PARALYMPICS:THE SPIRIT of Michael Phelps lives in the lanes of the stunning Water Cube, which is gearing up for the Beijing Paralympics. The facilities are second to none, and the pool's technical brilliance is something the Irish team enthuse about as they sit in the Paralympic Village, waiting for tonight's opening ceremony.
"We were in the Water Cube on Thursday morning and Monday night. The Water Cube is just amazing," says Ellen Keane, from Clontarf in Dublin, who at 13 is one of the youngest competitors in the Paralympics. She says the speed of the pool makes a 50-metre swim feel like a 25-metre pool.
For swimmers of every nationality, there is inspiration to be gleaned from the eight-time gold winner's performance last month.
"It feels really good to know about the records that have been set in the pool," says Hannah Clarke (18) from Saintfield, who is competing in the 100 metre breaststroke. "Because it's a fast pool, we're tapering down at this point. All the work was done in Ireland, now we get used to things, like the early starts," she says.
The Paralympics produces its fair share of legends, and the Irish team will be sharing the pool with some of the world's great sporting heroes. Ellen Keane will come up against Natalie du Toit, who leads the South African Paralympic team as the official flag bearer tonight, having done the same thing at the Olympics.
Du Toit, whose left leg was amputated after a scooter accident, qualified for the 10 kilometre open water swim in the Olympics last month, when she finished 16th, and she will be competing in the 50, 100 and 400 metres freestyle, 100 metres butterfly and 200 metres individual medley events in the Paralympics.
Keane acknowledges the strength of the competition and is aware of the kind of pressure the athletes are under. She has the confidence of youth, but her poise also indicates she has been well-coached to avoid the stress of a major event weighing too heavily on young shoulders.
"A lot of the countries are very strong. We don't know until the day.
"But it's like a family. We're very good friends with some of the other competitors. You just treat it like a regular race," she says.
Swimming manager Geraldine Conway says the key has been in the months of preparation.
"They've worked hard. They've competed in places like the US, the Czech Republic and Berlin. A good result is to get into the final. For Ellen, at 13, just to get here is an achievement and we are looking at her as 2012 gold medal potential," says Conway.
Another young swimmer in the spotlight is Darragh McDonald (14) from Gorey.
"There's no pressure on, except for the pressure I put on myself," he says.
Jonathan Cummings, from Coalisland, is attending his first Paralympics and is "gobsmacked" by the number of nationalities strolling through the village, which at times feels like a well-appointed software company campus.
Stephen Campbell, from Dungannon, likes to pass the time before the events start by keeping up with the GAA news and by slagging the Dublin Paralympians about their woeful year in Gaelic games.
"You got to keep your head on straight. And talking about the GAA keeps your mind off the sport," he says.
He can also turn to the swimming team captain, David Malone, who is attending his fourth Paralympics and is one of Ireland's most successful Paralympians, having won silver in Atlanta, gold in Sydney, and silver at Athens four years ago.
"You're always a bit apprehensive waiting for an event to start, but this is the best village I've ever seen and this is my fourth in a row. The Cube is the best pool I've ever seen, and I've been to some of the world's best pools," says Malone (30) from Ballinteer.
The clock is ticking. With just hours to go, what final preparations are the swimmers making?
"We've been resting a lot, getting used to the jet lag and avoiding junk food," says Keane.
Ah yes, junk food. There is temptation a-plenty for a hungry teen in the Paralympic Village, particularly in a high-performance sport like swimming where big calorie consumption is required to keep the body at its peak.
The international menu in the food hall at the Paralympics is carefully labelled with nutritional values at the counter for those who need to watch the fat or carb-load effectively.
There are no such labels on the McDonald's food at the other end of the food hall, although the food packaging is labelled once you've ordered it.
In fairness, most of the athletes are ordering chicken nuggets - apparently hugely popular since Usain Bolt revealed how big a part of his diet they were - and the bigger queues are at the McCafé wing of the outlet, and it seems like most of the athletes were avoiding the chocolate muffins on offer.
