced with a ‘come and try’ day in March 2005 in Newcastle, NSW, at the University of Newcastle conducted by Paralympian Amy Winters and program manager Kellie Puxty. Amazingly, one of the attendees at that day, Kath Proudfoot, went on to become the first athlete identified through the program to win a Paralympic medal when she won a silver medal in the discus at the Beijing summer Paralympics. By the Beijing Games, 72 Talent Search activities had been conducted, with 1,008 participants. Of these, 127 were identified at ‘tier one’ athletes (future elite potential within two years) and 395 as ‘tier two’ athletes (elite potential within four years). Fifty-three Talent Search athletes were part of the Paralympic Preparation Program in the year leading into the Beijing Games, with 27 Talent Search athletes being selected in the Australian Paralympic Team and 15 of these winning medals at their first Paralympic Games. The program had been a success and over the years continued to contribute an increasing number of athletes to Australian teams.

Date: March 2005

Author: From "Daily Liberal" (Dubbo NSW), Saturday 26/1/2008, page 7, general news.

Exhaustion is written in the face and body of Kurt Fearnley as he crosses the line to win the T54 wheelchair marathon at the Athens summer Paralympics. Fearnley left the pack on a climb with about 7km to go and then pushed the last 5km with one tyre punctured. Although the tyre retained some pressure, it made the chair unbalanced and the pushing effort so much greater. It was the race that established Fearnley as the pre-eminent wheelchair distance racer. Some time after Fearnley had recovered and left the scene, the ambulant athletes entered the stadium, including vision-impaired runner Roy Daniell, who improved on his bronze medal in Sydney in 2000 with a gutsy silver medal. The marathon started in the village of Marathon and ended in the historic, marble Panathenaic Stadium, originally built in 331BC and the main venue for the first modern Olympic Games, in 1896.

Date: September 2004

Author: Photo by Tony Naar

The team sprint is a three lap race, with two teams of three cyclists competing against each other and starting on opposite sides of the track. One of the riders from each team peels off after each lap so that the final lap is ridden by a lone rider who has drafted behind his teammates for the first two laps. At the Athens summer Paralympics, Australia dominated the ranking round and its semi-final. Greg Ball was the best lead out rider in the competition and Chris ‘Gecko’ Scott was untouched as the final rider. However, Peter Brooks and Peter Homann were both vying for the spot as second rider, one riding the qualifying round and the other the semi-final. Brooks rode faster, so was selected for the gold medal ride. However, Homann had not yet won a gold medal at his final Games and Scott stepped out of the final to allow Homann to ride last for a gold medal. Because he had ridden in both previous rounds, Scott also received a gold medal, his third of the Games. His gesture, however, was not appreciated as much by the coaches as it was by his teammate.

Date: September 2004

Basketballer Troy Sachs feels the cold as he begins his session in the ice bath in the recovery centre set up in an underground garage in the Australian allotment during the 2004 summer Paralympics. The centre was managed by Australian Institute of Sport senior physiologist Inigo Mujika, who came into the Village on a guest pass each morning. By 2004, the concept of active recovery for athletes was becoming increasingly important. The baths were chilled with ice cubes. The men’s basketball team and the cycling team were the main users of the centre.

Date: September 2004

Kieran Modra (vision impaired rider, back) and Tyson Lawrence (sighted pilot, front) during their gold medal ride in the men’s tandem pursuit at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games.

Date: September 2017

Australian comedian Adam Hills gives a performance to the Australian Paralympic Team in the athletes’ village during the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games. Hills was part of the ABC TV team broadcasting the Games. His popular British TV show, “The Last Leg“, started during the London Paralympics.

Date: September 2008

Daniela di Toro plays a backhand in her first round match at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games. Di Toro lost the match to Katharina Kruger of Germany.

Date: September 2008

The medallists in the men’s S9 100m butterfly at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games. Left to right: Silver medallist Matthew Cowdrey from Australia, gold medallist Tamas Sors from Hungary and bronze medallist Zhi Guo from China. Sors set a new world record in winning the event, lowering the record he set in the morning’s heats.

Date: September 2008

Australia’s most successful winter Paralympian, Michael Milton, had a reputation for rising to the big occasions. His performance to win a silver medal in the men’s standing downhill event from a field of 49 skiers in the alpine skiing at the Torino winter Paralympics was seen by many to be equal to his best. Changes to the competition structure for the Torino Games meant that all standing skiers competed for one gold medal, with a factoring system, based on historical performances, used to standardise times and determine the winners. The Australians believed that this was detrimental to its single legged skiers if the start was anything other than fast and steep (which it often wasn’t) or if the course was flat and technical, as it was more difficult for skiers on a single leg to develop or carry speed in those conditions.

Date: March 2006

Author: Photo by Jennie Milton, APC official photographer for the 2006 winter Paralympics

After the Athens Paralympics, it was obvious that the pool of talent required to maintain Australia’s Paralympic standing would not keep replenishing itself. As sports were ‘mainstreamed’ and became the responsibility of national federations, there were calls, especially from athletics head coach Scott Goodman, for the Australian Paralympic Committee to use its expertise and experience to coordinate a national talent identification program. The APC’s ‘Talent Search’ program commenced with a ‘come and try’ day in March 2005 in Newcastle, NSW, at the University of Newcastle conducted by Paralympian Amy Winters and program manager Kellie Puxty. Amazingly, one of the attendees at that day, Kath Proudfoot, went on to become the first athlete identified through the program to win a Paralympic medal when she won a silver medal in the discus at the Beijing summer Paralympics. By the Beijing Games, 72 Talent Search activities had been conducted, with 1,008 participants. Of these, 127 were identified at ‘tier one’ athletes (future elite potential within two years) and 395 as ‘tier two’ athletes (elite potential within four years). Fifty-three Talent Search athletes were part of the Paralympic Preparation Program in the year leading into the Beijing Games, with 27 Talent Search athletes being selected in the Australian Paralympic Team and 15 of these winning medals at their first Paralympic Games. The program had been a success and over the years continued to contribute an increasing number of athletes to Australian teams.

Date: March 2005

Author: From "Daily Liberal" (Dubbo NSW), Saturday 26/1/2008, page 7, general news.

Exhaustion is written in the face and body of Kurt Fearnley as he crosses the line to win the T54 wheelchair marathon at the Athens summer Paralympics. Fearnley left the pack on a climb with about 7km to go and then pushed the last 5km with one tyre punctured. Although the tyre retained some pressure, it made the chair unbalanced and the pushing effort so much greater. It was the race that established Fearnley as the pre-eminent wheelchair distance racer. Some time after Fearnley had recovered and left the scene, the ambulant athletes entered the stadium, including vision-impaired runner Roy Daniell, who improved on his bronze medal in Sydney in 2000 with a gutsy silver medal. The marathon started in the village of Marathon and ended in the historic, marble Panathenaic Stadium, originally built in 331BC and the main venue for the first modern Olympic Games, in 1896.

Date: September 2004

Author: Photo by Tony Naar

The team sprint is a three lap race, with two teams of three cyclists competing against each other and starting on opposite sides of the track. One of the riders from each team peels off after each lap so that the final lap is ridden by a lone rider who has drafted behind his teammates for the first two laps. At the Athens summer Paralympics, Australia dominated the ranking round and its semi-final. Greg Ball was the best lead out rider in the competition and Chris ‘Gecko’ Scott was untouched as the final rider. However, Peter Brooks and Peter Homann were both vying for the spot as second rider, one riding the qualifying round and the other the semi-final. Brooks rode faster, so was selected for the gold medal ride. However, Homann had not yet won a gold medal at his final Games and Scott stepped out of the final to allow Homann to ride last for a gold medal. Because he had ridden in both previous rounds, Scott also received a gold medal, his third of the Games. His gesture, however, was not appreciated as much by the coaches as it was by his teammate.

Date: September 2004

Basketballer Troy Sachs feels the cold as he begins his session in the ice bath in the recovery centre set up in an underground garage in the Australian allotment during the 2004 summer Paralympics. The centre was managed by Australian Institute of Sport senior physiologist Inigo Mujika, who came into the Village on a guest pass each morning. By 2004, the concept of active recovery for athletes was becoming increasingly important. The baths were chilled with ice cubes. The men’s basketball team and the cycling team were the main users of the centre.

Date: September 2004

Kieran Modra (vision impaired rider, back) and Tyson Lawrence (sighted pilot, front) during their gold medal ride in the men’s tandem pursuit at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games.

Date: September 2017

Australian comedian Adam Hills gives a performance to the Australian Paralympic Team in the athletes’ village during the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games. Hills was part of the ABC TV team broadcasting the Games. His popular British TV show, “The Last Leg“, started during the London Paralympics.

Date: September 2008

Daniela di Toro plays a backhand in her first round match at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games. Di Toro lost the match to Katharina Kruger of Germany.

Date: September 2008

The medallists in the men’s S9 100m butterfly at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games. Left to right: Silver medallist Matthew Cowdrey from Australia, gold medallist Tamas Sors from Hungary and bronze medallist Zhi Guo from China. Sors set a new world record in winning the event, lowering the record he set in the morning’s heats.

Date: September 2008

Australia’s most successful winter Paralympian, Michael Milton, had a reputation for rising to the big occasions. His performance to win a silver medal in the men’s standing downhill event from a field of 49 skiers in the alpine skiing at the Torino winter Paralympics was seen by many to be equal to his best. Changes to the competition structure for the Torino Games meant that all standing skiers competed for one gold medal, with a factoring system, based on historical performances, used to standardise times and determine the winners. The Australians believed that this was detrimental to its single legged skiers if the start was anything other than fast and steep (which it often wasn’t) or if the course was flat and technical, as it was more difficult for skiers on a single leg to develop or carry speed in those conditions.

