Day 1 News...

As the GB Deaf Athletics Team approached the departure date, the excitement level also increased.  Most of the team met up and spent Monday night at the Premier Inn hotel at Heathrow Airport.  Tuesday morning, those who could not make it on Monday night joined up with the rest of the team at Heathrow Airport. We also met up with other GB team members from GB Women and Men's football team.  We left Heathrow Airport mid day on Tuesday and arrived at Taipei on Wednesday morning.

The journey to Taipei was exciting, but very tiring.  Everyone chatted for as much as possible and some people managed to grab a couple of hours sleep. 

We arrived at Hong Kong airport for an exchanged flight to Taipei. 

Dressed in the colourful GB Team tracksuit, we couldn’t wait to land at Taipei for a good night's sleep.  On landing at Taipei airport, we were greeted by the Deaflympics mascot and several photographers and TV companies at the airport.  We were told that GB was the first country to arrive in Taipei for the Deaflympic competitions.  Our athletics Talent ID Officer and Statistician, Guy Finney was interviewed on behalf of the GB team.

Taipei is an interesting city. We saw one of the tallest buildings in the world and our hotel is very beautiful and comfortable, but outside the hotel, we were confronted by excessive heat, which made us feel like roast chickens!

"We are all happy to get to Taipei safely.  Before the competition starts, we will take advantage of our earlier arrival to train as hard and as often as possible to acclimatise, before the championships begin" said GB TeamAthleticsTeam Manager, Brian Kokoruwe. All the athletics team are looking forward to Day 2.

 

Day 2 News...

Training at Taipei Institute of Sport

After a very much welcomed night’s sleep, most of us got up at 6am, some people at 5.30am.  It is taking some longer than others to adjust not just to the change in time zone, but to little changes to home comforts like TV channels, food, daily brews and even missing loved ones.  Yet, we are all aware that we are here for a reason; that’s to perform to the best of our abilities in the Deaflympics, so we become calm and more focused.

Day 2 followed precisely to plans.  After breakfast, we took a Taxi to the training ground where we met one of the managers.  He was very kind to us.  He took the team up to the training stadium by underground train. It was a journey that most of us enjoyed. 

The training stadium is very impressive. It has international athletics standard facilities including an indoor running track.  We were given a very warm welcome including a free cold drink, which we desperately needed because it was getting hot like an oven, and our skin seems to reach the point of melting.

A few athletes did training, which included a very light warm up and flexibility workout.  Others elected to relax away from the sun.

After training, we were guided to the underground station again we then stopped about an hour from our hotel to go food shopping.  We returned to the hotel for meal then most of the team went swimming.

“It has been a very good day.  The track is just perfect for us.  Our athletes have got to be cautious in this heat and drink plenty of water.  It is important that we continue training despite the heat because we need to get used to the weather and competition situation. Tomorrow is going to be another busy day and so we must focus on what do tomorrow”, said Guy Finney, GB Team Talent ID Officer and Team Statistician. 

Day 3 News...

Scorching hot and busy day 

It has been an eventful day. With many of us waking up at 5.30am, we had long day ahead to fill.  It wasn’t difficult at all to use up the time.  We went for our breakfast at 6am.  By 6.30, most of us have filled up with the buffet meal.  We were provided with wide range of choices, Japanese, Chinese, English and assorted European menu to pick from.  Unfortunately, we are here for sport, so we had to eat sensibly; fresh fruits, porridge, fat-free cereals, brown toast, fruit juices and plenty of water, whilst we starred at the chocolate cakes and other yummy items.
The bus arrived at 7.55am to take us to a private training track provided to us free of charge by the National Taiwan Normal University, Department of Physical Education.  Our friend, Chan Chun-Chen kindly negotiated for us to use their facilities at any time suitable to us. 

Despite the time being so early in the day, it was scorching hot, just like an oven.  This was not to be a barrier.  Everyone quickly got down to business, warming up first with an easy jog around the stadium, then focused on event-specific drills and training.  It was so hot, the starting blocks were like hot irons and the track felt like it has just been hotly laid out.  The media photographer was there to take pictures. 

