This article is from page 3 of the 2006-03-28 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 3 JPG
IT WAS close but when the winner was finally confirmed another World Championship gold medal was on its way to Whitegate.
26 year old Derek Malone produced the race of his life to win gold at the International Paralympic Committee World Indoor Games in Bollnas, Sweden last weekend. The Clare man edged out Russian rival Valerij Stepanskoy in a thrilling climax to the 400 metres, classes 36/38 event, in a winning time of 55.89 seconds. Trailing for the first 200 metres, Malone dug deep to snatch victory on the finishing line. The closeness of the finish ensured there were a few anxious moments as the race officials deliberated over the photo finish.
“It was very tight,” said Derek. “I was behind for the first part of the race and I just took it on the very last stride. There was a photo finish and the officials were checking just to make sure that no one had broken the line or anything. It was a relief.”
The IPC World Indoor Games at Bollnas is the first global indoor IPC athletics competition. It offers Paralympic athletes an opportunity to compete in winter as well as summer and is a step towards periodisation, where athletes try to peak twice a her mother, Mary, says that the plucky youngster never complains. “She would love to be able to go out with her friends but she can’t do those things. But if I’m low, she’s the one who tells me it will be all right. She never complains – she just says she’s fine.”
Having to watch her diet closely means that Sara can’t eat anything with a high salt content and she is restricted in a range of foods.
“I’d love to eat a packet of Tayto,” she told the Clare People “one of the hardest things is having just one night a week where I don’t have to be on the machine.” year instead of just once.
Having devoted most of his training to preparing for the outdoor season and in particular the World Outdoor championships in Holland this September, the weekend’s victory was an extra bonus for Derek, who usually competes in the 800 metres.
“I have dropped down to 400 for this season and so far my progress has been okay. but I would be looking to improve,” said Derek.
His latest title adds to an already bulging medal cabinet that includes a silver medal from the 2003 European Championships, two gold medals from the 2001 World CP Championships and a bronze medal won at the 1998 World Championships.
Derek’s mother Anne said she was immensely proud of her son’s latest achievement.
“I’m delighted, he has worked so hard and he has put his life on hold to compete. It’s wonderful to see the hard work pay off. You could never tell him not to do anything because he will just go out and do it,” beamed Anne.
Now Derek has his eyes firmly on the 2008 Beijing Paralympic games. His success could have knock on benefits for other athletes with dreams of competing at the highest sporting level. Sara has been on the transplant list for 18 months and needs an adult kidney, but she is also an uncommon blood group, making a donor organ even more difficult to get.
As well as the ten hours a day of home treatment, Sara has to travel to Dublin regularly for specialised blood tests and this means leaving home at 5.30am and not getting back until around 8.30pm, when she has to get hooked up to the machine.
Her mother explains that the whole family would benefit if Sara got a kidney. “We can’t think about taking a holiday. Even on a day out, we have to be ready in case a call comes. We don’t think too far down the road but we know it could be much worse.”