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Last Updated: Nov 18th, 2008 - 10:30:46 |
After a hugely successful 4 year campaign, cumulating with 3 fifth place finishes at the Paralympic games in Beijing, Cycling Ireland (CI) and the Paralympic Council of Ireland (PCI) are now undertaking a talent trawl to identify athletes with a disability and able bodied tandem pilots to try out for their 2012 Eye on London Programme.
As with CI’s other successful programmes, 2008 saw the introduction of a fully integrated, athlete centred and coach driven joint track and road endurance programme for the Paralympic Squad. The programme was designed to provide our selected Paralympic athletes with the correct environment to acquire the necessary skills and tactics to deliver career best performances on the track at the 2008 Paralympic games in Beijing. With 7 Irish records and countless top 10 finishes this proved very successful allowing the individuals on the squad to deliver their potential at Paralympic level.
The success of the overall programme was highlighted with the squad qualifying 4 bikes for the 2008 Paralympic games as against just one for Athens in 2004. This was achieved by the Irish squad winning three bronze medals in Cali, Columbia last November at the Pan-American Games. The squad went on to win Ireland’s first medal at World Cup level for many years by winning the bronze in the women’s 3km pursuit at the Manchester World Cup in May this year. The squad also won road stages in European Cups in Spain, with TT wins and countless podium places in competitions across the globe. A big step up from having just been placed in the top 10 at any previous World Championships.
After such a display, the programme will continue to grow this year and the selectors are looking for suitable riders to now apply in order to gain selection onto the 2009 programme with sights set firmly on a medal winning performance at London 2012.
Currently the squad consists of athletes in the following categories:
Blind and Visually Impaired – Male & Female
Locomotor Disorder (Upper limb disorder/amputees & mild spinal disorder) Male & Female
Cerebral Palsy – Male
It is hoped to expand the squad to include additional categories for 2012 including Lower Limb Disorder/amputees and Hand-cycling and female riders in all categories.
All members selected for the programme will be expected to meet identified track standards throughout the year at specific training camps or International Competitions.
Selected riders will each be provided with daily individual training programmes by the coach and will be required to fill-out dairies and return to the coach on a regular basis.
Applicants are invited from riders who feel they have the qualities needed to succeed at this high level of sporting performance. It is envisaged that initial screening tests using BT Units will take place on the weekend of 7th December in Dublin. Athletes identified as potential squad members will go forward to further Track Trials in the New Year. Applicants are required to submit the application form for the disability squad available on the Cycling Ireland website under key downloads section before Tuesday 2nd December.
Any riders looking for selection as Tandem Pilots who have already being accepted to test for the CI Elite Talent ID trawl need not test again but must fill in the disability testing form and clearly state that they have already tested.
Application forms can be obtained from info@cyclingireland.ie and must be returned to the same address by 2nd December.
For further information, contact the above e-mail address or contact Denis Toomey dmtoomey@marathonoil.com (087-2533630) or Brian Nugent at brnugent@yahoo.co.uk (086-8333851)
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