Mairead Berry secured Ireland's fourth medal of the 2000 Paralympics yesterday when she won silver in the final of the 50 metres backstroke. The 25-year-old from Coolock in Dublin finished closely behind Sara Carracelas of Spain at Sydney's Indoor Aquatic Centre, which played host to 11,000 fans. Berry had started the better of the two, but was caught just past the halfway stage.
"I was very nervous before, but in the pool I was grand," Berry said after the race. "Unfortunately she (Carracelas) got me at the end. But it was a good race and hopefully I'll get her again."
"Thrilled," was the verdict from her coach Leo Green. "Everybody knows how hard she works and it makes it all worthwhile."
Berry came very close to taking gold. She has cerebral palsy and, with 20 metres to go, had the slightest of spasms in her right leg.
The brief pause in her action was enough to allow Carracelas to overhaul the Irishwoman. Berry regained her momentum quickly but the Spaniard was just too strong, her time of one minute 21.60 seconds setting a new Paralympic record.
On the track, there was major disappointment for Patrice Dockery, who lost out in the 1,500m final, finishing ninth. The race, fully 18 seconds off world record pace, was a tactical battle, the win going to Australian Louise Sauvage.
American Jean Driscoll was second and Mexican Ariadne Hernandez took bronze.
Drawn in lane one, Dockery became boxed in, unable to find a clear route to the front. With the leaders unwilling to stretch the field, the 29-year-old was eventually forced to go the long way round, but by that stage there was simply too much left to do.
Her upset was doubled with the realisation that her time set in the heat was actually five seconds faster than that recorded in the final.
Sauvage's victory will bring some much-needed relief after it emerged she will not get a chance to compete again in the 800m final, where she was beaten into second place by Chantal Petitclerc of Canada. The race, which was marred by a high-speed collision, had been due to be re-run today. But after hearing a lengthy submission on the behalf of Petitclerc, the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled against a re-staging of the event. The decision has ended Sauvage's unbeaten record on the track, which goes back to 1992.
There was more good news for the Irish in the boccia arena, where the team and pairs group stages got underway. Both Irish teams made it safely through, and Johnny Cronin and Margaret Grant were one win away from a medal after making it through to the semi-final of the pairs competition.
Cronin, whilst drained from his efforts on Tuesday, continues to impress.
The Paralympic equestrian programme began yesterday but there was bad news from the Irish camp. Joan Salmon and Breda Bernie, who were anticipating top-10 finishes in the visually impaired dressage, both had bad days and finished 18th and 19th respectively.
Blind Kenyan runner Henry Wanyoike found you are only as good as your equipment yesterday when his tiring guide prevented him from breaking a world record. The 26-year-old athlete was set to shatter British runner Bob Matthews' record of 15 minutes 43.34 seconds in the T11 5,000 metres when guide John Kyalu, weakened by illness, began to flag. Down the home straight, Wanyoike had to literally drag Kyalu over the finish line in 15:46.29, after the guide started veering towards lane eight.
As an elated Wanyoike jumped around in celebration at the end of the race, his right hand man fell to the track in obvious pain. An alert US guide leapt to Wanyoike's assistance and led the victor for a lap of honour as officials moved to help Kyalu.
