Paralympics: Dedicated family enjoy their golden moment

By GREG ANSLEY

SYDNEY - Katikati's MacCalman family have turned in two gold-medal performances.

One was Dave MacCalman's record-shattering javelin throw at the Paralympic Games in Sydney on Friday night.

The other was the endurance event at home by wife Anne and children Tim, aged 11, and Maija, 6, during the months of preparation.

While MacCalman's success excited them, they were probably more thrilled to see the slow grin spread across his face as his rival's final throw removed the last hurdle between him and the victor's podium.

"I haven't seen him smile in four months," Mrs MacCalman said.

"That's about right, too," her husband agreed.

For the kids, there was the added bonus of yet another golden moment.

As the NZ flag was raised for the first time at the stadium, they recalled their father's promise of a family holiday at the Gold Coast after the Games.

"We've been waiting a long time for this," Mrs MacCalman said as the Paralympic anthem heralded her husband's arrival for Saturday's medal ceremony.

"Dave has been really focused, very determined, and it has been a long haul for all of us really. It's been all that hard work and dedication - but it's all come to fruition. It's fantastic."

MacCalman agreed that it had been hard on the family.

"It's been a big focus for me," he said.

"I took six months out and trained six days a week, two two-hour sessions every day and did the work this time - not that I hadn't done it in the past, but I was more specific and I knew exactly what I was doing.

"I've had great support and everything has just fallen into place this time," he said.

But even with a world record and gold and silver Paralympic medals for the javelin, a world pentathlon record and a string of national records, MacCalman is unlikely to slow down.

He said he would re-evaluate his life after the Games, but could not see himself quitting.

In his youth he was a rising basketball star, who broke his neck diving into a river while on a scholarship in the United States.

"I've been competing since I started high-performance basketball in Wellington," he said.

"I'm 42 now. That's 25 years of being a trained athlete, with a serious injury in between, and I can't see myself stopping being fit."

He still has plenty of action left in the Sydney Paralympics.

He competes in the pentathlon on Friday, and in the shotput the following day.

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