"Fruit and salads. No McDonalds," said Keane. "Until after the races," she adds, laughing.
2008 PARALYMPICS TEAM IREALND
ARCHERY
Seán Heary (Navan, Meath): Men's Open Compound
ATHLETICS
Jason Smyth (Eglinton, Derry): T13, 100m 200m
Michael McKillop (Glengormley, Antrim): T37, 800m
Roy Guerin (Tralee, Kerry): T53, 100m
Garrett Culliton (Clonaslee, Laois): F52, Discus
John McCarthy (Dunmanway, Cork): F51, Discus Club
Eoin Cleare (Shinrone, Offaly): F32, Shot Putt
Catherine Wayland (New Ross, Wexford): F51, Discus
Orla Barry (Ladysbridge, Cork): F57, Discus
Lisa Callaghan (Duleek, Meath): F37, Javelin
Patrice Dockery (Dublin): T53, 100m, 200m 400m
BOCCIA
Padraic Moran (Bray, Wicklow): BC1, Indiv; BC1/BC2 Team
Gabriel Shelly (Bagenalstown, Carlow): BC1, Indiv; BC1/BC2, Team
Roberta Connolly (Foxrock, Dublin): BC2, Indiv; BC1/BC2, Team
Tom Leahy (Ballyhooley, Cork): BC2, Indiv; BC1/BC2, Team
CYCLING
Michael Delaney (East Wall, Dublin): BVI, 1km Time Trial, Individual Pursuit, Tandem Sprint, Individual Time Trial Road Race
Enda Smyth (Santry, Dublin): CP4, 1km Time Trial, Individual Pursuit, Individual Time Trial Road Race
Cathal Miller (Artane, Dublin): LC1, 1km Time Trial, Individual Pursuit, Individual Time Trial Road Race
Catherine Walsh (Swords, Dublin): BVI, 1km Time Trial, Individual Pursuit, Individual Time Trial Road Race
EQUESTRIAN
Eilish Byrne (Armagh): Grade II, Team, Championship Freestyle Tests
FOOTBALL- Seven-a-side (FT7)
Aidan Brennan (capt) (Lucan, Dublin)
Paul Dollard (Rathfarnham, Dublin)
Luke Evans (Artane, Dublin)
Finbarr O'Riordan (Blackrock, Cork)
Mark Jones (Belfast, Antrim)
Gary Messett (Bray, Wicklow)
Kieran Devlin (Inchicore, Dublin)
Brian McGillivary (Firhouse, Dublin)
Joseph Markey (Clontibret, Monaghan)
Derek Malone (Whitegate, Clare)
Alan O'Hara (Portrane, Dublin)
Darren Kavanagh (Greenhills, Dublin)
SAILING
John Twomey (Ballinhassig, Cork): Skud18, 2-Person keelboat
Amy Kelehan (Dalkey, Dublin): Skud18, 2-Person keelboat
Paul McCarthy (Kinsale, Cork): Sonar, 3-Person keelboat
Paul Ryan (Ballygarvan, Cork): Sonar, 3-Person keelboat
Richard Whealey (Fermoy, Cork): Sonar, 3-Person keelboat
SWIMMING
David Malone (Ballinteer, Dublin): S8, 100m backstroke
Jonathan Cummings (Coalisland, Tyrone): S6, 400m freestyle, 100m backstroke
Stephen Campbell (Cookstown, Tyrone): S11, 100m butterfly, 100m freestyle 400m freestyle
Darragh McDonald (Gorey, Wexford): S6, 400m freestyle
Ellen Keane (Clontarf, Dublin): S9, 100m butterfly, 200m IM; SB8, 100m breaststroke.
Hannah Clarke (Saintfield, Down): SB5, 100m breaststroke
TABLE TENNIS
Eimear Breathnach (Ballinteer, Dublin): TT2, Women's Indiv; TT1-3, Team
Kathleen Reynolds (Blanchardstown, Dublin): TT3, Women's Indiv; TT1-3, Team