Date: March 2006

Author: Photo by Jennie Milton, APC official photographer for the 2006 winter Paralympics

After the Athens Paralympics, it was obvious that the pool of talent required to maintain Australia’s Paralympic standing would not keep replenishing itself. As sports were ‘mainstreamed’ and became the responsibility of national federations, there were calls, especially from athletics head coach Scott Goodman, for the Australian Paralympic Committee to use its expertise and experience to coordinate a national talent identification program. The APC’s ‘Talent Search’ program commenced with a ‘come and try’ day in March 2005 in Newcastle, NSW, at the University of Newcastle conducted by Paralympian Amy Winters and program manager Kellie Puxty. Amazingly, one of the attendees at that day, Kath Proudfoot, went on to become the first athlete identified through the program to win a Paralympic medal when she won a silver medal in the discus at the Beijing summer Paralympics. By the Beijing Games, 72 Talent Search activities had been conducted, with 1,008 participants. Of these, 127 were identified at ‘tier one’ athletes (future elite potential within two years) and 395 as ‘tier two’ athletes (elite potential within four years). Fifty-three Talent Search athletes were part of the Paralympic Preparation Program in the year leading into the Beijing Games, with 27 Talent Search athletes being selected in the Australian Paralympic Team and 15 of these winning medals at their first Paralympic Games. The program had been a success and over the years continued to contribute an increasing number of athletes to Australian teams.

Date: March 2005

Author: From "Daily Liberal" (Dubbo NSW), Saturday 26/1/2008, page 7, general news.

Exhaustion is written in the face and body of Kurt Fearnley as he crosses the line to win the T54 wheelchair marathon at the Athens summer Paralympics. Fearnley left the pack on a climb with about 7km to go and then pushed the last 5km with one tyre punctured. Although the tyre retained some pressure, it made the chair unbalanced and the pushing effort so much greater. It was the race that established Fearnley as the pre-eminent wheelchair distance racer. Some time after Fearnley had recovered and left the scene, the ambulant athletes entered the stadium, including vision-impaired runner Roy Daniell, who improved on his bronze medal in Sydney in 2000 with a gutsy silver medal. The marathon started in the village of Marathon and ended in the historic, marble Panathenaic Stadium, originally built in 331BC and the main venue for the first modern Olympic Games, in 1896.

Date: September 2004

Author: Photo by Tony Naar

The team sprint is a three lap race, with two teams of three cyclists competing against each other and starting on opposite sides of the track. One of the riders from each team peels off after each lap so that the final lap is ridden by a lone rider who has drafted behind his teammates for the first two laps. At the Athens summer Paralympics, Australia dominated the ranking round and its semi-final. Greg Ball was the best lead out rider in the competition and Chris ‘Gecko’ Scott was untouched as the final rider. However, Peter Brooks and Peter Homann were both vying for the spot as second rider, one riding the qualifying round and the other the semi-final. Brooks rode faster, so was selected for the gold medal ride. However, Homann had not yet won a gold medal at his final Games and Scott stepped out of the final to allow Homann to ride last for a gold medal. Because he had ridden in both previous rounds, Scott also received a gold medal, his third of the Games. His gesture, however, was not appreciated as much by the coaches as it was by his teammate.

Date: September 2004

Basketballer Troy Sachs feels the cold as he begins his session in the ice bath in the recovery centre set up in an underground garage in the Australian allotment during the 2004 summer Paralympics. The centre was managed by Australian Institute of Sport senior physiologist Inigo Mujika, who came into the Village on a guest pass each morning. By 2004, the concept of active recovery for athletes was becoming increasingly important. The baths were chilled with ice cubes. The men’s basketball team and the cycling team were the main users of the centre.

Date: September 2004

Kieran Modra (vision impaired rider, back) and Tyson Lawrence (sighted pilot, front) during their gold medal ride in the men’s tandem pursuit at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games.

Date: September 2017

Australian comedian Adam Hills gives a performance to the Australian Paralympic Team in the athletes’ village during the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games. Hills was part of the ABC TV team broadcasting the Games. His popular British TV show, “The Last Leg“, started during the London Paralympics.

Date: September 2008

Daniela di Toro plays a backhand in her first round match at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games. Di Toro lost the match to Katharina Kruger of Germany.

Date: September 2008

The medallists in the men’s S9 100m butterfly at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games. Left to right: Silver medallist Matthew Cowdrey from Australia, gold medallist Tamas Sors from Hungary and bronze medallist Zhi Guo from China. Sors set a new world record in winning the event, lowering the record he set in the morning’s heats.

Date: September 2008

Australia’s most successful winter Paralympian, Michael Milton, had a reputation for rising to the big occasions. His performance to win a silver medal in the men’s standing downhill event from a field of 49 skiers in the alpine skiing at the Torino winter Paralympics was seen by many to be equal to his best. Changes to the competition structure for the Torino Games meant that all standing skiers competed for one gold medal, with a factoring system, based on historical performances, used to standardise times and determine the winners. The Australians believed that this was detrimental to its single legged skiers if the start was anything other than fast and steep (which it often wasn’t) or if the course was flat and technical, as it was more difficult for skiers on a single leg to develop or carry speed in those conditions.

Date: March 2006

Author: Photo by Jennie Milton, APC official photographer for the 2006 winter Paralympics

After the Athens Paralympics, it was obvious that the pool of talent required to maintain Australia’s Paralympic standing would not keep replenishing itself. As sports were ‘mainstreamed’ and became the responsibility of national federations, there were calls, especially from athletics head coach Scott Goodman, for the Australian Paralympic Committee to use its expertise and experience to coordinate a national talent identification program. The APC’s ‘Talent Search’ program commenced with a ‘come and try’ day in March 2005 in Newcastle, NSW, at the University of Newcastle conducted by Paralympian Amy Winters and program manager Kellie Puxty. Amazingly, one of the attendees at that day, Kath Proudfoot, went on to become the first athlete identified through the program to win a Paralympic medal when she won a silver medal in the discus at the Beijing summer Paralympics. By the Beijing Games, 72 Talent Search activities had been conducted, with 1,008 participants. Of these, 127 were identified at ‘tier one’ athletes (future elite potential within two years) and 395 as ‘tier two’ athletes (elite potential within four years). Fifty-three Talent Search athletes were part of the Paralympic Preparation Program in the year leading into the Beijing Games, with 27 Talent Search athletes being selected in the Australian Paralympic Team and 15 of these winning medals at their first Paralympic Games. The program had been a success and over the years continued to contribute an increasing number of athletes to Australian teams.

Date: March 2005

Author: From "Daily Liberal" (Dubbo NSW), Saturday 26/1/2008, page 7, general news.

Exhaustion is written in the face and body of Kurt Fearnley as he crosses the line to win the T54 wheelchair marathon at the Athens summer Paralympics. Fearnley left the pack on a climb with about 7km to go and then pushed the last 5km with one tyre punctured. Although the tyre retained some pressure, it made the chair unbalanced and the pushing effort so much greater. It was the race that established Fearnley as the pre-eminent wheelchair distance racer. Some time after Fearnley had recovered and left the scene, the ambulant athletes entered the stadium, including vision-impaired runner Roy Daniell, who improved on his bronze medal in Sydney in 2000 with a gutsy silver medal. The marathon started in the village of Marathon and ended in the historic, marble Panathenaic Stadium, originally built in 331BC and the main venue for the first modern Olympic Games, in 1896.

Date: September 2004

Author: Photo by Tony Naar

The team sprint is a three lap race, with two teams of three cyclists competing against each other and starting on opposite sides of the track. One of the riders from each team peels off after each lap so that the final lap is ridden by a lone rider who has drafted behind his teammates for the first two laps. At the Athens summer Paralympics, Australia dominated the ranking round and its semi-final. Greg Ball was the best lead out rider in the competition and Chris ‘Gecko’ Scott was untouched as the final rider. However, Peter Brooks and Peter Homann were both vying for the spot as second rider, one riding the qualifying round and the other the semi-final. Brooks rode faster, so was selected for the gold medal ride. However, Homann had not yet won a gold medal at his final Games and Scott stepped out of the final to allow Homann to ride last for a gold medal. Because he had ridden in both previous rounds, Scott also received a gold medal, his third of the Games. His gesture, however, was not appreciated as much by the coaches as it was by his teammate.

Date: September 2004

Basketballer Troy Sachs feels the cold as he begins his session in the ice bath in the recovery centre set up in an underground garage in the Australian allotment during the 2004 summer Paralympics. The centre was managed by Australian Institute of Sport senior physiologist Inigo Mujika, who came into the Village on a guest pass each morning. By 2004, the concept of active recovery for athletes was becoming increasingly important. The baths were chilled with ice cubes. The men’s basketball team and the cycling team were the main users of the centre.

Date: September 2004

Kieran Modra (vision impaired rider, back) and Tyson Lawrence (sighted pilot, front) during their gold medal ride in the men’s tandem pursuit at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games.

Date: September 2017

Australian comedian Adam Hills gives a performance to the Australian Paralympic Team in the athletes’ village during the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games. Hills was part of the ABC TV team broadcasting the Games. His popular British TV show, “The Last Leg“, started during the London Paralympics.

Date: September 2008

Daniela di Toro plays a backhand in her first round match at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games. Di Toro lost the match to Katharina Kruger of Germany.

Date: September 2008

The medallists in the men’s S9 100m butterfly at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games. Left to right: Silver medallist Matthew Cowdrey from Australia, gold medallist Tamas Sors from Hungary and bronze medallist Zhi Guo from China. Sors set a new world record in winning the event, lowering the record he set in the morning’s heats.

Date: September 2008

Australia’s most successful winter Paralympian, Michael Milton, had a reputation for rising to the big occasions. His performance to win a silver medal in the men’s standing downhill event from a field of 49 skiers in the alpine skiing at the Torino winter Paralympics was seen by many to be equal to his best. Changes to the competition structure for the Torino Games meant that all standing skiers competed for one gold medal, with a factoring system, based on historical performances, used to standardise times and determine the winners. The Australians believed that this was detrimental to its single legged skiers if the start was anything other than fast and steep (which it often wasn’t) or if the course was flat and technical, as it was more difficult for skiers on a single leg to develop or carry speed in those conditions.

Date: March 2006

Author: Photo by Jennie Milton, APC official photographer for the 2006 winter Paralympics

After the Athens Paralympics, it was obvious that the pool of talent required to maintain Australia’s Paralympic standing would not keep replenishing itself. As sports were ‘mainstreamed’ and became the responsibility of national federations, there were calls, especially from athletics head coach Scott Goodman, for the Australian Paralympic Committee to use its expertise and experience to coordinate a national talent identification program. The APC’s ‘Talent Search’ program commenced with a ‘come and try’ day in March 2005 in Newcastle, NSW, at the University of Newcastle conducted by Paralympian Amy Winters and program manager Kellie Puxty. Amazingly, one of the attendees at that day, Kath Proudfoot, went on to become the first athlete identified through the program to win a Paralympic medal when she won a silver medal in the discus at the Beijing summer Paralympics. By the Beijing Games, 72 Talent Search activities had been conducted, with 1,008 participants. Of these, 127 were identified at ‘tier one’ athletes (future elite potential within two years) and 395 as ‘tier two’ athletes (elite potential within four years). Fifty-three Talent Search athletes were part of the Paralympic Preparation Program in the year leading into the Beijing Games, with 27 Talent Search athletes being selected in the Australian Paralympic Team and 15 of these winning medals at their first Paralympic Games. The program had been a success and over the years continued to contribute an increasing number of athletes to Australian teams.