“It has been a very good training session.  I found it very useful and beneficial to train in this hot weather, as it is a good practice for competition conditions” said GB athletics high jumper James Schofield.  Hammer thrower Bethan Lishman added “I felt heavy at the start.  Maybe because the long trip down here, but my training session went very well.  Am very happy.”

Training finished at 12pm, the bus came to pick us.  We arrived at the hotel for lunch.  Immediately after lunch, the Eastern Broadcasting Company came to do media profile filming.  After filming, it was time to rush back to catch the bus for the afternoon training session.  We got back to the hotel at 7pm, and then went for evening meal at 7.30pm.  At 7.45pm, Team Manager Brian Kokoruwe had to dash to a meeting with fellow managers.  At 8.30pm, we all met up for the athletics meeting.  We were now all getting tired.  Meeting ended at 9pm.  There was another management team meeting to attend to plan the day ahead. 

“Overall, today has been very good.  I am shocked and very excited to see my photo in the Taiwan National Newpress.  There are other GB sports represent, but at least athletics have been represented” said Guy Finney, DUKA Talent ID officer.

Another twice a day training sessions tomorrow and hope that it is not going to get any hotter than it has been so far. 

Day 4 News...

Another good training session

As we get closer to the Opening Ceremony, adrenalin is flowing faster and expectation is increasing.  As usual most of us got up at 5.45am.  Those who had a rest day, enjoyed longer session in bed!  Those who had to train had to be ready for the team bus by 7.55am.  As it happened, there has been communication breakdown today!  The bus didn’t turn as expected.  The driver didn’t get the message that we wanted to be driven to the track for 8.30am start.  Anyway, we booked 3 taxis. 

Back at the track, we were surprised that the normally quiet track was crowded.  There was a mini 4x200m mixed relay competitions taking place.  After speaking to the organiser and track caretaker, we were allowed to continue training.  The weather was getting hotter by the day, but no excuses. Team Manager, Brian Kokoruwe made sure that all the athletes kept to their training programmes.  At the end of the training session, we were surprised to be handed a bag full of re-hydration drinks by the track manager.  What a bunch of kind people! 

After training, we went shopping for fruit, more bottled water and some snacks.
Back at the hotel at 1pm, half of the team went swimming.  The water was warm, but relaxing.  The team had lunch and everyone went to their rooms to relax, play games or just to chat away on Facebook and MSN.  We can’t afford to waste energy or get further drained by the extreme heat outside.

At 3.30pm, we were all ready again for the 2nd training session.  Some people had a ‘rest evening’, so they went to support the GB Men’s football match against Taiwan local club.  GB won 3-nil.  At the track, the focus was on the throwers.  The session went very well. 

“I am really pleased with this session.  I felt very relaxed and now more acclimatised to the weather” said our Deaflympics defending Hammer champion Joanne Davison.

GB’s European Hammer champion, Beth Sewell added: “This was a very good session.  Everything went very well.  I am very relaxed too.I am throwing well!”

“I feel good too.  Importantly, I am very relaxed and enjoying it,” said Bethan Lishman, another of our Hammer thrower.

At the end of the evening session, partly exhausted, some of us dozed off in the bus on the way back to the hotel. After shower, we went for our buffet meal.  Glad there was no tempting chips today, but some ‘energy cakes’ still tempted us.
Another good day!  “The jet lag is starting to wear off for the athletes.  The evening session today was outstanding. 

Everyone is now finding their groove.  The group are coming to terms with the extreme heat and drinking plenty of re-hydration drinks.  If they continue to stay so positive and perform well in training, GB can expect some great results.  Bring it on!” summed up Rebecca Foster, GB Assistant Manager and team coach.  We look forward to tomorrow.

Day 5 News...

Great feelings
A normal start to the day;  early as usual, we had our breakfast then after a brief rest, our bus arrived to take us training.  Those who had a‘rest day’ spent extra hours in bed, but other activities were planned for them. 

Back at the track, we were welcomed back by the scorching heat.  It is worse here than other areas of the town because of the very limited shade.  Just a few footsteps of jogging, the athletes and officials start losing bucketfuls of sweat. 

