Matthew Slade's car containing his training gear was stolen on Sunday night. Photo / Glenn Jeffrey
Matthew Slade's car containing his training gear was stolen on Sunday night. Photo / Glenn Jeffrey
KEY POINTS:
Matthew Slade's dreams of getting to this August's Paralympics in Beijing are in jeopardy after his car - containing training equipment made especially for him - was stolen from outside his Mt Eden home.
Slade, 29 won't be able to train this week after his green Nissan Bluebirddisappeared overnight on Sunday, and he's worried the loss of special shoes will affect his training schedule ahead of national championships and paralympic team selection.
Clutching his haul of medals won at previous Olympics and world championships, he said: "I'm hoping they've only taken the car for a joyride and I'll get the stuff in it back."
Slade has cerebral palsy and needs his shoes with their specially made soles to help him run.
"It's a real pain. I lost my wheelchair and starting blocks as well as a bike pump," Slade said.
The theft means he will have difficulty training before the nationals at the end of this month.
He has qualified for the Games but still has to be picked for the NZ team.
"It's made a big dent [in training] so I'm not sure how things will turn out. Without the training gear, it makes it difficult," Slade said.
He doubted the thieves would understand the significance of the shoes because they looked like normal Asics runners.
"You can't get that model any more and they're really good supportive shoes ... New ones might not support me as well."
The theft means he won't be able to travel to the Millennium Institute for training three times a week.