Date: March 2005

Author: From "Daily Liberal" (Dubbo NSW), Saturday 26/1/2008, page 7, general news.

Exhaustion is written in the face and body of Kurt Fearnley as he crosses the line to win the T54 wheelchair marathon at the Athens summer Paralympics. Fearnley left the pack on a climb with about 7km to go and then pushed the last 5km with one tyre punctured. Although the tyre retained some pressure, it made the chair unbalanced and the pushing effort so much greater. It was the race that established Fearnley as the pre-eminent wheelchair distance racer. Some time after Fearnley had recovered and left the scene, the ambulant athletes entered the stadium, including vision-impaired runner Roy Daniell, who improved on his bronze medal in Sydney in 2000 with a gutsy silver medal. The marathon started in the village of Marathon and ended in the historic, marble Panathenaic Stadium, originally built in 331BC and the main venue for the first modern Olympic Games, in 1896.

Date: September 2004

Author: Photo by Tony Naar

The team sprint is a three lap race, with two teams of three cyclists competing against each other and starting on opposite sides of the track. One of the riders from each team peels off after each lap so that the final lap is ridden by a lone rider who has drafted behind his teammates for the first two laps. At the Athens summer Paralympics, Australia dominated the ranking round and its semi-final. Greg Ball was the best lead out rider in the competition and Chris ‘Gecko’ Scott was untouched as the final rider. However, Peter Brooks and Peter Homann were both vying for the spot as second rider, one riding the qualifying round and the other the semi-final. Brooks rode faster, so was selected for the gold medal ride. However, Homann had not yet won a gold medal at his final Games and Scott stepped out of the final to allow Homann to ride last for a gold medal. Because he had ridden in both previous rounds, Scott also received a gold medal, his third of the Games. His gesture, however, was not appreciated as much by the coaches as it was by his teammate.

Date: September 2004

Basketballer Troy Sachs feels the cold as he begins his session in the ice bath in the recovery centre set up in an underground garage in the Australian allotment during the 2004 summer Paralympics. The centre was managed by Australian Institute of Sport senior physiologist Inigo Mujika, who came into the Village on a guest pass each morning. By 2004, the concept of active recovery for athletes was becoming increasingly important. The baths were chilled with ice cubes. The men’s basketball team and the cycling team were the main users of the centre.

Date: September 2004

Kieran Modra (vision impaired rider, back) and Tyson Lawrence (sighted pilot, front) during their gold medal ride in the men’s tandem pursuit at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games.

Date: September 2017

Australian comedian Adam Hills gives a performance to the Australian Paralympic Team in the athletes’ village during the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games. Hills was part of the ABC TV team broadcasting the Games. His popular British TV show, “The Last Leg“, started during the London Paralympics.

Date: September 2008

Daniela di Toro plays a backhand in her first round match at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games. Di Toro lost the match to Katharina Kruger of Germany.

Date: September 2008

The medallists in the men’s S9 100m butterfly at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games. Left to right: Silver medallist Matthew Cowdrey from Australia, gold medallist Tamas Sors from Hungary and bronze medallist Zhi Guo from China. Sors set a new world record in winning the event, lowering the record he set in the morning’s heats.

Date: September 2008

Australia’s most successful winter Paralympian, Michael Milton, had a reputation for rising to the big occasions. His performance to win a silver medal in the men’s standing downhill event from a field of 49 skiers in the alpine skiing at the Torino winter Paralympics was seen by many to be equal to his best. Changes to the competition structure for the Torino Games meant that all standing skiers competed for one gold medal, with a factoring system, based on historical performances, used to standardise times and determine the winners. The Australians believed that this was detrimental to its single legged skiers if the start was anything other than fast and steep (which it often wasn’t) or if the course was flat and technical, as it was more difficult for skiers on a single leg to develop or carry speed in those conditions.

Date: March 2006

Author: Photo by Jennie Milton, APC official photographer for the 2006 winter Paralympics

After the Athens Paralympics, it was obvious that the pool of talent required to maintain Australia’s Paralympic standing would not keep replenishing itself. As sports were ‘mainstreamed’ and became the responsibility of national federations, there were calls, especially from athletics head coach Scott Goodman, for the Australian Paralympic Committee to use its expertise and experience to coordinate a national talent identification program. The APC’s ‘Talent Search’ program commenced with a ‘come and try’ day in March 2005 in Newcastle, NSW, at the University of Newcastle conducted by Paralympian Amy Winters and program manager Kellie Puxty. Amazingly, one of the attendees at that day, Kath Proudfoot, went on to become the first athlete identified through the program to win a Paralympic medal when she won a silver medal in the discus at the Beijing summer Paralympics. By the Beijing Games, 72 Talent Search activities had been conducted, with 1,008 participants. Of these, 127 were identified at ‘tier one’ athletes (future elite potential within two years) and 395 as ‘tier two’ athletes (elite potential within four years). Fifty-three Talent Search athletes were part of the Paralympic Preparation Program in the year leading into the Beijing Games, with 27 Talent Search athletes being selected in the Australian Paralympic Team and 15 of these winning medals at their first Paralympic Games. The program had been a success and over the years continued to contribute an increasing number of athletes to Australian teams.

Date: March 2005

Author: From "Daily Liberal" (Dubbo NSW), Saturday 26/1/2008, page 7, general news.

Exhaustion is written in the face and body of Kurt Fearnley as he crosses the line to win the T54 wheelchair marathon at the Athens summer Paralympics. Fearnley left the pack on a climb with about 7km to go and then pushed the last 5km with one tyre punctured. Although the tyre retained some pressure, it made the chair unbalanced and the pushing effort so much greater. It was the race that established Fearnley as the pre-eminent wheelchair distance racer. Some time after Fearnley had recovered and left the scene, the ambulant athletes entered the stadium, including vision-impaired runner Roy Daniell, who improved on his bronze medal in Sydney in 2000 with a gutsy silver medal. The marathon started in the village of Marathon and ended in the historic, marble Panathenaic Stadium, originally built in 331BC and the main venue for the first modern Olympic Games, in 1896.

Date: September 2004

Author: Photo by Tony Naar

The team sprint is a three lap race, with two teams of three cyclists competing against each other and starting on opposite sides of the track. One of the riders from each team peels off after each lap so that the final lap is ridden by a lone rider who has drafted behind his teammates for the first two laps. At the Athens summer Paralympics, Australia dominated the ranking round and its semi-final. Greg Ball was the best lead out rider in the competition and Chris ‘Gecko’ Scott was untouched as the final rider. However, Peter Brooks and Peter Homann were both vying for the spot as second rider, one riding the qualifying round and the other the semi-final. Brooks rode faster, so was selected for the gold medal ride. However, Homann had not yet won a gold medal at his final Games and Scott stepped out of the final to allow Homann to ride last for a gold medal. Because he had ridden in both previous rounds, Scott also received a gold medal, his third of the Games. His gesture, however, was not appreciated as much by the coaches as it was by his teammate.

Date: September 2004

Basketballer Troy Sachs feels the cold as he begins his session in the ice bath in the recovery centre set up in an underground garage in the Australian allotment during the 2004 summer Paralympics. The centre was managed by Australian Institute of Sport senior physiologist Inigo Mujika, who came into the Village on a guest pass each morning. By 2004, the concept of active recovery for athletes was becoming increasingly important. The baths were chilled with ice cubes. The men’s basketball team and the cycling team were the main users of the centre.

Date: September 2004

Kieran Modra (vision impaired rider, back) and Tyson Lawrence (sighted pilot, front) during their gold medal ride in the men’s tandem pursuit at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games.

Date: September 2017

Australian comedian Adam Hills gives a performance to the Australian Paralympic Team in the athletes’ village during the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games. Hills was part of the ABC TV team broadcasting the Games. His popular British TV show, “The Last Leg“, started during the London Paralympics.

Date: September 2008

Daniela di Toro plays a backhand in her first round match at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games. Di Toro lost the match to Katharina Kruger of Germany.

Date: September 2008

The medallists in the men’s S9 100m butterfly at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games. Left to right: Silver medallist Matthew Cowdrey from Australia, gold medallist Tamas Sors from Hungary and bronze medallist Zhi Guo from China. Sors set a new world record in winning the event, lowering the record he set in the morning’s heats.

Date: September 2008

Australia’s most successful winter Paralympian, Michael Milton, had a reputation for rising to the big occasions. His performance to win a silver medal in the men’s standing downhill event from a field of 49 skiers in the alpine skiing at the Torino winter Paralympics was seen by many to be equal to his best. Changes to the competition structure for the Torino Games meant that all standing skiers competed for one gold medal, with a factoring system, based on historical performances, used to standardise times and determine the winners. The Australians believed that this was detrimental to its single legged skiers if the start was anything other than fast and steep (which it often wasn’t) or if the course was flat and technical, as it was more difficult for skiers on a single leg to develop or carry speed in those conditions.

Date: March 2006

Author: Photo by Jennie Milton, APC official photographer for the 2006 winter Paralympics

After the Athens Paralympics, it was obvious that the pool of talent required to maintain Australia’s Paralympic standing would not keep replenishing itself. As sports were ‘mainstreamed’ and became the responsibility of national federations, there were calls, especially from athletics head coach Scott Goodman, for the Australian Paralympic Committee to use its expertise and experience to coordinate a national talent identification program. The APC’s ‘Talent Search’ program commenced with a ‘come and try’ day in March 2005 in Newcastle, NSW, at the University of Newcastle conducted by Paralympian Amy Winters and program manager Kellie Puxty. Amazingly, one of the attendees at that day, Kath Proudfoot, went on to become the first athlete identified through the program to win a Paralympic medal when she won a silver medal in the discus at the Beijing summer Paralympics. By the Beijing Games, 72 Talent Search activities had been conducted, with 1,008 participants. Of these, 127 were identified at ‘tier one’ athletes (future elite potential within two years) and 395 as ‘tier two’ athletes (elite potential within four years). Fifty-three Talent Search athletes were part of the Paralympic Preparation Program in the year leading into the Beijing Games, with 27 Talent Search athletes being selected in the Australian Paralympic Team and 15 of these winning medals at their first Paralympic Games. The program had been a success and over the years continued to contribute an increasing number of athletes to Australian teams.