However “The good thing with the weather is that it gets us going quicker than in the UK.  As it is very warm, we spend less time warming up and more time actually on focused training.  I am feeling great and I can see others are feeling the same.” said Hammer thrower Bethan Lishman

Lauren Peffers added: “It is very hot here.  It makes my legs very heavy, but am happy with the training so far.  Really pleased that we came here early to acclimatise.  I am sweating less and getting more comfortable with the heat.”

Team spirit has been good so far and today, we had a nice relaxing time at lunch.  Some members of the group went to look at the Deaflympics Stadium and warm up track.  Unfortunately, they weren’t allowed to look inside the athletics arena because it was being used for Deaflympics Opening Ceremony march, but still they found the surroundings very impressive.  “I cant wait for the Opening Ceremony.  It is going to be brilliant” commented Guy Finney, GB Athletics Statistician.

Day 6 News...

The mission in progress

Another early morning start for us officials and some athletes who had to train this morning.   After breakfast, we had a bit of rest, then the bus arrived to take us to the track. As soon as we got there, it was down to business. No messing around.  No time to wipe off the sweat off our foreheads and cheeks. We are all getting mean and ready for business.  The weather isgetting cooler, which is good for the athletes and so the mood change became apparent. It seems some of the athletes were having a bad session, but this is normal in sports. They kept at the mission and ensured the training programmes were completed.  “Not very good session today” said Joanne Davison. 

The afternoon session was better for most of the team.  There was a slight mix up with the bus driver today.  Supposed to have dropped those doing gym first, and then track users after, instead he dropped track users first and gym users later, which created some negative moods.  “It is probably just communication problem that led to the misunderstanding. “ explained Brian Kokoruwe.

At the end of the training sessions, we all got back to the hotel, exhausted but still full of energy.  We then warmly welcomed our team member Tim Stones who just arrived from South Africa.  After evening meal, most of us went for a walk and look around at the Taipei Night Market.  A few of us bought some bits and pieces, others just used the trip to observe the culture of Taiwan people and what a late market was like.

Day 7 News...

A touch of British

As usual, most of us were up by 6.30am.  Those of us who had late training session planned had late breakfast or stayed longer in bed!  After breakfast, we had a brief meeting to discuss ideas for the next few days.  Today, some people decided they wanted to visit the 101 building.  What a lucky few! 

Back at the track, we all felt like we were at our second home!  Bags and equipment dropped at same usual spots, it was time to warm up and perform the drills.  Oh well, today was unusually cool and cloudy.  We didn’t expect to see a drop of rain, but deep down, we prayed for cooler British weather before we were all roasted! A moment later, our prayers were heard.  It started to drizzle, bringing us a touch of British weather.  Lauren and Candy who both had tough training sessions planned were so glad, they danced like they have won the lottery. 

The drizzle lasted a few minutes, but very much welcomed to our over heated brains.

The track session went very well.  Confidence was very high and the overall mood was very positive.  We got back to the hotel to be met by those who had been to visit the 101 Building.  They excitedly explained how high and scary the building is.  Those who were at the track were jealous!  A trip was then planned for those who missed the tour.

After a little snack, most of us went for a quick nap and the others went swimming.  “I feel really good.  I think I have got used to the weather.  It is still very hot.  Yesterday the starting blocks were like hot iron.  I had to wrap towels around it” said John Ruddy.  Lauren laughing; hotly agreed that “the track was very hot. I think I might have burnt my finger tips practicing the starts.”  Any thought of wearing Michael Jackson’s gloves was immediately dismissed by Lauren.   “I am throwing very well. I took it easy today, but feel really good " said Beth Sewell.

Evening meal was the usual buffet service, but by now, we have tasted everything and gasping for KFC or McDonalds, but we just had to chew more salads and dream of the treats after the championships!  Chocolates and all that.  Shhhhhhhh!  But, sorry, athletes weren’t allowed chocolates for now...its for us officials...we are getting fatter, aren’t we? 

