Paralympics: Proud moments for nation in late rush of successes

By GREG ANSLEY

SYDNEY - New Zealand's Paralympic assault became a medal charge yesterday as javelin thrower David MacCalman beat his own world record to win gold in the men's F52 event, and Kiwi athletes won three more silvers, in athletics and swimming.

MacCalman clinched his victory with a final throw of 16.19m, eclipsing the record he set last year by more than a metre.

He said that before the team left, Sir Murray Halberg told them to look their rivals in the eye and see their fear.

"I looked them in the eye and they knew I was a threat," he said.

"I'd really put the work into this. I'm just so pleased for my family and my country that something really positive has happened to it."

On the track, visually-impaired Wellington runner Tim Prendergast won silver in the men's T13 800m, Hamilton's John Dowall pulled from seventh place to second in the F44 shotput with a mighty 14.11m throw in the closing stages, and the third silver went to Napier swimmer Gillian Pollock in the women's SM8 200m individual medley.

With cyclist Mark Inglis' performance on Thursday, New Zealand's medal tally now stands at one gold and four silvers.

The medals came in a rush late in the day.

Dowell, a below-knee amputee, had an almost disastrous start.

"I started off really poorly and qualified seventh," he said.

"Then, on my fourth throw I cracked 13m for the first time and then I thought that I could really start setting it up.

"In the fifth round it really came together and I really felt it clicked.

"To pull it out when it really matters most is what every athlete dreams of."

Dowell will contest three more events - including his javelin class, which until last night he considered his best medal chance.

In the pool, Pollock, with congenital abnormalities to both upper limbs and who already holds world records in the 200km backstroke short course, 200m medley short course and 200m breaststroke short course, powered through from a slow start in the first butterfly lap.

She used her strength in breastroke to pull up with the leaders, and sprinted through the freestyle to overtake Australia's Brooke Stockham.

Pollock finished in 3m 04.12s, behind Hungarian Dora Pasztory's 3m 02.91s.

"It's wonderful," she said.

"I just had to think positive and kept thinking 'I've got to get a medal, I've got to get a medal.'

"I was pretty stuffed [in the last lap].

"I just tried hard to concentrate on my technique and get my kick going to pull me through the last lap."

On the track, Prendergast, considered before his event to be largely a dark horse, led for most of the course.

He was overtaken by world record-holder Tunisian Maher Bouallegue only in the final sprint.

Bouallegue finished in 1m 55.66s, outside his 1m 53.37s record.

Prendergast, who ran 1m 56.30s, appeared disappointed at his performance, but was already switching his focus to the 1500m next Friday.

"Come back next week and hopefully I'll do one better," he said.

Further medal hopes were fuelled by wheelchair racer Ben Lucas, who won a place in today's final of the T54 10,000m event.

Lucas was always on the pace in a relatively slow race and was not challenged for an automatic qualifying berth when he crossed in 24m 03.71s, more than 2m outside his personal best.

Swiss legend Heinz Frei won the heat and will start favourite to add to his considerable Paralympic medal collection.

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