Paralympic Athlete Highlight

Alexandra Rickham and Niki Birrell (Great Britain)

Sport: Sailing

Alexandra Rickham and Niki Birrell joined forces in 2007 competing in the two-handed Skud category and have gone from strength to strength ever since. At the Beijing Paralympics they secured fifth place in a very competitive field.

Success has continued as this year they have secured their fourth World Title in a row and Silver medals at events in Hyeres and Miami.

Niki Birrell comes from a family of keen sailors while Rickham came in to the sport following a diving accident in her native Jamaica.

They will be competing in Weymouth as the favourites and are hoping to win Team GB their first medal in the sport.

Paralympic Games 2012- Sailing

Where: Weymouth and Portland, Dorset

When: Saturday 1st Sept –Thursday 6th Sept 2012

Medal Events: 3

Athletes: 80

Sailing for athletes with a disability began to develop as a competitive sport in the 1980s, just over 10 years before it joined the Paralympic programme. Mastery over ever-changing conditions on open water requires skill, tactics and nerve, all of which will be essential for competitors in the Paralympic Sailing events at London 2012.

The Basics
At the Paralympic Games, athletes compete in three mixed events: the Single-Person, Two-Person and Three-Person Keelboat competitions. The design of the keelboats used in Paralympic competition provides greater stability, and the boats have open cockpits to allow more room for the sailors. Classification is used to level the playing field where there are a variety of disability levels.

Paralympic Sailing - Past & Present
Sailing was introduced to the Paralympic Games as a demonstration event at Atlanta in 1996. Four years later, it became a full medal sport at the Sydney 2000 Games. At London 2012, the Paralympic Sailing competition will be held in the beautiful but testing waters of Weymouth Bay on the south coast of England.

Jargon Buster
- Port: When looking forwards, the left-hand side of the craft.

- Starboard: When looking forwards, the right-hand side of the craft.

- Tacking: When a boat passes through the eye of the wind in order to change direction. Because it is impossible to sail directly into the wind, sailing boats must zigzag.

- Keel boat: Any boat with a keel as opposed to a centreboard or dagger board as used in dinghies.



Courtesy of http://www.london2012.com