We had a brief meeting to discuss plans for tomorrow and an opportunity for everyone to share their positive and negative experiences of the day.  We then chatted about the solutions for those negative issues.  The positives were praised and encouragements given to continue with them.   At the end, everyone went back to their rooms relaxed and confident ready to face another challenging day.

Day 8 News...

Mix ups and confusions

The day started with a confidence raising speech. "Be strong, be positive, never negative! This Deaflympics is only once in a lifetime opportunity.  Grab it!“; came the speech from Team Manager Brian Kokoruwe.  Everyone started to rise to the occasion. 

Its normal that in sports, athletes have moments of uncertainties, questioning the outcome of their training sessions, their abilities and as the competition date and time become closer, so do these thoughts increase.  However, IT IS IMPORTANT THAT THE TEAM WORK TOGETHER TO SUPPORT ONE ANOTHER and build up a strong Team Spirit, which in turn will help individuals increase their confidence and performance.  Team Coach Rebecca Foster said “Everyone is doing very well.  I am happy to see the throwers’ throwing well, the jumper has done very well today and the sprinters look good.”  Candy Hawkins added; “My training session today has gone very well, but the damp weather made my legs feel a bit heavy.” 

Rather than train in the evening, we decided to train in the afternoon instead as there was the Opening Ceremony Rehearsal taking place today.  This session started in a typical British weather fashion!  Heavy rainfall as soon as the team arrived at the track. Soaked, but not down-hearted, training went ahead as planned.  Unlike the British cold rain, we were showered with warm water and as soon as the rain stopped, we were dried up as quickly as we got soaked!  Session was good.

We had to rush quickly to eat before dashing off for the Rehearsal.  It was a guide to what we will expect to witness in two days time.  It was superb. Back at the hotel, exhausted, but wide awake, some of us went for a meal in the hotel restaurant, the others went straight to bed.

Day 9 News...

Hectic day

It is not easy being part of the Deaflympics set up, its hard work, but for most of us, it’s an experience of a lifetime. This was something to be treasured and privileged to be part of. After breakfast, usual routines followed.  Track and field training, some shopping trips for fruits and bottled water, then back to the hotel. 

However, today was a special day.  We were escorted by the police through the busy traffic of Taipei to meet up with British Foreign Trade Office representatives in Taipei.  We were treated to VIP welcoming party.  Children from local schools who would support Great Britain throughout the Deaflympics attended.  They put out a show, met up with the athletes.  It was a busy nice for most of us with John Ruddy, Lauren Peffers, Tim Stones, Bethan Lishman all happily busy signing lots of autographs and smiling endlessly for the cameras that never stopped flashing through the night.  After the party, the police escorted us back to our hotel.  It was a fun filled day!

Day 10 News...

Superb Opening Ceremony

It’s now dawning on us that we are about to embark on a mission.  It’s not a mission impossible.  We are here to perform to the best of our abilities.  There is no bigger event than the Deaflympics for deaf sportsmen and sportswomen.

Early morning, Team Manager Brian Kokoruwe and Official Guy Finney both had to attend an emergency meeting to register all the athletes.  In the meantime, Rebecca Foster was busy attending to everyone’s training needs. It’s the big day and everyone is very excited. 

The Opening Ceremony of the 21st Deaflympics will be taking place. All dressed in our GB tracksuit, we were escorted again by the police cars and motorcycles to the stadium.  On arrival, the huge number of spectators lining the streets shocked us.  Traffic was everywhere. Huge crowds were by the roadside, all waving and smiling.  For those lucky enough to be near us, they had handshakes! 

The Opening Ceremony was superb.  You just have to be there to witness it. Taiwan's President was amongst the huge list of VIPs that attended the Opening Ceremony.  We all enjoyed the day!  The pictures will tell the story.  Two days to go before our athletes start the ball rolling.  Tomorrow will be the draw!

Day 11 News...

It is just 24 hours before the start of the 21st Deaflympics in Taipei. A technical meeting has been arranged to discuss athletics issues and timetable rescheduling. GB Athletics Coach Rebecca Foster and Team Manager Brian Kokoruwe both attended. The meeting lasted nearly 6 hours! Every country wanted different provisions to suit their athletes and varied qualification criteria. It was also our main opportunity to ask any questions relating to the Games.

