Games reaching a crescendo

There were no medals awarded to NSWIS athletes on day seven, however gold was all but secured by NSWIS sailor Liesl Tesch and compatriot Daniel Fitzgibbon in the SKUD 18 class.

Tesch, a five time Paralympian in wheelchair basketball, and Fitzgibbon claimed first and second place in races nine and 10, respectively, to take their total score to 14, six points better than their nearest competitor. There is one race left for the duo at the Paralympic regatta, which is scheduled to take place later this evening, Sydney time.

Meanwhile, fellow NSWIS sailors Stephen Churm and Jonathan Harris sit in fourth place in the sonar class, needing to overcome a two point deficit if they are to feature on the medal dais.

Day seven also marked the beginning of the men’s wheelchair rugby competition, with NSWIS athlete Ryley Batt leading the way. Batt scored an incredible 37 goals as Australia defeated Canada 64-52 to begin the campaign on a positive note.

The Australian men’s wheelchair basketball team also continued their charge towards the medals with a comfortable 76-53 quarter-final victory over Poland. NSWIS athletes Grant Mizens, Tristan Knowles, Brett Stibners and Nick Taylor all featured for the team, with Knowles scoring 13 points and recording four assists.

The swimming events continued in the London aquatic centre, with three NSWIS athletes in action. Maddison Elliott finished seventh in the women’s SM8 200m individual medley; Katrina Porter finished sixth in the women’s SB6 100m breaststroke, and Annabelle Williams achieved the same result in the women’s S9 50m freestyle.

Cyclists Alexandra Green and Jayme Paris continued their respective London campaigns on day seven; Green finished fourth in the women’s C4 individual time trial and Paris finished seventh in the women’s C1-3 individual time trial.

Finally on day seven, London’s main stadium hosted the wheelchair track & road events, where four NSWIS athletes were in action. Angela Ballard placed fifth in the women’s T53 800m, Christie Dawes finished eighth in the women’s T54 800m, while Kurt Fearnley and Richard Nicholson finished 10th and 13th in the men’s T54 800m and T54 400m, respectively.