Date: March 2005

Author: From "Daily Liberal" (Dubbo NSW), Saturday 26/1/2008, page 7, general news.

Exhaustion is written in the face and body of Kurt Fearnley as he crosses the line to win the T54 wheelchair marathon at the Athens summer Paralympics. Fearnley left the pack on a climb with about 7km to go and then pushed the last 5km with one tyre punctured. Although the tyre retained some pressure, it made the chair unbalanced and the pushing effort so much greater. It was the race that established Fearnley as the pre-eminent wheelchair distance racer. Some time after Fearnley had recovered and left the scene, the ambulant athletes entered the stadium, including vision-impaired runner Roy Daniell, who improved on his bronze medal in Sydney in 2000 with a gutsy silver medal. The marathon started in the village of Marathon and ended in the historic, marble Panathenaic Stadium, originally built in 331BC and the main venue for the first modern Olympic Games, in 1896.

Date: September 2004

Author: Photo by Tony Naar

The team sprint is a three lap race, with two teams of three cyclists competing against each other and starting on opposite sides of the track. One of the riders from each team peels off after each lap so that the final lap is ridden by a lone rider who has drafted behind his teammates for the first two laps. At the Athens summer Paralympics, Australia dominated the ranking round and its semi-final. Greg Ball was the best lead out rider in the competition and Chris ‘Gecko’ Scott was untouched as the final rider. However, Peter Brooks and Peter Homann were both vying for the spot as second rider, one riding the qualifying round and the other the semi-final. Brooks rode faster, so was selected for the gold medal ride. However, Homann had not yet won a gold medal at his final Games and Scott stepped out of the final to allow Homann to ride last for a gold medal. Because he had ridden in both previous rounds, Scott also received a gold medal, his third of the Games. His gesture, however, was not appreciated as much by the coaches as it was by his teammate.

Date: September 2004

Basketballer Troy Sachs feels the cold as he begins his session in the ice bath in the recovery centre set up in an underground garage in the Australian allotment during the 2004 summer Paralympics. The centre was managed by Australian Institute of Sport senior physiologist Inigo Mujika, who came into the Village on a guest pass each morning. By 2004, the concept of active recovery for athletes was becoming increasingly important. The baths were chilled with ice cubes. The men’s basketball team and the cycling team were the main users of the centre.

Date: September 2004

Kieran Modra (vision impaired rider, back) and Tyson Lawrence (sighted pilot, front) during their gold medal ride in the men’s tandem pursuit at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games.

Date: September 2017

Australian comedian Adam Hills gives a performance to the Australian Paralympic Team in the athletes’ village during the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games. Hills was part of the ABC TV team broadcasting the Games. His popular British TV show, “The Last Leg“, started during the London Paralympics.

Date: September 2008

Daniela di Toro plays a backhand in her first round match at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games. Di Toro lost the match to Katharina Kruger of Germany.

Date: September 2008

The medallists in the men’s S9 100m butterfly at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games. Left to right: Silver medallist Matthew Cowdrey from Australia, gold medallist Tamas Sors from Hungary and bronze medallist Zhi Guo from China. Sors set a new world record in winning the event, lowering the record he set in the morning’s heats.

Date: September 2008

Australia’s most successful winter Paralympian, Michael Milton, had a reputation for rising to the big occasions. His performance to win a silver medal in the men’s standing downhill event from a field of 49 skiers in the alpine skiing at the Torino winter Paralympics was seen by many to be equal to his best. Changes to the competition structure for the Torino Games meant that all standing skiers competed for one gold medal, with a factoring system, based on historical performances, used to standardise times and determine the winners. The Australians believed that this was detrimental to its single legged skiers if the start was anything other than fast and steep (which it often wasn’t) or if the course was flat and technical, as it was more difficult for skiers on a single leg to develop or carry speed in those conditions.

Date: March 2006

Author: Photo by Jennie Milton, APC official photographer for the 2006 winter Paralympics

After the Athens Paralympics, it was obvious that the pool of talent required to maintain Australia’s Paralympic standing would not keep replenishing itself. As sports were ‘mainstreamed’ and became the responsibility of national federations, there were calls, especially from athletics head coach Scott Goodman, for the Australian Paralympic Committee to use its expertise and experience to coordinate a national talent identification program. The APC’s ‘Talent Search’ program commenced with a ‘come and try’ day in March 2005 in Newcastle, NSW, at the University of Newcastle conducted by Paralympian Amy Winters and program manager Kellie Puxty. Amazingly, one of the attendees at that day, Kath Proudfoot, went on to become the first athlete identified through the program to win a Paralympic medal when she won a silver medal in the discus at the Beijing summer Paralympics. By the Beijing Games, 72 Talent Search activities had been conducted, with 1,008 participants. Of these, 127 were identified at ‘tier one’ athletes (future elite potential within two years) and 395 as ‘tier two’ athletes (elite potential within four years). Fifty-three Talent Search athletes were part of the Paralympic Preparation Program in the year leading into the Beijing Games, with 27 Talent Search athletes being selected in the Australian Paralympic Team and 15 of these winning medals at their first Paralympic Games. The program had been a success and over the years continued to contribute an increasing number of athletes to Australian teams.

Date: March 2005

Author: From "Daily Liberal" (Dubbo NSW), Saturday 26/1/2008, page 7, general news.

Exhaustion is written in the face and body of Kurt Fearnley as he crosses the line to win the T54 wheelchair marathon at the Athens summer Paralympics. Fearnley left the pack on a climb with about 7km to go and then pushed the last 5km with one tyre punctured. Although the tyre retained some pressure, it made the chair unbalanced and the pushing effort so much greater. It was the race that established Fearnley as the pre-eminent wheelchair distance racer. Some time after Fearnley had recovered and left the scene, the ambulant athletes entered the stadium, including vision-impaired runner Roy Daniell, who improved on his bronze medal in Sydney in 2000 with a gutsy silver medal. The marathon started in the village of Marathon and ended in the historic, marble Panathenaic Stadium, originally built in 331BC and the main venue for the first modern Olympic Games, in 1896.

Date: September 2004

Author: Photo by Tony Naar

The team sprint is a three lap race, with two teams of three cyclists competing against each other and starting on opposite sides of the track. One of the riders from each team peels off after each lap so that the final lap is ridden by a lone rider who has drafted behind his teammates for the first two laps. At the Athens summer Paralympics, Australia dominated the ranking round and its semi-final. Greg Ball was the best lead out rider in the competition and Chris ‘Gecko’ Scott was untouched as the final rider. However, Peter Brooks and Peter Homann were both vying for the spot as second rider, one riding the qualifying round and the other the semi-final. Brooks rode faster, so was selected for the gold medal ride. However, Homann had not yet won a gold medal at his final Games and Scott stepped out of the final to allow Homann to ride last for a gold medal. Because he had ridden in both previous rounds, Scott also received a gold medal, his third of the Games. His gesture, however, was not appreciated as much by the coaches as it was by his teammate.

Date: September 2004

Basketballer Troy Sachs feels the cold as he begins his session in the ice bath in the recovery centre set up in an underground garage in the Australian allotment during the 2004 summer Paralympics. The centre was managed by Australian Institute of Sport senior physiologist Inigo Mujika, who came into the Village on a guest pass each morning. By 2004, the concept of active recovery for athletes was becoming increasingly important. The baths were chilled with ice cubes. The men’s basketball team and the cycling team were the main users of the centre.

Date: September 2004

Kieran Modra (vision impaired rider, back) and Tyson Lawrence (sighted pilot, front) during their gold medal ride in the men’s tandem pursuit at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games.

Date: September 2017

Australian comedian Adam Hills gives a performance to the Australian Paralympic Team in the athletes’ village during the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games. Hills was part of the ABC TV team broadcasting the Games. His popular British TV show, “The Last Leg“, started during the London Paralympics.

Date: September 2008

Daniela di Toro plays a backhand in her first round match at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games. Di Toro lost the match to Katharina Kruger of Germany.

Date: September 2008

The medallists in the men’s S9 100m butterfly at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games. Left to right: Silver medallist Matthew Cowdrey from Australia, gold medallist Tamas Sors from Hungary and bronze medallist Zhi Guo from China. Sors set a new world record in winning the event, lowering the record he set in the morning’s heats.

Date: September 2008

Australia’s most successful winter Paralympian, Michael Milton, had a reputation for rising to the big occasions. His performance to win a silver medal in the men’s standing downhill event from a field of 49 skiers in the alpine skiing at the Torino winter Paralympics was seen by many to be equal to his best. Changes to the competition structure for the Torino Games meant that all standing skiers competed for one gold medal, with a factoring system, based on historical performances, used to standardise times and determine the winners. The Australians believed that this was detrimental to its single legged skiers if the start was anything other than fast and steep (which it often wasn’t) or if the course was flat and technical, as it was more difficult for skiers on a single leg to develop or carry speed in those conditions.

Date: March 2006

Author: Photo by Jennie Milton, APC official photographer for the 2006 winter Paralympics

After the Athens Paralympics, it was obvious that the pool of talent required to maintain Australia’s Paralympic standing would not keep replenishing itself. As sports were ‘mainstreamed’ and became the responsibility of national federations, there were calls, especially from athletics head coach Scott Goodman, for the Australian Paralympic Committee to use its expertise and experience to coordinate a national talent identification program. The APC’s ‘Talent Search’ program commenced with a ‘come and try’ day in March 2005 in Newcastle, NSW, at the University of Newcastle conducted by Paralympian Amy Winters and program manager Kellie Puxty. Amazingly, one of the attendees at that day, Kath Proudfoot, went on to become the first athlete identified through the program to win a Paralympic medal when she won a silver medal in the discus at the Beijing summer Paralympics. By the Beijing Games, 72 Talent Search activities had been conducted, with 1,008 participants. Of these, 127 were identified at ‘tier one’ athletes (future elite potential within two years) and 395 as ‘tier two’ athletes (elite potential within four years). Fifty-three Talent Search athletes were part of the Paralympic Preparation Program in the year leading into the Beijing Games, with 27 Talent Search athletes being selected in the Australian Paralympic Team and 15 of these winning medals at their first Paralympic Games. The program had been a success and over the years continued to contribute an increasing number of athletes to Australian teams.