Whilst we were in the meeting, the track athletes were in the Warm Up arena get accustomed to the new flashing light starting system that will be used in the championships. “It is okay. I have no problem with it” said John Ruddy. Guy Finney said, “The lights are not very visible. If its very bright, it might be difficult for athletes to see it and respond fast.”

As we approach competition day, we have spent less time in the training track. We are all rearing to go. Just a few of us went training today.

This evening, after dinner, we held our team meeting. In her speech, Rebecca Foster said “you have all worked so very hard to get here. This is the chance to do your best. Come on Great Britain”. Brian added “I am very proud of all of you. You are the best in your events from Great Britain and I am very confident that you will do your best. I do not mean you have to give 100%, I am expecting all of you to give 101%. This is Taipei, the city of 101 Building. Come on Great Britain.” After a loud applause, the team bonded and were ready for bed...in the sweet knowledge that when competition starts tomorrow, they will all be giving 101% and doing not just themselves proud, but the whole of GB. Come on GB!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Day 12 News...

New Deaflympic Games Record for Lauren

This was our first day of competitions. At 10am, 7th September, Nelson Bolumbu was our first representative. He did a good job finishing 2nd in a respectable 11.16sec to qualify for the 100m Semi Finals. This gave the rest of the team a huge confidence boast. John Ruddy was then our second competitor in action in the 100m a few moments later in Heat 7. He was drawn against some of the fastest deaf athletes in the world. John gave his all, but finished 5th in 11.35sec. This was good enough to send him through to the semi finals as one of the fastest losers.

In the afternoon session, both Nelson and John had to return after a few hours sleep for the Semi Finals. Strangely, the rest break seems to have affected their performances. They both returned for the semis, feeling rather ‘heavy’ and tight. It must be the weather or something, but John said; “My legs felt very heavy. I tried my best. I am looking forward to the 200m.” Nelson had no comments. Nelson’s time of 11.29 (7th position) and John’s 11.59 (7th position) were not enough to put them in the final.

Next on the track a few moments later was Lauren Peffers who was participating in the 400m race. This is the only second time that she was taking part in the 400m in major championships after giving up the 1500m. Drawn in lane 5, against the more experienced athletes from Belarus, China, Ukraine and Russian, Lauren quickly stamped her authority by running a powerful race. At the end of the 400m race, Lauren's winning time of 56.12 broke the Deaflympics Games previous record (56.67). She was followed home in 2nd place by Alena Tsiarentsyeva of Belarus who looked dangerous 56.60.

It was a job well done by Lauren and we all went back to the hotel excitedly and with her anticipation in the 400m Women Final.

Day 13 News...

Magnificent 400m Silver Medal for Lauren

As our Men didn’t make the 100m final, we had no competitors in the morning session, so those who had training session planned for this day had to attend to their training needs. The main thing was that we had to be there to support Lauren in the 400m Final later in the afternoon.

Back to the track at 4.30pm for warm up, the weather was now getting slightly cooler, but still very hot and humid. Lauren had to be kept away from the sunlight.

When the race came, as expected, it would be a very tough race. Lauren was drawn in Lane 4. As predicted, her biggest challenger would be Alena from Belarus. From the word ‘Go’, Lauren unusually took her time. This was a good strategy as Lauren appeared to have started too fast off the blocks in yesterday’s Semi Final race, making her seem over stretched and tired towards the end of the 400m race. In the Final, after a steady start, Lauren had a lot to catch up on at half way through the race. Typically, this was not a problem. Lauren moved up another gear, overtook 3 out of 4 athletes in front of her. As she worked harder to overhaul the only person ahead of her for the gold, it was far too late and there was no extra gear to move to. Lauren crossed the line in a new personal best (PB) 55.90, which improved on her previous Deaflympics Games record, but it was Alena Tsiarentsyeva of Belarus who took the Gold and ended up with the Games Record.

