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MEDIA RELEASE
18 September 2007
Over 1000 elite disabled athletes congregated in Taipei, Taiwan, for the bi-annual IWAS (International Wheelchair & Amputee Sports Federation) World Wheelchair and Amputee Games 2007 from 9 to 19 September. 12 athletes represented Singapore in athletics (wheelchair racing) and swimming. Tomorrow, the victorious contingent will return with a tally of 21 personal bests and 14 medals.
About 43 countries entered in this year’s World Games, including a significant number of athletes from Iran, China, Thailand and Italy.
From Singapore, 5 athletes participated in wheelchair racing and 7 in swimming. In the 100m wheelchair race (Men - T53), Muhammad Firdaus Bin Nordin, veteran marathoner Dr William Tan and new athlete Mohd Firdhaus Bin Osman raced against world-class racers like Krungget Pichet (Thailand). Pichet, who set a new world record during the 2006 9th FESPIC Games, continues his champion streak this time. 19-year-old Firdaus Bin Nordin eventually got 4th placing, with a slight difference of 0.03secs to the timing of second runner-up, Brent Lakatos (Canada).
In 200m and 400m wheelchair race (T53), Firdaus Bin Nordin again took 4th placing, losing third place to Intasen Sopa (Thailand) in both. It was a close fight in the 200m event, where Firdaus lost by 0.14 secs.
Besides a personal and a seasonal best, Eric Ting Chee Keong was awarded a silver medal in the 100m wheelchair race (Men - T52). Although Norsilawati Binte Sa’at and Dr William Tan did not win medals, Norsilawati returns with seasonal bests in all her events and Dr Tan personal bests in his. Firdhaus Bin Osman returns with 1 personal best - a fairly good performance for the newcomer, who has only started wheelchair since February this year.
Swimmers return with a heavy but heartening load. Three out of four female swimmers return laden with medals. 20-year-old Theresa Goh Rui Si returns with 3 gold, 3 silver and 1 bronze medals, and 2 personal bests, 15-year-old Yip Pin Xiu with 4 gold medals and 3 personal bests, while 13-year-old Khristine Quek returns with 1 gold and 1 silver medal. Newcomer Joanne Liu Xin Yan returns with personal bests in all events.
From the male swimmers, Lieu Teck Hua returns with 4 personal bests and a 4th placing in 100m Breaststroke (Men – SB9). James Leow Chen Hai returns with a 4th placing in 50m Free (Men – S9) - narrowly missing second runner-up - and two personal bests. Lim Keng Joo returns with 1 personal best in 100m Breaststroke (Men – S9) – an encouraging performance amidst coping with examinations.
For a complete list of results, please visit http://www.ele.saihs.edu.tw/bep/paralympic/main_list.php.
Click to download the IWAS 2007 results (Singapore) here.
The swimmers will return to Singapore tomorrow at Changi Airport Terminal 2, 6.45 pm, on flight SQ871. For interviews or more information, please contact us.
About Classification
All athletes with disability undergo classification when they attend international competitions, which test their physical functionality to ensure that they only compete with athletes who are similar in their functionality. This helps the athletes to compete under fair and just conditions.
For athletics, ‘T’ refers to ‘track’ and the smaller the number, the lower the functionality. For example, Eric Ting is a tetraplegic classified at T52, while Firdaus Bin Nordin is a paraplegic classified at T53, meaning that Firdaus Bin Nordin has a higher physically functionality than Eric Ting.
In swimming, again, the smaller the classification is, the less physical functionality the swimmer has. ‘S’ refers to ‘swimming’, and the corresponding ‘B’ and ‘M’ refers to ‘breaststroke’ and ‘medley’ respectively. A swimmer may be classified as S5 for freestyle and butterfly, but if his or her functionality is deemed lower for breaststroke, the swimmer may be classified as SB4. A good example is Theresa Goh Rui Si, who is classified as ‘S5, SB4, SM5’.
About Singapore Disability Sports Council (SDSC)
SDSC is the national sports body for the disabled in Singapore. It is the only local organization that caters sports for persons across all kinds of disabilities. It aims to help the disabled lead full and independent lives through sports. Besides providing sporting opportunities for them to realize their potential, SDSC trains talents to represent Singapore and pursue excellence at regional and international competitions. Visit more information at http://www.sdsc.org.sg.
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Kelly Fan
Manager
Corporate Communications
Singapore Disability Sports Council
Office: 6342 3503 Handphone: 9007 8669
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