Date: March 2005

Author: From "Daily Liberal" (Dubbo NSW), Saturday 26/1/2008, page 7, general news.

Exhaustion is written in the face and body of Kurt Fearnley as he crosses the line to win the T54 wheelchair marathon at the Athens summer Paralympics. Fearnley left the pack on a climb with about 7km to go and then pushed the last 5km with one tyre punctured. Although the tyre retained some pressure, it made the chair unbalanced and the pushing effort so much greater. It was the race that established Fearnley as the pre-eminent wheelchair distance racer. Some time after Fearnley had recovered and left the scene, the ambulant athletes entered the stadium, including vision-impaired runner Roy Daniell, who improved on his bronze medal in Sydney in 2000 with a gutsy silver medal. The marathon started in the village of Marathon and ended in the historic, marble Panathenaic Stadium, originally built in 331BC and the main venue for the first modern Olympic Games, in 1896.

Date: September 2004

Author: Photo by Tony Naar

The team sprint is a three lap race, with two teams of three cyclists competing against each other and starting on opposite sides of the track. One of the riders from each team peels off after each lap so that the final lap is ridden by a lone rider who has drafted behind his teammates for the first two laps. At the Athens summer Paralympics, Australia dominated the ranking round and its semi-final. Greg Ball was the best lead out rider in the competition and Chris ‘Gecko’ Scott was untouched as the final rider. However, Peter Brooks and Peter Homann were both vying for the spot as second rider, one riding the qualifying round and the other the semi-final. Brooks rode faster, so was selected for the gold medal ride. However, Homann had not yet won a gold medal at his final Games and Scott stepped out of the final to allow Homann to ride last for a gold medal. Because he had ridden in both previous rounds, Scott also received a gold medal, his third of the Games. His gesture, however, was not appreciated as much by the coaches as it was by his teammate.

Date: September 2004

Basketballer Troy Sachs feels the cold as he begins his session in the ice bath in the recovery centre set up in an underground garage in the Australian allotment during the 2004 summer Paralympics. The centre was managed by Australian Institute of Sport senior physiologist Inigo Mujika, who came into the Village on a guest pass each morning. By 2004, the concept of active recovery for athletes was becoming increasingly important. The baths were chilled with ice cubes. The men’s basketball team and the cycling team were the main users of the centre.

Date: September 2004

Kieran Modra (vision impaired rider, back) and Tyson Lawrence (sighted pilot, front) during their gold medal ride in the men’s tandem pursuit at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games.

Date: September 2017

Australian comedian Adam Hills gives a performance to the Australian Paralympic Team in the athletes’ village during the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games. Hills was part of the ABC TV team broadcasting the Games. His popular British TV show, “The Last Leg“, started during the London Paralympics.

Date: September 2008

Daniela di Toro plays a backhand in her first round match at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games. Di Toro lost the match to Katharina Kruger of Germany.

Date: September 2008

The medallists in the men’s S9 100m butterfly at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games. Left to right: Silver medallist Matthew Cowdrey from Australia, gold medallist Tamas Sors from Hungary and bronze medallist Zhi Guo from China. Sors set a new world record in winning the event, lowering the record he set in the morning’s heats.

Date: September 2008

Australia’s most successful winter Paralympian, Michael Milton, had a reputation for rising to the big occasions. His performance to win a silver medal in the men’s standing downhill event from a field of 49 skiers in the alpine skiing at the Torino winter Paralympics was seen by many to be equal to his best. Changes to the competition structure for the Torino Games meant that all standing skiers competed for one gold medal, with a factoring system, based on historical performances, used to standardise times and determine the winners. The Australians believed that this was detrimental to its single legged skiers if the start was anything other than fast and steep (which it often wasn’t) or if the course was flat and technical, as it was more difficult for skiers on a single leg to develop or carry speed in those conditions.

Date: March 2006

Author: Photo by Jennie Milton, APC official photographer for the 2006 winter Paralympics

After the Athens Paralympics, it was obvious that the pool of talent required to maintain Australia’s Paralympic standing would not keep replenishing itself. As sports were ‘mainstreamed’ and became the responsibility of national federations, there were calls, especially from athletics head coach Scott Goodman, for the Australian Paralympic Committee to use its expertise and experience to coordinate a national talent identification program. The APC’s ‘Talent Search’ program commenced with a ‘come and try’ day in March 2005 in Newcastle, NSW, at the University of Newcastle conducted by Paralympian Amy Winters and program manager Kellie Puxty. Amazingly, one of the attendees at that day, Kath Proudfoot, went on to become the first athlete identified through the program to win a Paralympic medal when she won a silver medal in the discus at the Beijing summer Paralympics. By the Beijing Games, 72 Talent Search activities had been conducted, with 1,008 participants. Of these, 127 were identified at ‘tier one’ athletes (future elite potential within two years) and 395 as ‘tier two’ athletes (elite potential within four years). Fifty-three Talent Search athletes were part of the Paralympic Preparation Program in the year leading into the Beijing Games, with 27 Talent Search athletes being selected in the Australian Paralympic Team and 15 of these winning medals at their first Paralympic Games. The program had been a success and over the years continued to contribute an increasing number of athletes to Australian teams.

Date: March 2005

Author: From "Daily Liberal" (Dubbo NSW), Saturday 26/1/2008, page 7, general news.

Exhaustion is written in the face and body of Kurt Fearnley as he crosses the line to win the T54 wheelchair marathon at the Athens summer Paralympics. Fearnley left the pack on a climb with about 7km to go and then pushed the last 5km with one tyre punctured. Although the tyre retained some pressure, it made the chair unbalanced and the pushing effort so much greater. It was the race that established Fearnley as the pre-eminent wheelchair distance racer. Some time after Fearnley had recovered and left the scene, the ambulant athletes entered the stadium, including vision-impaired runner Roy Daniell, who improved on his bronze medal in Sydney in 2000 with a gutsy silver medal. The marathon started in the village of Marathon and ended in the historic, marble Panathenaic Stadium, originally built in 331BC and the main venue for the first modern Olympic Games, in 1896.

Date: September 2004

Author: Photo by Tony Naar

The team sprint is a three lap race, with two teams of three cyclists competing against each other and starting on opposite sides of the track. One of the riders from each team peels off after each lap so that the final lap is ridden by a lone rider who has drafted behind his teammates for the first two laps. At the Athens summer Paralympics, Australia dominated the ranking round and its semi-final. Greg Ball was the best lead out rider in the competition and Chris ‘Gecko’ Scott was untouched as the final rider. However, Peter Brooks and Peter Homann were both vying for the spot as second rider, one riding the qualifying round and the other the semi-final. Brooks rode faster, so was selected for the gold medal ride. However, Homann had not yet won a gold medal at his final Games and Scott stepped out of the final to allow Homann to ride last for a gold medal. Because he had ridden in both previous rounds, Scott also received a gold medal, his third of the Games. His gesture, however, was not appreciated as much by the coaches as it was by his teammate.

Date: September 2004

Basketballer Troy Sachs feels the cold as he begins his session in the ice bath in the recovery centre set up in an underground garage in the Australian allotment during the 2004 summer Paralympics. The centre was managed by Australian Institute of Sport senior physiologist Inigo Mujika, who came into the Village on a guest pass each morning. By 2004, the concept of active recovery for athletes was becoming increasingly important. The baths were chilled with ice cubes. The men’s basketball team and the cycling team were the main users of the centre.

Date: September 2004

Kieran Modra (vision impaired rider, back) and Tyson Lawrence (sighted pilot, front) during their gold medal ride in the men’s tandem pursuit at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games.

Date: September 2017

Australian comedian Adam Hills gives a performance to the Australian Paralympic Team in the athletes’ village during the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games. Hills was part of the ABC TV team broadcasting the Games. His popular British TV show, “The Last Leg“, started during the London Paralympics.

Date: September 2008

Daniela di Toro plays a backhand in her first round match at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games. Di Toro lost the match to Katharina Kruger of Germany.

Date: September 2008

The medallists in the men’s S9 100m butterfly at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games. Left to right: Silver medallist Matthew Cowdrey from Australia, gold medallist Tamas Sors from Hungary and bronze medallist Zhi Guo from China. Sors set a new world record in winning the event, lowering the record he set in the morning’s heats.

Date: September 2008

Australia’s most successful winter Paralympian, Michael Milton, had a reputation for rising to the big occasions. His performance to win a silver medal in the men’s standing downhill event from a field of 49 skiers in the alpine skiing at the Torino winter Paralympics was seen by many to be equal to his best. Changes to the competition structure for the Torino Games meant that all standing skiers competed for one gold medal, with a factoring system, based on historical performances, used to standardise times and determine the winners. The Australians believed that this was detrimental to its single legged skiers if the start was anything other than fast and steep (which it often wasn’t) or if the course was flat and technical, as it was more difficult for skiers on a single leg to develop or carry speed in those conditions.

Date: March 2006

Author: Photo by Jennie Milton, APC official photographer for the 2006 winter Paralympics

After the Athens Paralympics, it was obvious that the pool of talent required to maintain Australia’s Paralympic standing would not keep replenishing itself. As sports were ‘mainstreamed’ and became the responsibility of national federations, there were calls, especially from athletics head coach Scott Goodman, for the Australian Paralympic Committee to use its expertise and experience to coordinate a national talent identification program. The APC’s ‘Talent Search’ program commenced with a ‘come and try’ day in March 2005 in Newcastle, NSW, at the University of Newcastle conducted by Paralympian Amy Winters and program manager Kellie Puxty. Amazingly, one of the attendees at that day, Kath Proudfoot, went on to become the first athlete identified through the program to win a Paralympic medal when she won a silver medal in the discus at the Beijing summer Paralympics. By the Beijing Games, 72 Talent Search activities had been conducted, with 1,008 participants. Of these, 127 were identified at ‘tier one’ athletes (future elite potential within two years) and 395 as ‘tier two’ athletes (elite potential within four years). Fifty-three Talent Search athletes were part of the Paralympic Preparation Program in the year leading into the Beijing Games, with 27 Talent Search athletes being selected in the Australian Paralympic Team and 15 of these winning medals at their first Paralympic Games. The program had been a success and over the years continued to contribute an increasing number of athletes to Australian teams.