“I am really happy with the silver medal. “ said Lauren. Team Manager Brian Kokoruwe commented; “We are really pleased for Lauren. She gave it her all and did everything she could. Nothing more she could have done. Its her only 2nd major 400m championships. She is learning this event and am sure she will be a force to be reckoned with in years to come.”

When Lauren finally emerged from the medal presentation, she was very warmly congratulated by her mum and dad, then by the rest of Team Great Britain and the press! Well done Lauren. We are really proud of you.

Tomorrow, we all look forward to supporting our ladies in action tomorro,. Bethan Lishman and Joanne Davison in the Discus Final and Candy Hawkins in the 1,500m. Good luck.

For full results visit: http://athletics.2009deaflympics.org/files/639-1028.php

Further info: www.2009deaflympics.com

Day 14 News...

A taste of the sea

The third day of the track and field athletics at the Deaflympics was to see 3 of our ladies competing. Candy Hawkins was to compete in the 1,500m Final and both Joanne Davison and Bethan Lishman too at 5pm simultaneously, but sadly, Hawkins had to be withdrawn from her race on medical grounds.

While her 1,500m was going on around the track, both Joanne and Bethan were giving their all in the Discus at one corner of the track.

Joanne threw a new PB of 32.94 in finishing 9th and Bethan threw 26.27. They have both got a feel of the 21st Deaflympics competition and so they are both looking forward to the Hammer finals tomorrow.

Joanne said "I am happy with a new PB. I did my best. The Hammer is going to be very exciting to watch tomorrow". Head coach Rebecca Fosters said "The girls did their best. This will give them the confidence they need to perform in their main event the Hammer".

Day 15 News...

This was a rest day for all track and field competitors. It was then used to arrange a visit to the Marathon route. This is taking place about 45mins drive from Taipei and with the race starting at 6am, it would mean a very early morning for most of us. Athletes need to register by 5.30am, their drinks needs to be delivered to the Drinks Station by 5.20am. So we are planning to leave by 4am. The marathon is starting so early to avoid the mid day extreme heat and humidity.

The Marathon race will start at Pacific Green Bay along the North coast highway . It is predicted that the temperature will be about 26.8c, moisture of 79%. It is said that this is a lovely weather for marathon running. It is near the sea. We could that the sea will bring some welcome wind to the runners, but not too much! The course is rather flat from inside a bus, but on foot, it is rather hilly.

Serena Blackburn and Timothy Stones will be our representatives on the 14th September.

Day 16 News...

Superb Bronze for Joanne Davison and excellent performances

Our first event today was the 200m Men Heats. Our representatives John Ruddy and Nelson Bolumbu ran in separate heats. With the first 3 people gaining automatic qualification, it was vital that they guaranteed themselves a place in the semis. This they did with a little bit of hard work. In Heat 5, Nelson finished 3rd in a good time of 23.17sec from lane 6. John had better lane draw in lane 3. He capitalised on this by winning his heat ahead of Italian legend Osmel Cejas Rodriguez who won the 100m, 200m and 400m at the 2001 Deaflympic Games in Rome.I am pleased that they have both gone through to the semis. "I hope they both get a good lane draw which will help them into the Final" said Guy Finney. After a good day at the office, we all returned back to the hotel for a good rest.

Back for the evening session, Lauren Peffers had to run in the 800m Semis. As defending Deaflympics 800m Champion, Lauren stamped her authority in the race as soon as the starting light went green. She lead from start to finished to easily qualify for the 800m Finals. A moment later the 200m Semis, had to start. Our athletes looked set for battle. It was John Ruddy again who ran a brilliant race to finish 2nd in his heat in 22.39sec to qualify for the Final. Nelson unfortunately found himself drawn in the dreaded lane 8, and finished 6th in a good time of 22.79sec. Sadly, this was not good enough to qualify Nelson for the Final.

At the other corner of the track, the Women Hammer event was taking place. Defending Champion, Joanne Davison alongside European Champion Beth Sewell and newcomer Bethan Lishman were battling it out for the medals in the Hammer cage; taking on multiple world recorder holder Trude Raad of Norway.

