Paralympics: Martin, MacCalman head strong athletics team

Sydney 2000 gold medallists Peter Martin and Dave MacCalman head a strong New Zealand track and field team selected to compete at the Athens Paralympics Games this year.

The Waikato pair will be joined in Athens by world champion 800m runner Tim Prendergast and sprinter Matt Slade, the only New Zealander to win a medal at the IAAF 2003 world championships with Silver in the cerebral palsy 400m.

Throwers Willie Beattie and Terry Falevaii will attend their first Paralympic Games as will sprinter Kate Horan. All three are currently ranked in the top eight in the World in their specialist events and have been improving rapidly over the past 12 months.

Martin and MacCalman will be competing head to head in the same shot put and javelin events at Athens.

At the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) world athletics championships in 2002 Martin won gold in both events with MacCalman the runner up on both occasions.

It is a strong chance that they will again provide the quinella for New Zealand at Athens.

Claire Dallison and Bev Savage have been named as coaches of the athletic team.

The Athens 2004 Paralympics are in September, starting three weeks after the Olympic Games finish and will utilise the same venues and games village.

New Zealand Paralympic Games athletics team:

Peter Martin (Waikato), shot put, javelin, discus

Tim Prendergast (Wellington) 800m, 5000m

Matthew Slade (Canterbury) 100m, 200m, 400m

Willie Beattie (Rotorua) shot put, discus

Kate Horan (Wellington) 100m, 200m, 400m

Dave MacCalman (Bay of Plenty) javelin, shot put

Terry Falevaii (Auckland) shot put, discus

- NZPA