Date: March 2005

Author: From "Daily Liberal" (Dubbo NSW), Saturday 26/1/2008, page 7, general news.

Exhaustion is written in the face and body of Kurt Fearnley as he crosses the line to win the T54 wheelchair marathon at the Athens summer Paralympics. Fearnley left the pack on a climb with about 7km to go and then pushed the last 5km with one tyre punctured. Although the tyre retained some pressure, it made the chair unbalanced and the pushing effort so much greater. It was the race that established Fearnley as the pre-eminent wheelchair distance racer. Some time after Fearnley had recovered and left the scene, the ambulant athletes entered the stadium, including vision-impaired runner Roy Daniell, who improved on his bronze medal in Sydney in 2000 with a gutsy silver medal. The marathon started in the village of Marathon and ended in the historic, marble Panathenaic Stadium, originally built in 331BC and the main venue for the first modern Olympic Games, in 1896.

Date: September 2004

Author: Photo by Tony Naar

The team sprint is a three lap race, with two teams of three cyclists competing against each other and starting on opposite sides of the track. One of the riders from each team peels off after each lap so that the final lap is ridden by a lone rider who has drafted behind his teammates for the first two laps. At the Athens summer Paralympics, Australia dominated the ranking round and its semi-final. Greg Ball was the best lead out rider in the competition and Chris ‘Gecko’ Scott was untouched as the final rider. However, Peter Brooks and Peter Homann were both vying for the spot as second rider, one riding the qualifying round and the other the semi-final. Brooks rode faster, so was selected for the gold medal ride. However, Homann had not yet won a gold medal at his final Games and Scott stepped out of the final to allow Homann to ride last for a gold medal. Because he had ridden in both previous rounds, Scott also received a gold medal, his third of the Games. His gesture, however, was not appreciated as much by the coaches as it was by his teammate.

Date: September 2004

Basketballer Troy Sachs feels the cold as he begins his session in the ice bath in the recovery centre set up in an underground garage in the Australian allotment during the 2004 summer Paralympics. The centre was managed by Australian Institute of Sport senior physiologist Inigo Mujika, who came into the Village on a guest pass each morning. By 2004, the concept of active recovery for athletes was becoming increasingly important. The baths were chilled with ice cubes. The men’s basketball team and the cycling team were the main users of the centre.

Date: September 2004

Kieran Modra (vision impaired rider, back) and Tyson Lawrence (sighted pilot, front) during their gold medal ride in the men’s tandem pursuit at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games.

Date: September 2017

Australian comedian Adam Hills gives a performance to the Australian Paralympic Team in the athletes’ village during the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games. Hills was part of the ABC TV team broadcasting the Games. His popular British TV show, “The Last Leg“, started during the London Paralympics.

Date: September 2008

Daniela di Toro plays a backhand in her first round match at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games. Di Toro lost the match to Katharina Kruger of Germany.

Date: September 2008

The medallists in the men’s S9 100m butterfly at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games. Left to right: Silver medallist Matthew Cowdrey from Australia, gold medallist Tamas Sors from Hungary and bronze medallist Zhi Guo from China. Sors set a new world record in winning the event, lowering the record he set in the morning’s heats.

Date: September 2008

Australia’s most successful winter Paralympian, Michael Milton, had a reputation for rising to the big occasions. His performance to win a silver medal in the men’s standing downhill event from a field of 49 skiers in the alpine skiing at the Torino winter Paralympics was seen by many to be equal to his best. Changes to the competition structure for the Torino Games meant that all standing skiers competed for one gold medal, with a factoring system, based on historical performances, used to standardise times and determine the winners. The Australians believed that this was detrimental to its single legged skiers if the start was anything other than fast and steep (which it often wasn’t) or if the course was flat and technical, as it was more difficult for skiers on a single leg to develop or carry speed in those conditions.

Date: March 2006

Author: Photo by Jennie Milton, APC official photographer for the 2006 winter Paralympics

After the Athens Paralympics, it was obvious that the pool of talent required to maintain Australia’s Paralympic standing would not keep replenishing itself. As sports were ‘mainstreamed’ and became the responsibility of national federations, there were calls, especially from athletics head coach Scott Goodman, for the Australian Paralympic Committee to use its expertise and experience to coordinate a national talent identification program. The APC’s ‘Talent Search’ program commenced with a ‘come and try’ day in March 2005 in Newcastle, NSW, at the University of Newcastle conducted by Paralympian Amy Winters and program manager Kellie Puxty. Amazingly, one of the attendees at that day, Kath Proudfoot, went on to become the first athlete identified through the program to win a Paralympic medal when she won a silver medal in the discus at the Beijing summer Paralympics. By the Beijing Games, 72 Talent Search activities had been conducted, with 1,008 participants. Of these, 127 were identified at ‘tier one’ athletes (future elite potential within two years) and 395 as ‘tier two’ athletes (elite potential within four years). Fifty-three Talent Search athletes were part of the Paralympic Preparation Program in the year leading into the Beijing Games, with 27 Talent Search athletes being selected in the Australian Paralympic Team and 15 of these winning medals at their first Paralympic Games. The program had been a success and over the years continued to contribute an increasing number of athletes to Australian teams.

Date: March 2005

Author: From "Daily Liberal" (Dubbo NSW), Saturday 26/1/2008, page 7, general news.

Exhaustion is written in the face and body of Kurt Fearnley as he crosses the line to win the T54 wheelchair marathon at the Athens summer Paralympics. Fearnley left the pack on a climb with about 7km to go and then pushed the last 5km with one tyre punctured. Although the tyre retained some pressure, it made the chair unbalanced and the pushing effort so much greater. It was the race that established Fearnley as the pre-eminent wheelchair distance racer. Some time after Fearnley had recovered and left the scene, the ambulant athletes entered the stadium, including vision-impaired runner Roy Daniell, who improved on his bronze medal in Sydney in 2000 with a gutsy silver medal. The marathon started in the village of Marathon and ended in the historic, marble Panathenaic Stadium, originally built in 331BC and the main venue for the first modern Olympic Games, in 1896.

Date: September 2004

Author: Photo by Tony Naar

The team sprint is a three lap race, with two teams of three cyclists competing against each other and starting on opposite sides of the track. One of the riders from each team peels off after each lap so that the final lap is ridden by a lone rider who has drafted behind his teammates for the first two laps. At the Athens summer Paralympics, Australia dominated the ranking round and its semi-final. Greg Ball was the best lead out rider in the competition and Chris ‘Gecko’ Scott was untouched as the final rider. However, Peter Brooks and Peter Homann were both vying for the spot as second rider, one riding the qualifying round and the other the semi-final. Brooks rode faster, so was selected for the gold medal ride. However, Homann had not yet won a gold medal at his final Games and Scott stepped out of the final to allow Homann to ride last for a gold medal. Because he had ridden in both previous rounds, Scott also received a gold medal, his third of the Games. His gesture, however, was not appreciated as much by the coaches as it was by his teammate.

Date: September 2004

Basketballer Troy Sachs feels the cold as he begins his session in the ice bath in the recovery centre set up in an underground garage in the Australian allotment during the 2004 summer Paralympics. The centre was managed by Australian Institute of Sport senior physiologist Inigo Mujika, who came into the Village on a guest pass each morning. By 2004, the concept of active recovery for athletes was becoming increasingly important. The baths were chilled with ice cubes. The men’s basketball team and the cycling team were the main users of the centre.

Date: September 2004

Kieran Modra (vision impaired rider, back) and Tyson Lawrence (sighted pilot, front) during their gold medal ride in the men’s tandem pursuit at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games.

Date: September 2017

Australian comedian Adam Hills gives a performance to the Australian Paralympic Team in the athletes’ village during the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games. Hills was part of the ABC TV team broadcasting the Games. His popular British TV show, “The Last Leg“, started during the London Paralympics.

Date: September 2008

Daniela di Toro plays a backhand in her first round match at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games. Di Toro lost the match to Katharina Kruger of Germany.

Date: September 2008

The medallists in the men’s S9 100m butterfly at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games. Left to right: Silver medallist Matthew Cowdrey from Australia, gold medallist Tamas Sors from Hungary and bronze medallist Zhi Guo from China. Sors set a new world record in winning the event, lowering the record he set in the morning’s heats.

Date: September 2008

Australia’s most successful winter Paralympian, Michael Milton, had a reputation for rising to the big occasions. His performance to win a silver medal in the men’s standing downhill event from a field of 49 skiers in the alpine skiing at the Torino winter Paralympics was seen by many to be equal to his best. Changes to the competition structure for the Torino Games meant that all standing skiers competed for one gold medal, with a factoring system, based on historical performances, used to standardise times and determine the winners. The Australians believed that this was detrimental to its single legged skiers if the start was anything other than fast and steep (which it often wasn’t) or if the course was flat and technical, as it was more difficult for skiers on a single leg to develop or carry speed in those conditions.

Date: March 2006

Author: Photo by Jennie Milton, APC official photographer for the 2006 winter Paralympics

After the Athens Paralympics, it was obvious that the pool of talent required to maintain Australia’s Paralympic standing would not keep replenishing itself. As sports were ‘mainstreamed’ and became the responsibility of national federations, there were calls, especially from athletics head coach Scott Goodman, for the Australian Paralympic Committee to use its expertise and experience to coordinate a national talent identification program. The APC’s ‘Talent Search’ program commenced with a ‘come and try’ day in March 2005 in Newcastle, NSW, at the University of Newcastle conducted by Paralympian Amy Winters and program manager Kellie Puxty. Amazingly, one of the attendees at that day, Kath Proudfoot, went on to become the first athlete identified through the program to win a Paralympic medal when she won a silver medal in the discus at the Beijing summer Paralympics. By the Beijing Games, 72 Talent Search activities had been conducted, with 1,008 participants. Of these, 127 were identified at ‘tier one’ athletes (future elite potential within two years) and 395 as ‘tier two’ athletes (elite potential within four years). Fifty-three Talent Search athletes were part of the Paralympic Preparation Program in the year leading into the Beijing Games, with 27 Talent Search athletes being selected in the Australian Paralympic Team and 15 of these winning medals at their first Paralympic Games. The program had been a success and over the years continued to contribute an increasing number of athletes to Australian teams.

