Paralympics: Officials in the Irish Paralympic team lodged two protests to the Athens organisers over the crash in the women's T54 5,000 metres wheelchair race on Sunday that left Ireland's Patrice Dockery lying on the side of the track at the Olympic Stadium for over eight minutes.

As a result of the first protest, which Ireland claimed was the fault of Tunisian athlete Souad Chamsi, Dockery and Mexican Ariadne Hernandez, who both crashed out as a result, have been readmitted into tonight's final. Dockery, however, will not decide until today.

The organisers have simply fudged the issue in allowing both athletes back into the final. Rather than a field of 12, there are now 14 chairs competing. The winner of Dockery's heat, Wakako Tsuchida, will go in as favourite having won the race in a Paralympic record of 11:59.74 seconds. Ironically with more athletes in the chase, the chances of another crash are raised.

The second Irish protest centred around the amount of time it took medical assistance to reach Dockery, who suffered bruising to arms and shoulders and a graze on her forehead, sustained when she turned over on the track having been hit at approximately 28 kph. No reply has yet come back from the organisers regarding that protest.

"When the Tunisian hit my right wheel, I just said 'oh no' as the chair went up," she said yesterday. "You've got to go with it. I thought I didn't land too badly but when I hit the ground my head hurt.

"The officials took a while to get to me but I was kind of glad because I didn't want them pulling at my straps and all panicky about it. I'd be the best person to do that. Then when I sat up, that's when I felt the pain. This morning I'm sore but the doctor said that I would be."

The likelihood of an Irish medal in the event is remote and that is sure to come into Dockery's thinking. Last week in training she did 12:40 over the distance, the first time in a long while she had gone so fast. That time is still 40 seconds behind what the top four in the field achieved in the heats. No one more than Dockery is aware that she was being lapped when the crash occurred.

"When the appeal came back and I saw that I was in it (final), I was shocked because I didn't think I earned a place. I'd a great four laps, thrilled with that and then just fell off the back. I got to the stage where I couldn't keep that pace. I just wasn't going right, I wasn't. But that's okay. They were just better than me. That happens sometimes."

The difficulty in the T54 event is that as the athlete slows and drops away from the group they are doubly hit because they've no way of draughting. As well as falling away from the pack, the effort to get back up is made even greater because there's nobody to share the load.

Dockery is also entered in the 1,500 metres and the marathon. Whether she will go in the longer distance is under question. "The 1,500 is still in my schedule. I was feeling good in the first four laps (of the 5,000 metres). That's all the 1,500 metres is. My head is pretty good about that one. The marathon? . . . we'll see.

"I know I'm not in the same shape as I was in Sydney. It was very difficult for me to get the A standard this time and normally that wouldn't be an issue for me."

While America have provided the Games with 25 debutants in the swimming events alone, including a 12-year-old athlete, Dockery feels sore but far from jaded.

"I'm a strong athlete. I'm definitely not done yet. I'm only 33 years old. Okay in able-bodied terms, you might say I'm done but you've got to remember that my sport is non-weight bearing. Normally your mind gives up before your body does," she said.

"This is just a little bump. About the size of the one on my head."