As the event unfolded, everyone became very nervy. Defending champion Joanne had 3 No Throws. If there were 8 athletes, she would have been disqualified and lost her title without registering a throw. Although her fourth and legal attempt landed the bronze medal, her companions Bethan and Beth missed out on a chance of medals with Bethan throwing 43.16m to finish 5th. Bethan was below her best with her throw of 42.98m which placed her 6th of the 7th throwers. Event favourite and world record holder Trude Raad easily won with her best efforts of 60.27m; a new Games Record. However, the top four throwers all beat the old Games Record. This re-confirmed that the standard of the Womens Hammer is rapidly improving. It will not be long that deaf women throwers could win the Olympic Games event!

"Well done to the team. They have all done very well. Good luck to John in the Final" said Chris Gynn, GB Team Chef de Mission.

Day 17 News...

Incredible Lauren lands silver and James breaks British Record

With no competitions for the team this morning, Candy Hawkins decided to test her legs in our training base.  Her training session focused on the key requirements of her race strategy (sorry this is confidential!!).

Back to the track in the afternoon, it was an athletics day to remember.  John first of all opened the evening for us with a magnificent 200m race.  Although drawn in Lane 8, he did not let this bother him too much.  He flew out of the blocks like a lion with its prey on sight.  Someone has false-started, so the race had to be re-started.  On the second re-start, John was rather slower and more cautious, but as soon as he was settled on the home straight, no one could over take him.  Unfortunately, being drawn in Lane 8, meant that by the time he got to the home straight, there were 4 runners ahead of him from the inside lane.  John held on for 5th position.  “He is the youngest in the field.  He has showed that he can perform in the big stage.  John is definitely going to be a force in the 200m in deaf athletics world in the coming years.” Said Team Manager Brian Kokoruwe.  His time of 22.38, was not that far from the winner’s Yang Han (China) 21.77, 2nd Humprey Eguasa (Nigeria) 21.80 and YKyungwan Chae (Korean) 22.17.  John learnt a lot from this race, which will improve his confidence when he returns home.

A moment after John’s race, defending 800m champion Lauren Peffers had to appear on the track.  Her appearance was highly anticipated.  Following her brave 400m performance, a packed Taipei Stadium spectators were looking forward to watching her race.  “Lauren is feeling rather tired and heavy today.  I have told her to reduce her warm up routines, do less runs and soak wet towel with ice cold water to be placed over her shoulders and neck” said Rebecca Fosters, Head Coach.  The heat, humidity and long rest period between races seems to be playing havoc on Lauren’s muscles.  There was nothing however that would stop Lauren from defending her title.  As soon as the flashing light turned green, Lauren flew off her marks, but within 50m, it appeared that she was struggling.  As the race went on, the more we began to worry.  Lauren settled into 5th position, until the last 20m, when she suddenly got a power surge from nowhere to pass 3 athletes in front of her; Gennadyevna Gurova (Russian-2:16.39), Halina Selivanava (Belarus-2:16.43) and Pavlovna Senina (Russian-2:17.18).  Nelli Erofeeva managed to turn her Melbourne 800m silver to gold in Taipei. Lauren received a standing ovation for her heroics whilst the 3 broken hearted girls sobbed.

As Lauren’s race went ahead, so was James Schofield’s High Jump event at the other corner of the track.  James did all he could to get a medal.  He even jumped a British Record height of 1.93m (a new PB), but unfortunately he missed out on the medal places.  “James has jumped very well.  A new PB is very satisfactory” summed up Rebecca Fosters.

For full results:
http://athletics.2009deaflympics.org/files/600-1028-370,c1-29688.php  

Day 18 News...

Serena ‘Mountain Goat’ Blackburn shows her toughness with a Bronze medal while brave Tim does us proud in finishing the race.

After a very positive Day 16, our athletes competing on Day 17, Serena Blackburn and Tim Stones were in high spirits for the marathon.  For everyone, running almost 45km in a strange and unfamiliar territory can be very nerve wrecking and daunting. 

Its very more worrying when one is confronted by extreme heat and humidity and then a 6am start.  “Am not used to running in this temperature in England, but we have arrived very early to acclimatise, so am confident I will be okay” said Serena.  Tim added “I am alright.  I will do my best.”