Date: March 2005

Author: From "Daily Liberal" (Dubbo NSW), Saturday 26/1/2008, page 7, general news.

Exhaustion is written in the face and body of Kurt Fearnley as he crosses the line to win the T54 wheelchair marathon at the Athens summer Paralympics. Fearnley left the pack on a climb with about 7km to go and then pushed the last 5km with one tyre punctured. Although the tyre retained some pressure, it made the chair unbalanced and the pushing effort so much greater. It was the race that established Fearnley as the pre-eminent wheelchair distance racer. Some time after Fearnley had recovered and left the scene, the ambulant athletes entered the stadium, including vision-impaired runner Roy Daniell, who improved on his bronze medal in Sydney in 2000 with a gutsy silver medal. The marathon started in the village of Marathon and ended in the historic, marble Panathenaic Stadium, originally built in 331BC and the main venue for the first modern Olympic Games, in 1896.

Date: September 2004

Author: Photo by Tony Naar

The team sprint is a three lap race, with two teams of three cyclists competing against each other and starting on opposite sides of the track. One of the riders from each team peels off after each lap so that the final lap is ridden by a lone rider who has drafted behind his teammates for the first two laps. At the Athens summer Paralympics, Australia dominated the ranking round and its semi-final. Greg Ball was the best lead out rider in the competition and Chris ‘Gecko’ Scott was untouched as the final rider. However, Peter Brooks and Peter Homann were both vying for the spot as second rider, one riding the qualifying round and the other the semi-final. Brooks rode faster, so was selected for the gold medal ride. However, Homann had not yet won a gold medal at his final Games and Scott stepped out of the final to allow Homann to ride last for a gold medal. Because he had ridden in both previous rounds, Scott also received a gold medal, his third of the Games. His gesture, however, was not appreciated as much by the coaches as it was by his teammate.

Date: September 2004

Basketballer Troy Sachs feels the cold as he begins his session in the ice bath in the recovery centre set up in an underground garage in the Australian allotment during the 2004 summer Paralympics. The centre was managed by Australian Institute of Sport senior physiologist Inigo Mujika, who came into the Village on a guest pass each morning. By 2004, the concept of active recovery for athletes was becoming increasingly important. The baths were chilled with ice cubes. The men’s basketball team and the cycling team were the main users of the centre.

Date: September 2004

Kieran Modra (vision impaired rider, back) and Tyson Lawrence (sighted pilot, front) during their gold medal ride in the men’s tandem pursuit at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games.

Date: September 2017

Australian comedian Adam Hills gives a performance to the Australian Paralympic Team in the athletes’ village during the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games. Hills was part of the ABC TV team broadcasting the Games. His popular British TV show, “The Last Leg“, started during the London Paralympics.

Date: September 2008

Daniela di Toro plays a backhand in her first round match at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games. Di Toro lost the match to Katharina Kruger of Germany.

Date: September 2008

The medallists in the men’s S9 100m butterfly at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games. Left to right: Silver medallist Matthew Cowdrey from Australia, gold medallist Tamas Sors from Hungary and bronze medallist Zhi Guo from China. Sors set a new world record in winning the event, lowering the record he set in the morning’s heats.

Date: September 2008

Australia’s most successful winter Paralympian, Michael Milton, had a reputation for rising to the big occasions. His performance to win a silver medal in the men’s standing downhill event from a field of 49 skiers in the alpine skiing at the Torino winter Paralympics was seen by many to be equal to his best. Changes to the competition structure for the Torino Games meant that all standing skiers competed for one gold medal, with a factoring system, based on historical performances, used to standardise times and determine the winners. The Australians believed that this was detrimental to its single legged skiers if the start was anything other than fast and steep (which it often wasn’t) or if the course was flat and technical, as it was more difficult for skiers on a single leg to develop or carry speed in those conditions.

Date: March 2006

Author: Photo by Jennie Milton, APC official photographer for the 2006 winter Paralympics

After the Athens Paralympics, it was obvious that the pool of talent required to maintain Australia’s Paralympic standing would not keep replenishing itself. As sports were ‘mainstreamed’ and became the responsibility of national federations, there were calls, especially from athletics head coach Scott Goodman, for the Australian Paralympic Committee to use its expertise and experience to coordinate a national talent identification program. The APC’s ‘Talent Search’ program commenced with a ‘come and try’ day in March 2005 in Newcastle, NSW, at the University of Newcastle conducted by Paralympian Amy Winters and program manager Kellie Puxty. Amazingly, one of the attendees at that day, Kath Proudfoot, went on to become the first athlete identified through the program to win a Paralympic medal when she won a silver medal in the discus at the Beijing summer Paralympics. By the Beijing Games, 72 Talent Search activities had been conducted, with 1,008 participants. Of these, 127 were identified at ‘tier one’ athletes (future elite potential within two years) and 395 as ‘tier two’ athletes (elite potential within four years). Fifty-three Talent Search athletes were part of the Paralympic Preparation Program in the year leading into the Beijing Games, with 27 Talent Search athletes being selected in the Australian Paralympic Team and 15 of these winning medals at their first Paralympic Games. The program had been a success and over the years continued to contribute an increasing number of athletes to Australian teams.

Date: March 2005

Author: From "Daily Liberal" (Dubbo NSW), Saturday 26/1/2008, page 7, general news.

Exhaustion is written in the face and body of Kurt Fearnley as he crosses the line to win the T54 wheelchair marathon at the Athens summer Paralympics. Fearnley left the pack on a climb with about 7km to go and then pushed the last 5km with one tyre punctured. Although the tyre retained some pressure, it made the chair unbalanced and the pushing effort so much greater. It was the race that established Fearnley as the pre-eminent wheelchair distance racer. Some time after Fearnley had recovered and left the scene, the ambulant athletes entered the stadium, including vision-impaired runner Roy Daniell, who improved on his bronze medal in Sydney in 2000 with a gutsy silver medal. The marathon started in the village of Marathon and ended in the historic, marble Panathenaic Stadium, originally built in 331BC and the main venue for the first modern Olympic Games, in 1896.

Date: September 2004

Author: Photo by Tony Naar

The team sprint is a three lap race, with two teams of three cyclists competing against each other and starting on opposite sides of the track. One of the riders from each team peels off after each lap so that the final lap is ridden by a lone rider who has drafted behind his teammates for the first two laps. At the Athens summer Paralympics, Australia dominated the ranking round and its semi-final. Greg Ball was the best lead out rider in the competition and Chris ‘Gecko’ Scott was untouched as the final rider. However, Peter Brooks and Peter Homann were both vying for the spot as second rider, one riding the qualifying round and the other the semi-final. Brooks rode faster, so was selected for the gold medal ride. However, Homann had not yet won a gold medal at his final Games and Scott stepped out of the final to allow Homann to ride last for a gold medal. Because he had ridden in both previous rounds, Scott also received a gold medal, his third of the Games. His gesture, however, was not appreciated as much by the coaches as it was by his teammate.

Date: September 2004

Basketballer Troy Sachs feels the cold as he begins his session in the ice bath in the recovery centre set up in an underground garage in the Australian allotment during the 2004 summer Paralympics. The centre was managed by Australian Institute of Sport senior physiologist Inigo Mujika, who came into the Village on a guest pass each morning. By 2004, the concept of active recovery for athletes was becoming increasingly important. The baths were chilled with ice cubes. The men’s basketball team and the cycling team were the main users of the centre.

Date: September 2004

Kieran Modra (vision impaired rider, back) and Tyson Lawrence (sighted pilot, front) during their gold medal ride in the men’s tandem pursuit at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games.

Date: September 2017

Australian comedian Adam Hills gives a performance to the Australian Paralympic Team in the athletes’ village during the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games. Hills was part of the ABC TV team broadcasting the Games. His popular British TV show, “The Last Leg“, started during the London Paralympics.

Date: September 2008

Daniela di Toro plays a backhand in her first round match at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games. Di Toro lost the match to Katharina Kruger of Germany.

Date: September 2008

The medallists in the men’s S9 100m butterfly at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games. Left to right: Silver medallist Matthew Cowdrey from Australia, gold medallist Tamas Sors from Hungary and bronze medallist Zhi Guo from China. Sors set a new world record in winning the event, lowering the record he set in the morning’s heats.

Date: September 2008

Australia’s most successful winter Paralympian, Michael Milton, had a reputation for rising to the big occasions. His performance to win a silver medal in the men’s standing downhill event from a field of 49 skiers in the alpine skiing at the Torino winter Paralympics was seen by many to be equal to his best. Changes to the competition structure for the Torino Games meant that all standing skiers competed for one gold medal, with a factoring system, based on historical performances, used to standardise times and determine the winners. The Australians believed that this was detrimental to its single legged skiers if the start was anything other than fast and steep (which it often wasn’t) or if the course was flat and technical, as it was more difficult for skiers on a single leg to develop or carry speed in those conditions.

Date: March 2006

Author: Photo by Jennie Milton, APC official photographer for the 2006 winter Paralympics

After the Athens Paralympics, it was obvious that the pool of talent required to maintain Australia’s Paralympic standing would not keep replenishing itself. As sports were ‘mainstreamed’ and became the responsibility of national federations, there were calls, especially from athletics head coach Scott Goodman, for the Australian Paralympic Committee to use its expertise and experience to coordinate a national talent identification program. The APC’s ‘Talent Search’ program commenced with a ‘come and try’ day in March 2005 in Newcastle, NSW, at the University of Newcastle conducted by Paralympian Amy Winters and program manager Kellie Puxty. Amazingly, one of the attendees at that day, Kath Proudfoot, went on to become the first athlete identified through the program to win a Paralympic medal when she won a silver medal in the discus at the Beijing summer Paralympics. By the Beijing Games, 72 Talent Search activities had been conducted, with 1,008 participants. Of these, 127 were identified at ‘tier one’ athletes (future elite potential within two years) and 395 as ‘tier two’ athletes (elite potential within four years). Fifty-three Talent Search athletes were part of the Paralympic Preparation Program in the year leading into the Beijing Games, with 27 Talent Search athletes being selected in the Australian Paralympic Team and 15 of these winning medals at their first Paralympic Games. The program had been a success and over the years continued to contribute an increasing number of athletes to Australian teams.