As the marathon race was starting at 6am at Taiwan’s Northern Coast Highway in the Pacific Green Bay region, this was about 30 miles from our hotel in Taipei.  We had to leave the hotel at 4am, to ensure that we drop our athletes drinks before 5.20am.  It was such an early morning start; some of us had to wake at 2am.  We left the hotel at 4am.  We were escorted by 2 police cars with sirens and flashing lights.  The police wanted to make sure we arrived safely!  This was very kind of them.  Serena, Tim and coach Rebecca travelled in a taxi which was sandwiched between the two police cars. When we arrived, the police continued to make sure that everything was okay.  They checked that our bottles were properly labelled and placed on the correct table. 

At 5.45am, with the weather still dark, but rather cool, but still humid, athletes were called to the starting line.  With the officials not having any form of transport to follow the race, we were left to find somewhere to sit.
The race started at 6am.  There were 26 runners in the Men’s and 11 in the women’s.

With the race in progress, the weather became hotter as the clock ticked away.  We became worried of our athletes.  Just standing in a spot waiting for the runners to finish was tough due to the heat.  Coach Rebecca and Team Manager Brian decided to hail a taxi to check on our runners.   After a moment, we saw Serena gritting it back towards the finishing line.  There were 4 runners ahead of her with about 5km to finish. We saw that there was a chance that Serena could catch 2 of them for a medal.  “Come on, come on..the runners in front of you are looking very tired. You can catch them” shouted Rebecca to Serena.  Serena continued calmly.  Despite the heat and tiredness, she continued to smile and grit away the miles.  Rebecca kept her company for a while, then took a ride in an official motorcycle to the finishing line.  A moment later, an exhausted but excited Serena crossed the line in 3rd place. 

This was an unbelievable performance by Serena and further reconfirmed that she is one of the best deaf marathon runners in the world.
A while later, Tim arrived to the finishing line.  Absolutely worn out and exhausted, he collapsed as soon as he crossed the line.  His first words to me “No way would I let down the British vest. I had to finish it whatever it took.” Said Tim.  This is very brave of him because in the men’s race due to the extreme heat, many runners could not finish it.  Only fourteen finished in the men’s and 5 finished in the women’s.

The Men’s race was won by Kenya’s World Champion, Daniel Kiptum in 2hrs 28:31 and the women’s was won by Sweden’s Ulrika Lena  Charlotte Nilsson in 3h30:36.  In this condition, the time does not matter.  Finishing it matters most and only the braves did.  Well done to Serena and Tim.
For full results:
http://athletics.2009deaflympics.org

Day 19 News...

Magnificent Closing Ceremony

Wow!  What a day.... the end of the 21st Deaflympics was now in sight.  Everyone, exhausted, but still with some energy decided to do quick sightseeing and shopping before the closing ceremony.  The closing ceremony occurred at the Deaflympics stadium.  It was magnificent entertainment provided by Taiwan for the world to witness.  The photos will tell the story!  Enjoy....

Day 20 News...

Sad day

The Deaflympics we have all worked so hard for and looked forward to have now finished and we have to prepare for the journey back home.  Lots of photos were taken, some people decided to go swimming and sunbath once more and others went for last minute shopping...back to the hotel, all packed and said ‘thank you to Taiwan and farewell to Taipei’. 

Day 21 News...

Arrived in London

What a long trip back home.  We stopped for 2hrs flight exchange in Hong Kong.  Those with spare coins in pocket did more shopping....those who did not have anymore pennies to spend just walked around the airport.  Landing in London’s Heathrow, we were welcomed by a host people flag waving to welcome us back...then one more last tears of goodbye and a closing everlasting memory of the Taipei experience.  We all said farewell and departed to our individual bases.  Taipei experience will live in the heart and mind of all those who took part in it.  Goodbye Taipei 2009.

DUKA would like to thank everyone who contributed financially and in other ways towards our athletes and officials participation at the 21st Deaflympic Games.  Without your support, many of us would not have been able to make the trip.  Thank you to all our volunteers and suporters through the year.  You are all stars.