Date: March 2005

Author: From "Daily Liberal" (Dubbo NSW), Saturday 26/1/2008, page 7, general news.

Exhaustion is written in the face and body of Kurt Fearnley as he crosses the line to win the T54 wheelchair marathon at the Athens summer Paralympics. Fearnley left the pack on a climb with about 7km to go and then pushed the last 5km with one tyre punctured. Although the tyre retained some pressure, it made the chair unbalanced and the pushing effort so much greater. It was the race that established Fearnley as the pre-eminent wheelchair distance racer. Some time after Fearnley had recovered and left the scene, the ambulant athletes entered the stadium, including vision-impaired runner Roy Daniell, who improved on his bronze medal in Sydney in 2000 with a gutsy silver medal. The marathon started in the village of Marathon and ended in the historic, marble Panathenaic Stadium, originally built in 331BC and the main venue for the first modern Olympic Games, in 1896.

Date: September 2004

Author: Photo by Tony Naar

The team sprint is a three lap race, with two teams of three cyclists competing against each other and starting on opposite sides of the track. One of the riders from each team peels off after each lap so that the final lap is ridden by a lone rider who has drafted behind his teammates for the first two laps. At the Athens summer Paralympics, Australia dominated the ranking round and its semi-final. Greg Ball was the best lead out rider in the competition and Chris ‘Gecko’ Scott was untouched as the final rider. However, Peter Brooks and Peter Homann were both vying for the spot as second rider, one riding the qualifying round and the other the semi-final. Brooks rode faster, so was selected for the gold medal ride. However, Homann had not yet won a gold medal at his final Games and Scott stepped out of the final to allow Homann to ride last for a gold medal. Because he had ridden in both previous rounds, Scott also received a gold medal, his third of the Games. His gesture, however, was not appreciated as much by the coaches as it was by his teammate.

Date: September 2004

Basketballer Troy Sachs feels the cold as he begins his session in the ice bath in the recovery centre set up in an underground garage in the Australian allotment during the 2004 summer Paralympics. The centre was managed by Australian Institute of Sport senior physiologist Inigo Mujika, who came into the Village on a guest pass each morning. By 2004, the concept of active recovery for athletes was becoming increasingly important. The baths were chilled with ice cubes. The men’s basketball team and the cycling team were the main users of the centre.

Date: September 2004

Kieran Modra (vision impaired rider, back) and Tyson Lawrence (sighted pilot, front) during their gold medal ride in the men’s tandem pursuit at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games.

Date: September 2017

Australian comedian Adam Hills gives a performance to the Australian Paralympic Team in the athletes’ village during the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games. Hills was part of the ABC TV team broadcasting the Games. His popular British TV show, “The Last Leg“, started during the London Paralympics.

Date: September 2008

Daniela di Toro plays a backhand in her first round match at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games. Di Toro lost the match to Katharina Kruger of Germany.

Date: September 2008

The medallists in the men’s S9 100m butterfly at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games. Left to right: Silver medallist Matthew Cowdrey from Australia, gold medallist Tamas Sors from Hungary and bronze medallist Zhi Guo from China. Sors set a new world record in winning the event, lowering the record he set in the morning’s heats.

Date: September 2008

Australia’s most successful winter Paralympian, Michael Milton, had a reputation for rising to the big occasions. His performance to win a silver medal in the men’s standing downhill event from a field of 49 skiers in the alpine skiing at the Torino winter Paralympics was seen by many to be equal to his best. Changes to the competition structure for the Torino Games meant that all standing skiers competed for one gold medal, with a factoring system, based on historical performances, used to standardise times and determine the winners. The Australians believed that this was detrimental to its single legged skiers if the start was anything other than fast and steep (which it often wasn’t) or if the course was flat and technical, as it was more difficult for skiers on a single leg to develop or carry speed in those conditions.

Date: March 2006

Author: Photo by Jennie Milton, APC official photographer for the 2006 winter Paralympics

After the Athens Paralympics, it was obvious that the pool of talent required to maintain Australia’s Paralympic standing would not keep replenishing itself. As sports were ‘mainstreamed’ and became the responsibility of national federations, there were calls, especially from athletics head coach Scott Goodman, for the Australian Paralympic Committee to use its expertise and experience to coordinate a national talent identification program. The APC’s ‘Talent Search’ program commenced with a ‘come and try’ day in March 2005 in Newcastle, NSW, at the University of Newcastle conducted by Paralympian Amy Winters and program manager Kellie Puxty. Amazingly, one of the attendees at that day, Kath Proudfoot, went on to become the first athlete identified through the program to win a Paralympic medal when she won a silver medal in the discus at the Beijing summer Paralympics. By the Beijing Games, 72 Talent Search activities had been conducted, with 1,008 participants. Of these, 127 were identified at ‘tier one’ athletes (future elite potential within two years) and 395 as ‘tier two’ athletes (elite potential within four years). Fifty-three Talent Search athletes were part of the Paralympic Preparation Program in the year leading into the Beijing Games, with 27 Talent Search athletes being selected in the Australian Paralympic Team and 15 of these winning medals at their first Paralympic Games. The program had been a success and over the years continued to contribute an increasing number of athletes to Australian teams.

Date: March 2005

Author: From "Daily Liberal" (Dubbo NSW), Saturday 26/1/2008, page 7, general news.

Exhaustion is written in the face and body of Kurt Fearnley as he crosses the line to win the T54 wheelchair marathon at the Athens summer Paralympics. Fearnley left the pack on a climb with about 7km to go and then pushed the last 5km with one tyre punctured. Although the tyre retained some pressure, it made the chair unbalanced and the pushing effort so much greater. It was the race that established Fearnley as the pre-eminent wheelchair distance racer. Some time after Fearnley had recovered and left the scene, the ambulant athletes entered the stadium, including vision-impaired runner Roy Daniell, who improved on his bronze medal in Sydney in 2000 with a gutsy silver medal. The marathon started in the village of Marathon and ended in the historic, marble Panathenaic Stadium, originally built in 331BC and the main venue for the first modern Olympic Games, in 1896.

Date: September 2004

Author: Photo by Tony Naar

The team sprint is a three lap race, with two teams of three cyclists competing against each other and starting on opposite sides of the track. One of the riders from each team peels off after each lap so that the final lap is ridden by a lone rider who has drafted behind his teammates for the first two laps. At the Athens summer Paralympics, Australia dominated the ranking round and its semi-final. Greg Ball was the best lead out rider in the competition and Chris ‘Gecko’ Scott was untouched as the final rider. However, Peter Brooks and Peter Homann were both vying for the spot as second rider, one riding the qualifying round and the other the semi-final. Brooks rode faster, so was selected for the gold medal ride. However, Homann had not yet won a gold medal at his final Games and Scott stepped out of the final to allow Homann to ride last for a gold medal. Because he had ridden in both previous rounds, Scott also received a gold medal, his third of the Games. His gesture, however, was not appreciated as much by the coaches as it was by his teammate.

Date: September 2004

Basketballer Troy Sachs feels the cold as he begins his session in the ice bath in the recovery centre set up in an underground garage in the Australian allotment during the 2004 summer Paralympics. The centre was managed by Australian Institute of Sport senior physiologist Inigo Mujika, who came into the Village on a guest pass each morning. By 2004, the concept of active recovery for athletes was becoming increasingly important. The baths were chilled with ice cubes. The men’s basketball team and the cycling team were the main users of the centre.

Date: September 2004

Kieran Modra (vision impaired rider, back) and Tyson Lawrence (sighted pilot, front) during their gold medal ride in the men’s tandem pursuit at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games.

Date: September 2017

Australian comedian Adam Hills gives a performance to the Australian Paralympic Team in the athletes’ village during the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games. Hills was part of the ABC TV team broadcasting the Games. His popular British TV show, “The Last Leg“, started during the London Paralympics.

Date: September 2008

Daniela di Toro plays a backhand in her first round match at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games. Di Toro lost the match to Katharina Kruger of Germany.

Date: September 2008

The medallists in the men’s S9 100m butterfly at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games. Left to right: Silver medallist Matthew Cowdrey from Australia, gold medallist Tamas Sors from Hungary and bronze medallist Zhi Guo from China. Sors set a new world record in winning the event, lowering the record he set in the morning’s heats.

Date: September 2008

Australia’s most successful winter Paralympian, Michael Milton, had a reputation for rising to the big occasions. His performance to win a silver medal in the men’s standing downhill event from a field of 49 skiers in the alpine skiing at the Torino winter Paralympics was seen by many to be equal to his best. Changes to the competition structure for the Torino Games meant that all standing skiers competed for one gold medal, with a factoring system, based on historical performances, used to standardise times and determine the winners. The Australians believed that this was detrimental to its single legged skiers if the start was anything other than fast and steep (which it often wasn’t) or if the course was flat and technical, as it was more difficult for skiers on a single leg to develop or carry speed in those conditions.

Date: March 2006

Author: Photo by Jennie Milton, APC official photographer for the 2006 winter Paralympics

After the Athens Paralympics, it was obvious that the pool of talent required to maintain Australia’s Paralympic standing would not keep replenishing itself. As sports were ‘mainstreamed’ and became the responsibility of national federations, there were calls, especially from athletics head coach Scott Goodman, for the Australian Paralympic Committee to use its expertise and experience to coordinate a national talent identification program. The APC’s ‘Talent Search’ program commenced with a ‘come and try’ day in March 2005 in Newcastle, NSW, at the University of Newcastle conducted by Paralympian Amy Winters and program manager Kellie Puxty. Amazingly, one of the attendees at that day, Kath Proudfoot, went on to become the first athlete identified through the program to win a Paralympic medal when she won a silver medal in the discus at the Beijing summer Paralympics. By the Beijing Games, 72 Talent Search activities had been conducted, with 1,008 participants. Of these, 127 were identified at ‘tier one’ athletes (future elite potential within two years) and 395 as ‘tier two’ athletes (elite potential within four years). Fifty-three Talent Search athletes were part of the Paralympic Preparation Program in the year leading into the Beijing Games, with 27 Talent Search athletes being selected in the Australian Paralympic Team and 15 of these winning medals at their first Paralympic Games. The program had been a success and over the years continued to contribute an increasing number of athletes to Australian teams.

Date: March 2005

Author: From "Daily Liberal" (Dubbo NSW), Saturday 26/1/2008, page 7, general news.